Dotanuki shingunto stolen from USPS Chicago Distribution Center, 28.5" nagasa, mumei

[Brian]

Nothing to panic about. It has been this way for years. Every year we get a handful of people who have this problem, and have to jump through hoops to explain the species of ray. If you search the forum, you'll see the classification of the ray we use and a few similar stories. But it's nothing new. Usually there are no problems, sometimes someone gets clever and decides to ask questions. Nothing has changed. It just depends on the clearing center and who decides he needs a checking quota filled.
We don't have to change anything, just be aware it's a possibility.

[Marcin]

2 hours ago, Brian said:

Nothing to panic about. It has been this way for years. Every year we get a handful of people who have this problem, and have to jump through hoops to explain the species of ray. If you search the forum, you'll see the classification of the ray we use and a few similar stories. But it's nothing new. Usually there are no problems, sometimes someone gets clever and decides to ask questions. Nothing has changed. It just depends on the clearing center and who decides he needs a checking quota filled.
We don't have to change anything, just be aware it's a possibility.

So how to avoid this or be sure nothing bad happen? Buying antiques pre 1945 with certificates for koshirae?

There must be way to ensure yourself.

Same rules goes for exporting and all from here selling mounted blades

Looks like entire new market for taking. 
 

Edited May 8 by Rawa

[John C]

I'm curious if "ray skin on Japanese sword handle" is on an actual list somwhere or if the particular agent who flagged it happens to collect swords. It just seems like an obscure item that few people would know about.

 

John C.

[Mushin]

I had this issue once with the Feds. The rayskin was not mentioned on the import paperwork and Wildlife officers in the CBP office threatened to destroy the whole package. I actually told them to keep the koshirae and send me just the shirasaya and the blade. They said they couldn't. The matter was resolved one the dealer supplied paperwork about the same wrap. But it was nerve-racking. Another potential area for big trouble are the little ivory adornments to the shirasaya. Those can end up getting the package impounded and ultimately destroyed. I have them removed by dealers in Japan before shipping and I have them replaced with black horn or fake ivory when they arrive. That said I have stopped ordering from Japan because of so many shipping headaches and the tariffs, which might be behind us soon. At least, I hope so!

[Marcin]

3 hours ago, John C said:

I'm curious if "ray skin on Japanese sword handle" is on an actual list somwhere or if the particular agent who flagged it happens to collect swords. It just seems like an obscure item that few people would know about.

 

John C.

Ray skin is a ray skin. It's importer's duty to proove which ray it is. If it's allowed to import - proove it. :D

I will try later to do some law interpretation as it is aplicable to other species. Imagine kurigata/kojiri/koiguchi made from horn XD. 

 

Normally lex retro non agit - law dsnt't apply to the past, but here We have year 1947...

https://www.convelio.com/en/blog/blogpost/guide-everything-you-need-to-know-about-cites/

So CITES works like backtrack penalty [enacting 1973]. I'm sure that Japan even as a party to the CITES goes around this convention with some tasty/cultural examples.

 

I'm glad it's international law at least. American common law with all judicial precedents would be a nightmare to keep up.

 

Edited May 8 by Rawa

[Gerry]

On 5/6/2026 at 10:00 PM, chi fan wong said:

hi gerry,

does it mean that the us fish and wildlife agents took the sword out and inspected it? if so are there any handling marks and such?  curious to know what they did and if they were careful in the process.

Oh, the sword was actually quite nicely repacked, and I couldn't find any signs of damage to the fittings or sword. I was initially concerned that they would have lost the NTHK origami, but those were included in the inner box as well.

[Gerry]

On 5/7/2026 at 8:05 AM, Mark said:

glad it arrived safe.

 

i had a terrible time with F&G some time ago, they confiscated a Yasukuni sword because there was same' on the handle 

 

i try not to send any same' out of the country, during my dealing with F&G i found out how to properly send same' out of the country and it was too much aggravation 

Oh my, they confiscated a Yasukuni-to based on the same in the tsuka? Gosh, I'm very sorry to hear that. Was there any way for you to appeal their decision, or was it non-negotiable?

[Mark]

it was a nightmare.  took a couple of weeks, i had to pay a bunch of fees and penalties and finally it was sent to the new owner. after that i decided not to to sell mounted swords out of the country

 

[Toryu2020]

Small bit of good news…

 

A Portland baggage handler faces up to 15 years in prison after an AirTag hidden in a locked gun case led police straight to him. The passenger had placed the tracker inside a Glock 19 case before checking the bag on an Alaska Airlines flight to Oakland.

On June 28, 2026, Port of Portland Police and the FBI traced the signal after multiple travelers reported missing firearms from checked luggage at PDX that month. Surveillance footage pointed to a baggage handler employed by a third-party contractor.

The signal moved from the Alaska Airlines baggage area to an employee shuttle, then to the parking lot, where officers saw the suspect discard a black backpack. Inside: a cut-open gun case, the stolen Glock, and the AirTag.

The handler, identified as Terell Wayne Overton, has been federally charged and faces up to 25 years combined. He has been released pending further court hearings.

Investigators believe he may be linked to additional thefts. A similar incident at PDX in 2018 led to a prison sentence.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Houston also had a baggage handler stealing police guns.

[John C]

Very common for baggage handlers to steal. It has been an issue for a long time. Indeed, roughly 10 percent, depending on the business, of employees steal from businesses of all types. Opportunity + Incentive (pressure) + rationalization = Employee theft triangle (Cressey). 

 

John C.

[Lexvdjagt]

I think this does teach us that shipping with, for example, AirTags is crucial for packages of certain value. I have already begun shipping every package with hidden AirTags just to be safe. AirTags are around 20USD a piece here in the Netherlands, compare that to the price of the object and it is a worthy investment. I also always travel with AirTags hidden in my sword cases; I can truly recommend this to anyone who wants some peace of mind.