Paz

Hi all , just a heads up. And hopefully this could support anybody in the future. AOI ART contacted me to say that my sword is ready for export , and if I would like to write anything on the invoice. I requested that they say "over 100 years old antique, custom tariff 9706.00.00.00" Il update what happens when it arrives in the UK.

So Jon, that would be the date of "supposed" production ie 1845 , or 16th century ect. Il make a note.

Out of curiosity Has anyone actually used or confirmed the cpc 4000 code for antique more 150 years , since the thread last went silent? Your saving quite a bit of bob with no tax and vat. Plus is it your responsibility to tell the seller, or do most popular sellers already know this. Regards

Hi Neil. I am in the middle of going through this process currently, and according to I have what gathered. You can import nihonto or a modern blade as long as it meets the following requirements. -handforged using traditional methods -before 1954 -antique older than 100 years Modern stainless steel swords are banned. You will be required to pay tax at 5% for antique. In terms of paperwork The seller will have to declare it as a antique, or traditionally made modern blade. Again, this is the sellers responsibility to include correct paperwork. I'm currently in the process of getting an export permit from Japan ( which is done by the seller , in my case Aoi) which takes 3 weeks. This process is unique to Japan, where all swords must be registered. You won't need a permit as far as I am aware from Europe or America. Depending on courier in the UK ie parcelforce, will bill you or send you a letter for vat payment. Which will then release the sword for delivery. I'm very sure and hopeful that people on this forum with more experience will give you a better answer. Particularly those who have purchased numerous times from abroad. Kind regards Paz

Hi @Nicolas Maestre very nice sword indeed. Your in the same boat as me waiting for the export permit. And beleive me its anxious wait aswell. Especially checking emails at 3am because I'm in Europe

Hi Will welcome. I guess your a wiser newcomer than me, as your going to study before purchase 😄

Thought il add my 2 cents here to our freind @Barrett Hiebert. Barrett. I've trained in JSA for 10 years which is still not enough in jsa terms. That's iaido, kendo and niten ryu kenjustu. None of our teachers / sensei who practice tameishigiri have ever used a nihonto or antique blade to cutt with. This is what modern production katanas are for such as hanwei and bugei. Secondly you are absolutely wrong about training and technique, and I find that insulting both to myself and my teachers. Cutting with a shinken or katana requires years of practice and time in the dojo. Everything from posture, type of cutt, and even safety are critical. Even properly gripping a katana and cutting can not be done learnt from video or book. I was fortunate to learn from a 7th Dan iaido, and it took me ages. Now for cutting fruit or bottles is just plain disrespectful even to a modern blades ,and i have done it. You sound like me when i was 21. As I've grown older (34) , you just know why this is ridiculous thing to do. First of all it damages the blade via the acidic components of fruit onto a blade, and doing this with an antique is just disrespectful and unimaginable. I started off collecting modern steel which I did use to cutt with, and tatami mats soaked in water are the way to go. But even then you need a teacher , and correct technique. Otherwise you're doing disservice to both yourself and the blade. I use to frequent on sbg forums years ago, and they have a community who likes backyard cutting with modern steel. I use to do backyard cutting, but the excitement wears off quickly. The best place to do any cutting is in a dojo with tatami mats, this really shows you how techniques used by the samurai were effective. There are plenty of great blades under 1k heck even under 600 dollars that can do a great job. If you want a shinsakuto then that's fine also. But I would not swing a 5k blade without any proper training. Also I would not be asking these questions on this particular message board. As most of us are collectors and jsa students who now appreciate the art of a nihonto rather than how effective it was. (We all know that). I can't even imagine swinging a nihonto, even with the years I have, because I appreciate it differently to when I was a younger, more wild person. Please take my advice and don't buy an expensive nihonto for backyard cutting. Also please be safe. I have had accidents minor, but a mistake can be life changing. Regards

Quite right Ian. Japanese swords were not covered at all on masters level. It's more specialist, possibly PhD. But I don't know of any professor in the UK who has specialised in this field. Regards

This has turned indeed into a very interesting discussion. Thank you Ian for your input. With academic experience in the humanities (specifically Japan) I totally agree with what is being said. We are very lucky to have a plethora of books, Internet, and nowadays YouTube. However 30 years ago or so we relied English translated books, and many authors had to put in alot of work and research with what little they had. I frequently visited the BM during my time at SOAS, which also has a good library with Japanese books. And what was on show regarding Japan was little in comparison to say China. And I say this with honesty, the first time I saw an actual nihonto, I cringed at the high end Chinese replicas that were in my collection. Kind regards

Just had a closer look at the stamp and you're right John. I would have never noticed that as a novice. The blade looked tempting due to its price ( I've sent you a pm ). But I was ready to forgive a few scratches, and add this to a collection. Thanks

Hi all I'm looking at this particular gendaito From nihonto.us. its priced around 1250.usd The koshiare is in good condition. The blade seems scratched, however what does he mean by non arsenal hamon ?. Does this imply that it was not as mass produced as other Gendaito?. Any advice will be appreciated thanks. Also the seller seems to have some decent wakazashi at low price. Thanks all.

Thanks Michael and Paul, forgive me for the name swap for the VA. It's interesting that display can be influenced by who's in charge. Paul martin was once associated with the British museum aswell if I recall. I will give the VA a visit. London Bridge however did a fantastic display of medieval England and Europea armour. It does strike me that less swords are on display at the BM. I remember seeing more people getting photos taken with the kamakura period nihinto than anywhere else when I last visited. I will visit both ad if anyone is interested, the hokusai exhibition will end soon at the BM. Regards Paz

Thanks John and Co. At the moment south of England seems best for me to visit logistically. The British museum does usually have a turn around of Japanese swords, but they only ever display one tachi or sword at a time in the Japan section. I'm thinking of albert Victoria, the war museum did show ww2 swords. But I think Albert Victoria is the only place left in the south that I haven't visited. I made the mistake several years ago of missing out the sword museum in Tokyo, and went to the national museum instead. By gones are by gones. Regards Paz

Hi all. Question to primarily UK collectors or any of you who have been lucky enough to visit London. Which museum holds the best number of swords or armour ? I have seen the British museum and London Bridge. But im planning to visit alabert and Victoria. Any recommendations would be great. I have joined the token society and will keep an eye out for any shows Thanks all. Good day

I'm checking email inbox each time the phone vibrates, especially as Japan time is our in bed fast asleep time Lol

Hi Charles thanks, I will. My anticipation for my first nihonto is through the roof. Just waiting for the export papers.

So I gather that mineral oil is best for blades. I'm looking at pure high grade mineral oil which is easy to get hold of. Otherwise I have read that uchiko is bad. Which is very surprising to me as some of the books I have show uchiko powder balls being used to clean swords or residue oil. All in all it saves me money just buying the Mineral oil.

Can I just ask. Can we use not normal cleaning kits with standard choji oil? These are the kits that are usually sold on blades uk, or amazon. Which contain cleaning paper and standard sword oil.

Hi @matt8064 Please feel free to pm me. I'm also from the UK. But I'm also new to nihonto and have just recently purchased my first sword, however not new to the Japanese sword world or JSA. You will find some great advice on these forums, and you did a favour to yourself by asking. When I went for my first sword I was looking for a few things personally. (I haven't got my sword yet, still waiting paperwork) First of all time period. I began looking at edo period and then even modern blades. However as I did more research I began to perfer slightly older or koto. But if I saw a edo period sword for a good price which appealed to me I would not have hesitated to buy one. But I wanted the sword to be over 100 years. Also I'm far more into history of Japan, which also influenced my decision. At the end of the day you are buying a piece of history aswell. The next aspect Is the hozon by the Nbthk. This usually signifies that the sword is approved by the governing body. But all this apart, if you like what you see and have substantial images of the sword in question then go ahead. My problem was that the dealer I got my sword from showed laminated images rather than in person photos. Which meant I needed to do more digging. Samurai museum shows some great photos compared to others. Most of all don't be in a rush. If the blade does not impress you , remember the history might be greater. But shopping around also helps. What is your budget in general? Regards Paz

Thomas, I think this will remain a mystery and anyone's guess. Even the dealer did not go into detail regarding the use of the mon and who may have used it. There is another question I do wish to pose , and rather than create a separate thread il ask here. This particular piece comes with a imperial army saya , which is early meiji late edo. (Not ww2). You can tell from the hook on saya and that it is not lacquered. We're koto or late muromachi swords later mounted in new imperial saya ? Does this mean that the sword was in shirasaya or the original saya destroyed. As this particular piece has koto blade, with koshiare which is also koto period. But an imperial army saya. Thanks

It's Brian's display which intrigued me.

I had to do that at a DHL site when I ordered bogu from Japan. It was literally a warehouse freezing cold.

Thanks Michael. I will be. Something that valuable in wouldn't want lying around while I wait for them. I'd rather call them to clear the payment as soon as I can. And watch the parcel when it enters the country.

Thanks jon appreciate your response. I'm glad you can get the ball rolling rather than wait for a customs letter which for me is a bit out of date ,and your at the mercy of the postal system. Look forward to your PM.