Japanese bureaucracy

[Bugyotsuji]

Somehow I have lost the registration card for a precious wakizashi.

In order to get a new one issued there are some hoops through which one has to jump.

1. Contact the education board of the prefecture where the original was issued. Tokyo in my case. Pray you have a copy of the original. Pray you originally registered yourself as the new owner within 20 days of purchase as the law stipulates. They send you the forms to fill out, which you send back to them.

2. In theory they then contact the education board where you live and request a sai-hakkō be issued at the next sitting of their committee, whenever, wherever.

3. You bring the blade at the agreed place and time for inspection, which usually takes a full morning, pay your money for a new card. ¥6,000(?).

 

In order to get past step 1 above, however, they have requested that I go to Police Headquarters and file an official ‘lost’ notice and collect a number code. So I went to the Police station and was advised over the phone by the authorities that if there is a possibility that it’s at home and I’ve misplaced it, in a sword bag or down the side of a drawer, then they cannot issue such paperwork.

They would need to know that it got lost out and about, going to the Togishi for example, and I would have to state when I last saw it. I do not want to involve the Togishi in this as ultimately it’s my responsibility and not his. He told me does not have it and I believe him.
 

Feeling stuck between two branches of government, I took the bull by the horns and went to Police HQ with all my paperwork and the forms from Tokyo, and begged them to help me out. Finally they have agreed to issue the vital number for me! Happy Christmas! This has taken a month so far since I first phoned the Tokyo Board of Education. Now I fill in all the paperwork and send it off to Tokyo for a new attempt at Step One above!

[Brian]

My impression when I was in Japan, was that the requirement to change ownership within 20 days was very, very seldom followed when swords are sold...mainly among entry level and mid level collectors I suspect. Am I wrong?

[Bugyotsuji]

10 minutes ago, Brian said:

My impression when I was in Japan, was that the requirement to change ownership within 20 days was very, very seldom followed when swords are sold...mainly among entry level and mid level collectors I suspect. Am I wrong?

No, what you say is true, Brian, but the letter of the law still stands and the warning is written clearly on the back of the registration card. Many people do ignore it.  The problem arises when something unforeseen occurs and they can use it against you. I won’t go into detail but I ran foul of it once.