Thank You Fumihiko Sugano and Koetsu

There is further substantiation to the Story that is evolving after seeing a very recent report that Koetsu are no Longer in Business as follows:

"It's with a very heavy heart, I sadly have to report that Koetsu is no more!

 Having had a conversation with Koetsu's longest standing Distributor in the UK, Absolute Sounds, the simplified story is, that the family don't want the business to continue outwith their hands, and don't want to risk tarnishing the brands reputation and legacy by selling to an outside entity, which is honorable and admirable, in this day in age, too many originally family owned  businesses have drifted from what was originally intended, take Gucci as an example, now a massive corporation with no family members involved, and dare I say long lost their original direction."

It is looking like a equivalent to Bit Coin is now being mined.

The hoarders will hoard, the fakers will fake and the ascention in costs for the 'not haves’, to buy real or fake is only a few good sales pitches away.

Because the Brand Koetsu has ceased, does not yet mean the members of the Family have stopped caring for the Brand.

There is the strong possibility a aftersales service is to be offered from a competent member of the Family.

They might also become a Patron of the Legacy and be quite valuable as a resource to prove a Fake has been produced, this in not strange in the World of Art for deceased painters who have died less than a 100 years past. 

Koetsu has a extremely broad customer base, I am sure there are quite a few who would fully understand and welcome the Families extension of support for both Service Requirements and Authentication.

Certificates could be supplied by the Koetsu Family to explain the trueness to Original Spec' following Servicing / Overhaul, which in its own right as a Koetsu Supplied Document will prove provenance. 

As this Brands Products are likely to substantially ascend in value over the next few years, such a practice will make it much much harder for the Fakers, as any purchase could be carried out pending Koetsu supplying Provenance or proving  Provence Cert' is an authentic document. 

It is a speculation , but one based on the idea, a Support Service carried out as a Business by a Family Member is one that is very different to running a Manufacture and Marketing Business, maintenance does not come with a Timeline from supply of item to return of goods. Maintenance will be attractive if undertaken by an Indivicual/ Individuals with inherent knowledge. 

There is also the strong possibility the Koetsu Brand Name is sold and the/ier are clauses that restrict the Family from becoming competitors in the field of equivalent product types for sale.

It would be very difficult to have a clause that would Stop a Family Member offering a service that was a Third Party Cart' rebuild Service for any Cart's sent from all Brands.