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Can You Buy a Samurai Sword in Japan? Yes, But…
Can you buy a sword in Japan? Yes, that part’s relatively easy. The challenge is getting it OUT of the country.
By Bradley Jolly
Japan has a large amount of valuable artifacts, trinkets, and antiques from its ancient years to today. It’s easy to say that the most well-known of these would be the nihontō or Japanese sword.
There are so many beautiful combinations of blade, guard, and sheathe to admire. Plus, each sword has a history and its own stories — even if many of those are lost to time. And hey — who doesn’t want to own a samurai sword?
Naturally, these swords are a prized item for collectors. On top of that, some people buy swords just to have a nice Japanese artifact in their home.
The good news: Buying a sword in Japan is very easy to do! The bad news: exporting them is a whole different affair. Sadly, it’s not as simple as buying one and shipping it back. This article covers the challenges in sword exporting, as well as alternatives if you’re time-poor or don’t want the hassles.
The challenges of sword exporting
Let’s break down the challenges of sword exporting into three major categories:
- The sword’s registration status
- How culturally important the sword is
- How much time you have
Ultimately, all the above are important if you want to take your newly bought sword with you when you get on that plane. If you want to own an authentic Japanese antique sword and live outside of Japan, read on!
Keep in mind, this only covers exporting a sword from Japan. It doesn’t cover importing to your own country or importing a sword into Japan. In these cases, you’ll need to do extra research. Many of these tips also cover re-importing a Japanese sword for repair/restoration.
