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Internet sales

We understand that a collector may hesitate to purchase an item from a website. One may worry that upon delivery the purchase may actually fall short of one's expectations. We want to present our items as accurately as possible.
We use the most advanced methods available in order to present our customers with images that reflect the item's authenticity and true condition. We strive for 100% satisfaction from our customers or we will issue a full refund (minus shipping and handling). We look forward to building a close relationship with our customers and hope to continue doing business together in the future.

In Japan, it is required by law that all swords have a registration card (Torokusho) with them at all times. When a sword is exported to a foreign country, it is first necessary to obtain permission which is exclusively issued by the Ministry of Education, Science, and Culture (Monbusho). If an item is a designated national treasure or an important cultural asset, then it may not leave the country. For all items that are eligible for export, we must follow a strict process according to government regulations.

First we apply for the export permission. The application takes about two weeks to be processed and approved. Once we have received permission to export, we ask that the customer send the payment. After the payment has cleared, we send the item. We always send our items by International Express Mail. If the customer is not completely satisfied with the purchase, we will issue a full refund as long as we are contacted about the dissatisfaction within two days after the itemﾕs arrival. In the event that a sword is returned to Japan, the process can be complicated. The item must pass through customs. We advise customers to please contact us before shipping any items to us, so that we can give specific instructions on importing and avoid any unnecessary complications.

Internet sales are most successful when there is good communication. We strive to maintain a diverse inventory of superior quality at competitive prices. We hope to build good relationships with our customers. Customer service is our top priority, so we encourage our customers to inform us of any questions, problems or comments that they may have. We cannot guarantee that we know everything, but we will always do our best to promptly answer questions and requests. If ever we make a mistake with a sale or an appraisal, we will accept the goods back or offer a refund--guaranteed.

In the future, we predict that more and more business will be conducted over the internet. Antiques are "one of a kind" items. Shopping for antiques is more like treasure hunting than actual shopping and it can often take a long time to find exactly what one wants. We feel that the internet facilitates this search. With the use of modern equipment, such as faxes, scanners, digital cameras, etc., one can antique hunt all over the globe without even leaving his own chair! We encourage our customers to use the internet as an important tool for comparison shopping. It is an excellent way to compare prices and quality around the world. As dealers, we are doing our best to keep up with the international antique market trends. We offer quality service, as if the customer were actually visiting our store, even though our only actual communication is through the internet. As people shop more and more over the internet, we hope to reach a wider audience of buyers and sellers.

If you are new to the concept of antique trading over the internet, do not worry. I, Kazushige Tsuruta (founder and owner of Aoi Art), did not begin using the internet until my late fifties. At first, I was of course hesitant to start business deals by email, but now it has become an important part of my business transactions. If you have any questions or reservations about trading over the internet whatsoever, I can thouroughly understand your position. I will personally do my best to guide you through it. Also, rest assured, that we still have our shop open for customers to visit. We know that not everyone is fortunate enough to be able to visit our shop in person. But if you happen to be in Tokyo, please stop by. We hope that you will feel the same warm welcome when you visit our website that you would in person.

　

Your contact information is a great asset to our company.

If you or someone that you know is wishing to sell a Japanese sword or other art object, please let us know. We would greatly appreciate your information. Usually, we pay a commission of more than 10% of the purchase price for such information. Up to date information about buying and selling is very important to us, so please do not hesitate to contact us at anytime by email or telephone.

3. If there are some items that need to be appraised, please contact us without hesitation.
For appraisals, please send us detailed information about the sword or fine art object. When possible, please send scanned images to us attatched to an email. However, if that is not possible, you may send pictures through regular mail as well. Here are some tips that may help you when sending a scanned image:

Rules

1. If an item that we have sold to a customer is later found out to be a fake, we will repurchase it immediately at the same price for which we sold it.

2. If a customer purchases an item in our shop, and later wants to sell it, he may sell it through our shop as a consignment sale. In this case, we will sell the item for the same price as it was initially sold (approximately). We will keep a 20% commission for our services, and pay 80% to the consignee once the item has been sold.
This rate will be apply to consignment we will accept on and after March 1st, 2004.

3. All of our sales are guaranteed to be genuine. We include certificates with most sales that testify to the item's authenticity. If there is ever any discrepency or point of authenticity that is questionable, we make it a rule to alert the customer of this up front. We will never sell an item without telling the customer all that we know about it.

4. You can return the goods if they are defective or if you do not want. In that case, please let us know and return the goods within a week. We will buy back immediately.

Kantei

There are many organizations that make Kantei (appraisals) of Katana (Japanese swords) and Kodogu (sword fittings). The point of a kantei is to judge different aspects of a sword to see if it is genuine. A decision about a swordﾕs authenticity will be based many attributes. The signature will be analyzed. The blade will be analyzed to determine the swordsmith, the era, and the school.The blade's condition will be judged for any damages that can or cannot be repaired. The blade will be analyzed to determine if it has been retempered, or shortened, or changed in any way.

Some of the better known kantei organizations are, for example, the NBTHK, the NTHK, Token Shibata Kantei, and many others. They all have different ways of analyzing swords. It may seem simple, but different organizations often come up with very different conclusions.

Occasionally, even an organization as revered as the NBTHK has been known to make a vague kantei in its certificates (kicho). There is a new system used now called Hozon-Shinsaﾑits point is to improve the precision of the kantei. When the kantei is questionable it is called horyu. Mumei (un-signed) swords present the most difficulties when making a kantei. For example, we have seen a sword that was attributed to the Enjyu School be re-polished and submitted to the NBTHK, the result was that it was re-analyzed to be a Rai Kunitoshi. We have seen a Shikkake re-analyzed as a Uda, and a Ko-Aoe that became a Ko-Mihara. So, be forewarned that sometimes even the experts do not agree on everything. Learning how to judge a sword can take a lifetime to truly master, so we wish you luck!

　

Market report.

Influenced by the affairs created very diverse stirs in the world, the economic activities are predicted to remain stagnant for a while.

Many banks grudge investing and quite a few enterprises are in danger of being bankruptcies. Several manufacturing industries closed down manufacturing processes in Japan and moved factories to China, Thailand or India. De-industrialization of Japan will make the situation harsher in the near future.

Looking back over the past, many countries managed to weather its economic crisis and in the United States, transactions by web-site brought revitalization of the business.
The domestic market in Japan is still marketable that includes several elements of development. We should improve ourselves through applying closely to work without escaping reality and try to look on the bright side of the economic prospects.

Excellent swords are rarely go on sale in the sword market.
A recent trend shows that the buyers are getting nervous and tread warily in purchasing.
Customers select carefully unsigned Koto blade even made in the Kamakura period.
We would recommend to purchase Shin-to or Shinshin-to to complete your collection
Yasukuni-to is in short supply so please buy positively without missing an opportunity.

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