Saitō Hajime
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Saitō Hajime (斎藤 一) (February 18, 1844 - September 28, 1915) was the captain of the third troop of the Shinsengumi, and one of the few core members who survived the numerous wars of the late shogunate period,
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[edit] Early Years
He was born in Edo, Musashi Province (now Tokyo). Very little is known about his early life. He was born Yamaguchi Hajime to Yamaguchi Yuusuke an Akashi foot soldier and Yamaguchi Masu. He had an older brother named Hiroaki and an older sister named Katsu. It is believed that in 1862, he left Edo, after accidentally killing a hatamoto, to live in Kyoto.
[edit] Shinsengumi Period
As a member of the Shinsengumi, Saito was said to be an introvert and a mysterious person; a common description of his personality says he "was not a man predisposed to small talk." His original position within the Shinsengumi was Fukuchou Jokin, which roughly translates to Assistant to the Vice-Commander. His duties included being a Kenjutsu instructor. Despite prior connections to Aizu, his descendants dispute that he served as a spy. His role as an internal spy activities for the Shinsengumi is also questionable, one common example is he is said to have been instructed to join Ito Kashitarō's splinter group in 1867, to spy on them however this is disputed by Abe Juro who did not believe he was a spy. It is probable that he also monitored other intelligence and enemy activity. His controversial reputation comes from accounts that that he executed several corrupt members of the Shinsengumi; however, rumors vary as to his role in the deaths Takeda Kanryūsai and Tani Mijuro.
In the reorganization of the ranks in late 1864, he was first assigned as the fourth (military) troop captain. In Nishihonganji on April 1865 he was assigned as the third (special police) troop captain. Saito was considered to be on the same level as the first troop captain Okita Sōji and the second troop captain Nagakura Shinpachi. He was fierce and fearless in combat and his left-handed single thrust was one of the most dreaded and lethal sword techniques.
During the Boshin War (1868-1869), due to Hijikata Toshizo's injuries, Saito became the commander of the Aizu Shinsengumi around May 26, 1868 under the name Yamaguchi Jiro (which he had used since late 1867.) When Hijikata decided to retreat from Aizu, Saito parted with Hijikata and continued to fight with the Aizu army till the very end of the Battle of Aizu. This parting account was recorded in Taniguchi Shirobee's diary, where it was recorded as an occurrence between Ootori Keisuke, whom Hijikata requested to take command of the Shinsengumi, thus the said confrontation was not with Hijikata. However questions regarding this parting remain because the plans at the time did not yet call for a retreat from Aizu and go to Sendai and the dates of Saito's appearance in Buddha Hall conflict. Saito along with the few remaining men of the Shinsengumi who went with him, fought in Buddha hall where they were outnumbered. It was at Buddha Hall that Saito Hajime (Yamaguchi Jirou) was thought to have been killed in action; however, he managed to get back to Aizu and was enlisted under the Phoenix Troop. After Aizuwakamatsu Castle had fallen, Saito traveled southwest to Takada Han, Echigo where he was under penitence as a prisoner of war and on record as Ichinose Denpachi.
[edit] After the Meiji Restoration
Now known as Fujita Goro, Saito traveled to Tonami, taking up residence with Kurasawa Hiejiuemon, an old friend from Kyoto who was also involved in the migration and building the Aizu settlement in Tonami (now Aomori prefecture), particularly in Gonohe village. In Tonami he met Shinoda Yaso, the daughter of an Aizu retainer through Kurasawa who was then living with Shichiro Ueda. Kurasawa sponsored Saitou and Yaso's marriage on August 25, 1871 and lived in Kurasawa's house. It was also around this time that Saito may have become associated with the Police Bureau. Saito and Yaso moved out of the Kurasawa house in February 10, 1873 and started living in the Ueda household. When on June 10, 1874 he left Tonami for Tokyo, Yaso moved in with Kurasawa and the Kurasawa family records last entry of her is on 1876. It is unknown what happened afterwards. It was around this time Saito (Fujita Goro) began to work as a police officer in the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department (TMPD). According to recent research the marriage arrangement between Takagi Tokio, the eldest daughter of Takagi Kojuro, an O-metsuke and a retainer of the former Lord of Aizu, and Fujita Goro took place sometime between the fall of 1874 and spring of 1875. The marriage sponsors included prominent Aizu personages like Yamakawa Hiroshi, Sagawa Kambee and Matsudaira Katamori. They had three sons, Tsutomu, Tsuyoshi and Tatsuo (who was adopted out to the Numazawa family). He fought on the Meiji government's side during Saigō Takamori's infamous Satsuma rebellion, as a member of the Police and not the Military.
During his lifetime, Saito did not reveal anything about his activity in the Shinsengumi as Nagakura Shinpachi did. He did however help Nagakura Shinpachi and Matsumoto Ryoojun setup a memorial monument in honor of Kondou and Hijikata. There are no pictures of Saito Hajime that can be verified as actually being of him. One known sketch is probably a composite based upon his son. The photo accompanying this article is of the police unit he was a member of, and through process of elimination has been determined that the man in the picture above is most likely Saito Hajime, as Fujita Goro. The photo is taken at Yokohama.
Saito was a heavy drinker. This may well have contributed to his death from a stomach ulcer at the age of 71 in 1915. As a last act of defiance, Saito died (seiza) sitting upright in the alcove of his living room.
[edit] Trivia
His wife's original name was Takagi Sada. His eldest son Tsutomu, was married to a very kind girl named Nashino Midori that was greatly favoured by his wife. They had seven children. Motoko, Minoru/Makoto?, Kyoko, Ritsu, Susumu, Kazuko and Tohru/Tetsu?. Later on Susumu married a girl by the name Etsuko, while Minoru married a girl named Natsuko, who had a close relationship with Midori. They had two children, Naoko and Taro. Tsuyoshi married a girl named Asaba "Yuki" Yukiko and had four children with her. Their eldest son was named Hidaki. Their youngest son Tatsuo married a woman named Tazu/Tatsu? and had a daughter with her whose name was Eiko.
[edit] Saito in Fiction
Saitō has become a better-known figure among young anime fans in the West since several anime and manga series used him as a character. The popular Rurouni Kenshin series portrays him as an anti-hero, once a mortal enemy of protagonist Himura Kenshin, and eventually an uneasy ally. As portrayed in Rurouni Kenshin, Saitō is very tall and plain-looking compared to the other characters and has a cold and quiet disposition, following some of the very few descriptions of his personality in real life. In Rurouni Kenshin, Saito is granted special permission to carry a katana. The Gatotsu sword technique that he uses in the series is similar to the description of his original sword technique, but is purely fictional, and not entirely accurate to real swordfighting. The real left-handed thrust is used, in most sword styles, as a surprise maneuver. It is executed as a suki or thrust while stepping through, releasing the right hand at the last moment, leaving the left holding the end of the hilt. The grip-change and the step grant an extra foot or more of reach, completely changing the spacing of the fight, but it must be done suddenly to be most effective. The Aku Soku Zan motto he lives by (悪即斬, most literally, "Kill those who are evil immediately," but more poetically translated as "Swift death to evil," or "Evil Immediately Slain.") is similarly unverified beyond its use in Rurouni Kenshin, but fits with Saitō's reputation for killing corrupt Shinsengumi members.
In Peacemaker Kurogane, another historical manga and anime that tells the story of Ichimura Tetsunosuke who joins the Shinsengumi to avenge the deaths of his parents, he appears as the captain of the third troop, as he was in real life; his character, a far cry from that in Kenshin, is rather laidback and mystical, with a perpetually sleepy expression.
He also appears in Kaze Hikaru, in which he is portrayed as a quiet and serious character, who was friends with (and bears a striking resemblance to) the main character's older brother.
In the 2003 Japanese film When the Last Sword Is Drawn (Mibu gishi den), Saitō is played by Koichi Sato. At first, Sato portrays Saitō as a cold, dark, uncaring captain of the Shinsengumi. However, Saitō changes as a man through his interactions with Kanichiro Yoshimura (played by Kiichi Nakai) during the last years of the Shinsengumi.
A Kenshin series look-alike named Keiichiro Washizuka was featured in The Last Blade series of games. Again, he was characterized by a cold and quiet persona, along with a fierce loyalty to the Shinsengumi. His appearance was consistent with the Saito featured in the Rurouni Kenshin's Trust and Betrayal OVA.
[edit] References
- Shinsengumi Encyclopedia. Tokyo: Shin Jinbutsu Oraisha, 1978.
- Yamamura, Tatsuya. Shinsengumi Kenkyaku-Den. Tokyo: PHP Interface, 1998. ISBN 4569601766
[edit] External links
- Hajime no Kizu A site dedicated to Saitou Hajime and the Shinsengumi in various fictional and historical incarnations.
- Saitou Hajime
- Shinsengumi Database Website that catalogues information on Shinsengumi in various media.
