Certification of Japanese Swords

Below is the basic process of how ot get your Japanese sword certified in Japan:

1) Get the sword to Japan

From the US you can ship the sword via USPS and from other countries with any courrier that works together with EMS. If you do not know which courrier works with EMS in your country try to Google ‘EMS + countryname’. 

2) Import and registration

After your sword is received by Japanese customs we need to go through the import procedures and later officially register your blade. This can take up to 4 months depending on the schedule of the relevant authorities. Costs about 36000 JPY

3) Application at the NBTHK

Certification can be applied for every two to three months. It will take about 4 months to receive the results and 5 months to receive the certificate. During that time your sword will be held by the NBTHK. Costs based on the achieved certificate (see https://tsuba.info/nbthk/)

4) Pick up and payment

We will pick up the sword from NBTHK. At that point we will request you to settle the bill. 

5) Export and shipping

The export license will be applied for which takes about 4 weeks. After receiving the license the sword can be shipped back to you. Costs are about 40000 JPY depending on actual shipping costs.

For a detailed price breakdown, please read here: https://tsuba.info/nihonto-import-export/