It should be noted that the Torokusho is not a certificate of authenticity; only the length, Sori, number of Mekugi-ana and the Mei (name inscribed) are stated, whether it's authentic (Shoshin 正真) or false (Gimei 偽銘).

Only traditionally made Nihonto can be licensed, i.e. swords made in Japan from Tamahagane 玉鋼 (and Shinto swords that are inscribed "Motte Namban-Tesu 以南蠻鐵" ["made using steel from the southern barbarians"]). This means in effect that it has to be either an antique, or made by a contemporary, licensed smith. Mass produced WWII swords (so called Showato昭和刀) and foreign made swords are not eligible for Torokusho.

Contemporary smiths have to go through an apprenticeship of at least five years and - after they have proven their ability to forge a sword before a panel of judges consisting of senior smiths - become certified by the Cultural Agency (Bunka-cho 文化庁).

Nihonto can be freely imported into, and exported from Japan if all procedures are carried out according to the law. However, there is one notable exception:

In 1950 the Bunkazai-hogo-ho 文化財保護法 took effect, in which important artwork of exemplary artistic and historic significance can be designated as Juyo-Bunkazai 重要文化財 ("important cultural property") and Kokuho 国宝 ("national treasure"). At present ca. 900 swords are designated Juyo-Bunkazai, and out of those 122 are Kokuho. Although anybody - including non-Japanese - can own such an item, it has to remain in Japan under penalty of law. If such a sword is sold, the government reserves itself the right to buy it for "a fair market price". Only if this right is waved, a private person can buy it (which explains why such swords are usually sold at the end of the fiscal year).

Ranking below the Juyo-Bunkazai are the Juyo-Bijutsuhin 重要美術品 ("important art work"). This designation was issued between 1933 and 1950 for a total of 1,004 swords, and an export permit is usually granted. However, once a Juyo-Bijutsuhin leaves Japan, it is stricken from the register and thus looses its status. Occasionally exceptions are made, but this involves a lot of paperwork and "connections".

If send by parcel, the sword and export permit has to be brought to the International Post Office (Kokusai Yubinkyoku 国際郵便局). Customs checks the export permit against the sword (at least the Nakago has to be shown to the customs officer), and only then can the sword be packed while customs observes packing, sealing the parcel afterwards. Another form has to be filled in by the sender, which is stamped by the carrier at shipping as proof thereof, and must be returned to customs immediately.

If the sword is sent to Japan, the parcel has to include a pro-forma invoice declaring the value of the sword, and that it is being sent for restoration and will be returned to the sender upon completion of the work (otherwise import duties have to be paid by the consignee). The sword is then stored at the International Post Office, and a notification is sent to the recipient to attend licensing. This takes place once a month at the International Post Office; after the Torokusho is issued, the sword will be forwarded to the addressee (it can not be brought home directly after Shinsa).

When personally bringing a sword into Japan, it has to be declared at customs. Customs escorts the importer to the port police, which then will issue a temporary import permit (Hikiwatashi-sho 引渡書). The importer has to contact the Prefectural Education Board for proper licensing; if he lives in Japan it's that of his prefecture, otherwise the one at the prefecture of the restorer.

In Tokyo Shinsa takes place at the Tokyo Metropolitan Government Office (Tokyo Tocho 東京都庁) in Shinjuku at the second Tuesday of every month. One fills out the registration form, takes a number, and waits for his turn to be called to one of the Shinsa tables. The inspection itself takes only a few minutes, and after establishing that the sword is eligible for licensing, the Torokusho is issued for a fee of \ 6,300 ( as of Jan 2006 ).

Although most of the inspectors are nice guys, they tend to get sloppy towards the end of the Shinsa day. I've seen quite a few collectors being in a cold sweat, almost refusing to let them handle the sword, out of the fear that the inspectors might yet again scratch up one of their prized blades; once they lost the Mekugi of one of my swords; on another occasion they misread the Mei, and after I complained, another license was issued. Sure, the face-loss was theirs, but it was me who wasted another hour waiting for the outcome of their joint effort to explain to each other this perfectly innocent mistake, and the laminating of the new Torokusho.

If a sword is rejected at the Shinsa, the recipient (or owner if at that time in Japan) has to decide whether it will be sent back to where it came from, or handed over to the police for destruction. Swords brought to Japan personally that are held back already at the port police can be picked up again when leaving Japan.

Equally, when sending swords to Japan, either the national postal service (e.g. USPS), or EMS should be used. In both cases the sword(s) arrive(s) at the Intl. Post Office. When using a private carrier, or sending a sword as unaccompanied air luggage, customs clearing has to be done at Narita, since Tokyo's International Airport is located in Chiba prefecture. A pre-Shinsa takes place at the cargo section of the airport, and the sword has to be taken to the regular Shinsa in Tokyo after that. Besides the time spent at pre-Shinsa (which usually is done by a very nice, elderly, high-ranking Iaido teacher [about whom I'm not sure that he wants to see his name published]), driving to Narita and back takes at least 3 hours from downtown Tokyo.

I have to warn everybody who entertains the notion of sending a blade to Japan without declaring the parcel's contents, or who wants to smuggle a sword into Japan personally. If you've visited Japan, you probably only came into contact with the police when inquiring at a Koban 交番 (police box) about an address, and they've been as nice as their limited command of the English language allowed.

But if police only suspects as much as you having violated the law, you're in for an unpleasant surprise. Technically speaking, if you are riding a bicycle, a policeman can stop you on the suspicion that you may have stolen it. Since there is no law of habeas corpus in Japan, the Japanese police can - and often do - keep people in rooms for weeks without charge, adequate food or even sleep until incriminating confessions are signed. Be it known that cops in this country have a lot of arbitrary power; they make their moves, and let the lawyers or Amnesty International sort it out later.

Possession of a sword or firearm - and be it only a smallish Tanto or a muzzle loader - without the proper registration isn't only a misdemeanor but a criminal offense, punishable by up to Yen 300,000 and / or up to three years imprisonment.

The harsher forms of interrogation and punishment are usually reserved for their fellow countrymen, and foreigners often get away with a slap on the wrist - in this case meaning being deported after incarceration with other criminals for at least several days (sometimes at a charge of \ 60,000 per day), without access to family, a consulate, or even a lawyer. Not to mentioned banishment from Japan for ten years. Well, at least that's what I heard from very reliable sources. Feel free to prove me wrong by trying to bring a sword into Japan without declaring it.

If you like to live dangerously, be my guest. But please don't make life difficult for the poor schmuck you're sending a sword to. I know a polisher who once was suspected of violating the Ju-to-ho, and was interrogated by police for hours. Knowing he did nothing wrong, he somehow rubbed them the wrong way, and although they were not able to charge him with any crime, he is checked upon by the police regularly ever since. They visit (or should I say raid?) his house at all odd hours, looking for unlicensed swords, and when he was fed up and complained, they "accidentally" slammed his head into a wall.

Another popular story I hear often - even from Japanese collectors! - is the tale of the sword that was confiscated after being submitted for Shinsa because it turned out to be a national treasure. In one word: nonsense! First of all, there are - technically speaking - no unknown or missing Kokuho. In 1950 all former national treasures were re-assigned as Juyo-Bunkazai, and had to be submitted again to regain their Kokuho status. The designation of the 14 pre-war Kokuho that were "lost" after WWII is therefore void. And even if one of those swords would surface now, it's perfectly legal to privately own a Juyo-Bunkazai, the Japanese government doesn't simply snatch it from its rightful owner.

But be that all as it may, more than 60 years after the end of the war there's no evidence of a rediscovered (former) national treasure, and not a single case of a sword that was confiscated after it was send to Japan. I'm very sorry if I made the post-sword-show story-telling-time a little duller. But, as they used to say in the TV show DRAGNET: "Just the facts, Ma'm!"