how to send Japanese sword to Canada

many beautiful Japanese swords /similar items
come up for sale on Ebay; and other sites
EMS ( comes with tracking /delivery confirmation)

some sellers say EMS is ok, others not.
is EMS shipping a Viable option to Canada?
what would the next best affordable option?

Are you talking about an authentic Katana that is registered? If so, it's illegal to ship it outside Japan. If you're sending a non-registered Katana, you can use any method.

You need to have the swords papers and also fill out the proper paperwork to legally take it out of Japan.

This might help:

http://www.jssus.org/nkp/japanese_sword_laws.html

thank you for the link
very helpful

If this is a real sword (and not a knock off - which it is very likely to be if it is on ebay) you will need to get clearance to have it exported - usually about two weeks.

We purchased a sword from a reputable delaer when we were in Tokyo, and they arranged for the export paperwork to be filled out and the sword to be shipped to us. IIRC, it was sent via Fedex, as this was deemed to be safer than sending through the mail (and less hassle with Customs as well).

EMS could be used, but I would worry about the way that the package was handled by the post office once it arrived in Canada.