700-year-old samurai sword smuggled into Switzerland

Swiss customs authorities said Tuesday they had discovered a nearly 700-year-old antique Japanese samurai sword during a routine vehicle search, after it was smuggled into the country.

The Federal Office for Customs and Border Security said in a statement the Katana sword, dated to 1353 and valued at 650,000 euros ($700,000), had been discovered in a car with Swiss plates during a routine search near Zurich.

Several other objects were also found in the car, including an antique book, a contract and the sales invoice. The driver, accompanied by his daughter, had not registered the objects at the Thayngen border crossing from Germany, the statement said.

Customs authorities had launched a criminal investigation and determined that the driver was not the owner of the objects, but had picked up the sword in Stuttgart at the request of his employer.

Customs experts consulted found the import of the antique sword should be considered a violation of Switzerland’s Cultural Asset Transfer Act (KGTG).

The law aims to preserve the cultural heritage of mankind and to prevent theft, looting and illegal import and export of cultural property.

Following the investigation, regional authorities had imposed fines of over 6,000 Swiss francs ($6,250, 5,800 euros) on the employer for the violation of the KGTG.

The customs authorities meanwhile said they had collected nearly 54,000 Swiss francs in VAT from the driver, who faced up to 800,000 francs in further fines.

Samurai swords

Samurai swords are in a class of collectibles currently in high demand. Collectors with a fascination with Japanese history seek the oldest and most unique examples of these objects to add to their collections.

The sword-making industry in Japan is monitored by the government to ensure that the historical significance of the cultural aspects is maintained in the quality.

It’s a centuries-old tradition that goes back to antiquity. Some of the most valuable Samurai swords date back to historical eras in ancient Japan. The sword making tradition is still carried on in Japan with artisans crafting expensive modern pieces also known as the Katana.

The first use of the term katana to describe a sword occurs as early as the Kamakura period (1185–1333), but the actual history of bladed weapon craftsmanship in Japan stretches back over twenty centuries. At first, Japanese swords were simple variations of the Chinese swords that were straight, double-edged iron blades. The first original Japanese swords that are considered the precursor of the ‘modern’ katana began to appear during the early Heian period (around 700 CE).