A Sword Found During Estate Cleanup: Can the Company Handle It?

While clearing out a deceased relative's belongings, a Japanese sword may emerge from a closet or storehouse. It is tempting to think "the estate-cleanup company can just take it away and dispose of it," but a Japanese sword cannot be handled so simply under the law. The first thing to check is whether a registration certificate is present.

An Unregistered Sword Cannot Simply Be "Disposed Of" by the Company

A sword without a registration certificate (torokusho) cannot be lawfully possessed or transported by anyone. Therefore you cannot have an estate-cleanup company carry it away under the name of "disposal." This is not about the company's quality — it is because the Firearms and Swords Control Law prohibits, in principle, possessing an unregistered sword.

The Correct First Step — Report to the Police (Discovery Report)

If you find a sword with no certificate, first contact the police station with jurisdiction over where it was found and file a discovery report (hakken-todoke). Receiving a "discovery report certificate" (hakken-todoke-zumi-shō) from the police is the proper first step. Do not carry it around or take it to a company or shop.

After the Discovery Report — Registration Screening by the Board of Education

Once you have the discovery report certificate, you apply to the prefectural Board of Education's registration screening. If it is recognized as having value as an art object, a registration certificate is issued, and only then may you lawfully possess it. Details and practices vary by prefecture, so check your local guidance. (Registration of an unregistered sword has no "within 20 days" deadline like the Notification of Change of Owner — do not confuse the two.)

If It Cannot Be Registered, or Cannot Go in Household Garbage

A sword that cannot be registered cannot, in principle, be possessed. In that case, the police station can carry out disposal