FZ1

Like I said ............. However, sometime you drop lucky with the process. I had two items come through recently; one took about 3-4 weeks (with the questionnaire needing to be completed & sent back, etc, etc) but the other whistled through with no questions, no delay ....... and no VAT! Not sure why, but I'll take it as a win Cheers, Jon

PM Sent

Just thought I'd see what this thread was about, but..... er, I've just got to , errr.......

As suggested by the OP, for yari carried by samurai, their retainers/assistants might have looked after the saya, but perhaps the ashigaru had the cheap & cheerful leather ones, so they just stuffed those in their clothing? Jon

Yes Paz. If its not dated then something like "Manufactured c.1645" or "Produced between 1600 and 1650". They seem to be quite happy as long as its clearly an "antique date". Jon

This page about the specific 9706 code has sub-pages relating to the CPC codes. https://www.trade-tariff.service.gov.uk/headings/9706 It appears that the CPC code relates ONLY to the CUSTOMS DUTY tariff not the VAT rate. They are two separate charges. i.e. Antiques have a Customs Duty tariff of 0%, but there is still the VAT charge of 5%. I assume that this is where the confusion about "0%" came from One other tip - make sure the sender puts an approx date of production on the description, even if they've stated "Over 100 years old" or "Antique" in the description (I had a delay of a week from Parcelforce Customs Clearance because there was no date on the description) Cheers, Jon

22 Jan 22 - 28 May 22 https://www.cam.ac.uk/stories/Samurai Jon

There's some more info on the same site here: http://www.nihontocraft.com/Nihonto_Shinsa_Standards.html This is only for swords, but it does give a reference for Tosogu at the head of the page: The following is a translation of the NBTHK's Shinsa standards. This was published in March of 2006 (issue # 590) in Token Bijutsu, the official publication of the NBTHK. The original document consists of three parts. Token, toso and tosogu.

Is this any use Grev? http://www.nihontocraft.com/japanese_sword_papers.html?fbclid=IwAR3WDwnhVuIL3evFfXrfL_Vku_2cBGWj__Y4mLHVDQqn414DTF5ul8eHMbQ Jon

Samurai golf club?

Ah, thanks John. Sorry Grev - my misunderstanding!

Hi Grev, I thought that the problem with the old NBTHK (green) papers was that there were some local NBTHK shinsa teams who were taking back-handers to provide favourable outcomes. If that was the case (and I'm only going by what I read about "the scandal", I might be wrong) then I'd assume that all the papers from those times would be subject to the same uncertainty, hence the NHTHK changing the system completely for both swords and tosogu, to re-establish trust in the system. Like I said, I might have got the wrong end of the stick though! Cheers, Jon

Yeah, we've all been there ...... just don't tell my Mrs. that I'm still seeing my water jug

Sorry, I forgot to say that collection from the local depot is possible (Cambs in my case), but they told me I couldn't collect from the National Hub (Coventry). To be fair to PF though, after clearing customs, my last purchase was at the local delivery depot in less than 12 hours, so not worth the trip(for me) even if I could have collected from Coventry. Yes indeed! Whenever going to the Parcelforce Depot (or the Tax office), I always make sure my phone is charged-up and that I have coffee available, so I can wile away the hours! Jon

Paz - From experience: Yes, it goes through PF in Coventry. You can't collect from there. It normally takes about 3 weeks from Japan via EMS, PF, Customs and back to PF, but it'll probably be a few days longer over Christmas / New Year. Wait until the PF tracking status changes to "In delivery depot" and the location shows your local depot. You then wait a week or so to get the letter with the customs charge, but in practice, you can ring your local depot and ask if you can pay the charge over the phone. This takes a week off waiting for the letter and they'll schedule it for delivery the next day (note - it costs an extra tenner if you want Saturday delivery). Its a waste of time contacting PF "Customer Service" if the tracking shows as "Awaiting customs clearance". You will learn the virtue of patience when dealing with PF & Customs Cheers, Jon P.S. I'll respond to your PM this eve

Hi John, I'm new to all this, so doubtless more knowledgeable members will shoot this down if not correct (and feel free to ignore if this is an egg-sucking lesson), but in the spirit of trying to help, here's my 2d worth. There are trade-offs regarding age and condition. The two rules-of-thumb seem to be (paraphrasing many posts on NMB): Condition is very important for market value The older a blade is, the more leeway you have regarding condition Late Edo blades should be pretty much perfect and there are a lot of them to choose from. However, 700-800 year old Kamakura or Nanbokucho blades are unlikely to be in the same condition, due to multiple polishes (possibly exposing ware and other kizu) and also potential battle damage, and all ages/conditions in between, and there are a lot less of them on the market, so the principle of supply/demand means buyers may accept lower standards in terms of condition. Cheers, Jon EDIT: Obviously, this relates to market value. In terms of value to you personally, it depends how much you like a blade. i.e. It might be over-priced, but if its a "must have" for you, you might be prepared to pay the asking price, even with condition issues!

Hi John and welcome from another UK-based new-starter. As you've already sussed-out, this is a great place to learn and get advice. Advice can often be contradictory, but the fact that most members provide a good rationale for their views means that you (usually) get a good balanced argument on which to make your decisions Cheers, Jon

Welcome Khalid, enjoy your stay! Cheers, Jon

Thanks Chris, that's a good read. I also read the "Mumei" blog post following it - also a good read, so thanks for the "2 for the price of one" Cheers, Jon

Thanks Steve. Jon

I've used the Search facility and got loads of info about humidity levels, but this one is about temperature. Is there an optimum temperature to store blades and/or koshirae? Is there a minimum recommended temp? Thanks. Jon

Hi John, As another new starter to Nihonto, can I suggest you look through the list of dealers in the "Commercial Listings" menu (under the "Forums" drop down menu). There are lots of good dealers there in Japan and the US/Can and it'll give you a much-expanded choice. As you'll see, there are many dealers who have reasonably priced blades with Koshirae. Also, being from the US, you are fortunate to have a lot of very knowledgeable dealers on NMB who are in the US or Canada (so easier shipping, etc). Have a look around the different forums on NMB and get to know who-is-who and perhaps ask a couple for help to get what you want. Cheers, Jon

There are also the variables of: who's selling it and where from (private sale, dealer/business, eBay, NMB sale, Facebook, etc), how much risk you're prepared to accept (related to the point above) how big the market is in your country (e.g. lots of swords/choice in the USA, not so much in the UK) Jon

I haven't bought from them, but have you tried submitting the form using a different browser, Brandon? (Firefox sometimes works when others don't) Jon

Affordable at the moment - the last Nambokucho Hokke blade they auctioned ended up at over double the start price! Jon