Saitō Hajime

The Mysterious Captain of the Third Unit

Saitō Hajime, born in Edo in Tenpō 15 (1844), was a formidable swordsman celebrated alongside Okita Sōji as a captain of the Shinsengumi's Third Unit. Together with Nagakura Shinpachi, he was one of the few Shinsengumi officers to live into the Taishō era.

Swordsmanship Training

As for Saitō's swordsmanship school, there are accounts holding that it was Mugai-ryū and accounts holding that it was Ittō-ryū. Mugai-ryū is a swordsmanship school founded by Tsuji Gettan in Enpō 8 (1680), in the early Edo period. It is characterized by a highly spiritual swordsmanship that incorporates the spirit of Zen. Ittō-ryū, on the other hand, is a major swordsmanship school founded by Itō Ittōsai, and it values sword strokes that kill with a single blow. Whichever school it was, the evaluations within the Shinsengumi attest to how formidable Saitō's swordsmanship was.

Left-Handedness Theory

There is a theory that Saitō was left-handed. This derives from Shimozawa Kan's Shinsengumi Monogatari, in which the wound on Tani Sanjūrō's corpse was a left-side thrust, leading to Saitō, who was known for the "left-handed single thrust," being depicted as a suspect. Whether this is historical fact or invention is not known. While many fictional works have adopted this theory, opinions denying it are also strong, since paintings and photographs depicting Saitō show him wearing his sword on the left hip, as ordinary samurai did.

Infiltration of the Goryō Eji

Saitō's role in the Shinsengumi was not limited to that of a master swordsman. When Itō Kashitarō founded the Goryō Eji (Kōdaiji faction) and left the Shinsengumi in Keiō 3 (1867), Saitō joined them, but this is said to have been an infiltration as a spy. The Aburanokōji Incident, in which the Shinsengumi assassinated Itō and his followers, is also said to have occurred on the basis of information Saitō brought when he returned to the Shinsengumi. This cool-headed intelligence work shows that Saitō was not merely a man of military prowess, but possessed the intellect to analyze situations calmly and make judgments.

From the Bakumatsu to the Meiji Era

When the Boshin War began, Saitō continued fighting on the front lines, from the Battle of Toba–Fushimi through the Aizu War. His ties with the Aizu domain were especially deep. Even after the Shinsengumi effectively collapsed, Saitō joined the Aizu domain and fought alongside it to the very end. For Saitō, loyalty to the Aizu domain may have been a continuation of the spirit of the Shinsengumi.

As Fujita Gorō

After the Meiji Restoration, Saitō changed his name to "Fujita Gorō" and took as his wife Tokio, the daughter of Takagi Kojūrō, a former senior inspector (ōmetsuke) of the Aizu domain. He served with the Tokyo Metropolitan Police and took part in the Satsuma Rebellion (Seinan War) as a member of a police unit. After leaving the Metropolitan Police, he served as a custodian at the Tokyo Education Museum attached to the Higher Normal School, and as general affairs and accounting officer at the Women's Higher Normal School.

Favored Sword and Later Years

The sword Kishinmaru Kunishige is said to have been Saitō's favorite blade, but reliable historical sources are scarce. Later in life, Saitō spoke of real swordfights as follows: "If the enemy comes at you like this, you cannot possibly parry it like that and then strike at the opening like this. You simply fight in a frenzy."

On September 28, Taishō 4 (1915), Saitō Hajime (Fujita Gorō) died in Tokyo at the age of 72. Saitō's life, which witnessed the turbulent years from the late Edo period through the Meiji and Taishō eras, was itself the process by which the age of the samurai ended and a new Japan took shape. It is said that at the end he passed away in a full lotus posture in the tokonoma alcove.