Thanks to both of you. The kanji is quite exquisite and I really like the blade itself. I wish I had the same feel for the handle. The buffalo horn is loose and the handle is really small in my big hands so I am debating holding on to the knife or giving it some bling. My understanding was that the gentlemen that owned it previously worked in Japan on a regular basis from post WWII until he retired. I wish I could have found out more, that type of history always fascinates me.