Japanese law forces Harry Potter sword collectors to say goodbye to their treasures
Warner Bros Tokyo needs its magical swords back due to weapon law issues. The studio tourʼs Gryffindor sword replicas dont match Japanese regulations for display items
Japanese weapon regulations are proving stronger than Hogwarts magic. The Warner Bros Studio Tour Tokyo has run into a wall with its decorative sword sales from the super-popular “Making of Harry Potter“ show
The company started asking buyers to return their 34-inch long Gryffindor sword replicas (which come with a nice wood-mounted display) about two weeks ago. The recall notice had some interesting differences: the english version talks about distribution problems; while japanese text hints at legal worries
The sword - which was sold as a movie-accurate copy of Godric Gryffindors famous blade - seems to have crossed paths with japans strict rules about weapon-like items. Even though its just meant to be hung on walls the laws dont make exceptions for magical artifacts
The whole thing shows how even the most well-known fantasy items cant escape real-world rules: no matter if youre a wizard or a muggle you still need to follow local laws
