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Stolen martial arts swords could be a danger to public, says Chilliwack collector

Swords included two katanas, and others used by Japanese samurais in traditional fights
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Several martial arts items were stolen from a Chilliwack collector in November. (Submitted)

Four martial arts swords are among a list of things recently stolen from a Chilliwack man.

Jerryd Tovell alerted the public on Facebook this week that the dangerous weapons are out there in the community, and appealed for them to be returned.

The items stolen are a blue katana, a katana with a red handle, a straight bladed black wakizashi with a handmade cedar sheath, and a naginata with a handmade handle. He says a Numark Mixtrack Pro 3 was also stolen, along with an old Numark Mixtrack covered in stickers. Those items are used for mixing music, usually by DJs.

Several martial arts items were stolen from a Chilliwack collector in November. (Submitted)
Several martial arts items were stolen from a Chilliwack collector in November. (Submitted)

While the naginata and katana with the red handle are both ornamental, the blue katana and the wakizashi are both real - and dangerous. Katanas are long, single-edged swords, while wakizashi are shorter swords. Both are typically used by samurai and together are referred to as daishō.

Tovell said the theft happened during a move-out stage over the course of a week, and that the house was broken into a number of times.

Several martial arts items were stolen from a Chilliwack collector in November. (Submitted)
Several martial arts items were stolen from a Chilliwack collector in November. (Submitted)

He has called the police to report the breaks-ins and thefts but hasn’t heard anything back yet.

While Tovell says he once studied Kendo - a Japanese martial art form that incorporates swords - he is now just a sword collector.

Cpl. Mike Rail of the Upper Fraser Valley Regional Detachment confirmed the swords were stolen in early November. He said anyone with information should call Chilliwack RCMP at the non-emergency line, 604-792-4611.

READ MORE: Chilliwack RCMP hand out more than 500 tickets in aggressive driving crackdown


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Jessica Peters

About the Author: Jessica Peters

I began my career in 1999, covering communities across the Fraser Valley ever since.
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