I have a sword captured during WW II, how can I return it to its previous owners family in Japan?
Unless you already know the Japanese soldier’s family and their address, you probably can’t. There are no significant records on who owned what sword during WW II, except for those possessed by shrines, the Emperor, etc. and they have already been accounted for. Also, most WW II period made swords, especially those with arsenal tang stamps (see military swords), can not be returned to Japan as the Japanese government considers them weapons and it is illegal for individuals to import weapons into Japan. Only those swords that are fully traditionally made can be imported back into Japan. It is best to learn about the sword and how to care for it so it can be preserved for future generations. The few, rare cases where swords have been returned to their previous Japanese owners are for those swords given as tokens of respect to US soldiers and occupation officials during the US occupation of Japan in the late 1940’s and early 1950’s.
