Knife from Kikuichi-Monjyu (Kikuichi)

1970~1990 Santaku knife

Knife from Kikuichi-Monjyu (Kikuichi), one of Japan’s oldest and most prestigious cutlery makers based in Nara.

The Symbol (Chrysanthemum): The flower engraving on the left side of the blade is the Chrysanthemum (Kiku), the Imperial Crest of Japan. Kikuichi is one of the very few companies authorized to use this crest. Legend states that in the 13th century, an emperor gave a Kikuichi ancestor permission to use the seal as a sign of supreme quality after the smith provided him with a legendary sword.

The Kanji (Engraving): * The characters next to the chrysanthemum usually read 菊一文字 (Kiku-ichimonji) or 菊一 (Kikuichi).
The additional kanji seen on the second photo (often found on the back or bottom of the blade) typically refer to the steel type. For a knife of this patina and style, it is likely Blue Steel (Aogami) or White Steel (Shirogami), which are high-carbon steels prized for their sharpness.

The Blacksmithing Tradition: While Kikuichi is the brand/wholesaler, the blades are forged by master blacksmiths within their guild. Because Kikuichi has been around for over 700 years, the specific blacksmith changes by generation.

Example same product
https://elementknife.com/products/kikuichi-cutlery-vg-1-gyuto?variant=32324740677743