UK Katana Ban?

[Gaius Decius Aquilius]

I have been shopping for a katana these last few days, (preferably a Shino or Shin-Shinto that is not Gunto), and found this out: In Japan you cannot own a Gunto that was machine made, as were a lot of pre-war and war time "issue" swords. Those that were made by traditional methods, are therefore "kami" (loosely meaning having a an internal spirit). Katanas produced by traditional methods, are OK to buy, sell, and own, although I believe there is some sort of registration process. I think it might be hard to 86 anything in Japan that is kami. Also, in 1973, during a televised debate, one local politician took out his opponent with a katana. Or so I was told.

R. Izard