Kani Saizō (可児才蔵, 1554 - 1613), also known as Kani Yoshinaga (可児吉長), was a Japanese samurai of the late Sengoku era through early Edo era, who served various lords before coming into the service of the Tokugawa clan. Saizō was originally a vassal of the Saitō in Mino province. When Saitō Tatsuoki was defeated by Oda Nobunaga, Saizō joined the Shibata clan, which he later left to serve Akechi Mitsuhide. After Mitsuhide's defeat at the Battle of Yamazaki, he joined Oda Nobutaka until Nobutaka's death at 1583. Saizō eventually joined Toyotomi Hidetsugu, and then, following Hidetsugu's fall, went to serve Maeda Toshiie. Eventually, he ended up with Fukushima Masanori, under whom he would serve at the Battle of Sekigahara. He is best remembered for his taking of 16 heads at Sekigahara - probably the most for any one single warrior at that battle. Rather than bring the heads back to camp one by one, Saizō marked them as his own by stuffing their mouths with bamboo grass. It is said that upon hearing of his deeds at the post battle gathering, Tokugawa Ieyasu nicknamed him 'Sasasaizō' - Bamboo grass Saizō.