Saito Hajime

From Free net encyclopedia

Image:Realsaitou-2.jpg Saitō Hajime (斎藤一 Saitō Hajime) (February 18, 1844 - September 28, 1915) was born in Edo, Musashi Province (now Tokyo). He was the captain of the third troop of the Shinsengumi. One of the few who survived the numerous wars of the late shogunate period, he was considered to be on the same level as the legendary first troop captain Okita Souji and the second troop captain Nagakura Shinpachi. Saito was fierce and fearless in combat and his left-handed single thrust was one of the most dreaded and lethal sword techniques used by members of the Shinsengumi (Shinsengumi-Kenzyutu).

Very little is known about his early life. He was born Yamaguchi Hajime and had an older brother and an older sister. It is believed that in 1862, he left Edo after killing a hatamoto (accidentally?) to live in Kyoto.

As a member of the Shinsengumi, it is said that Saitō was an introvert and a mysterious person; a common description of his personality says he "was not a man predisposed to small talk." He conducted internal spying on possible enemy operatives (i.e. the Itou case), as well as monitoring other intelligence and enemy activity. His controversial reputation as a "hero" comes from the fact that he killed several corrupt members of the Shinsengumi.

During the Boshin War (1868-1869), due to Hijikata Toshizo's injuries, Saito became the commender of the Aizu Shinsengumi under the name Yamaguchi Jiro (a name he had used since late 1867.)

In 1874, He married Takagi Tokio, the oldest daughter of Takagi Kojuro, an O-metsuke or head/senior inspector.

After the war, he changed his name to Fujita Goro and worked as a police officer. Somewhat ironically, he was a member of the force sent to put down Saigo Takamori's infamous Satsuma rebellion. It is said that he served valiantly in the battle, carrying his katana rather than a rifle.

Saito was a heavy drinker. This may well have contributed to his death from a stomach ulcer at the age of 71. During his life time, he did not reveal anything about his activity in the Shinsengumi like Nagakura Shinpachi.

There are no pictures of Saito Hajime that can be verified as actually being of him. There is one sketch of him, but it is actually a composite based on his son. The photo accompanying this article is one that is believed to be him under the name Fujita Goro. The original is of the police unit he was a member of, and through process of elimination it was determined that the man in the picture above is most likely Saito Hajime.

[edit]

Saito in fiction

Saitō has become a better-known figure 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 description 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 follows the description of his original sword technique, but is purely fictional. The Aku Soku Zan motto he lives by (most literally, "Kill those who are evil immediately," but more poetically translated as "Swift death to evil," or "Slay evil immediately.") 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 a boy 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 brother.

[edit]

Saito in Video Games

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 "Trust and Betrayal" OVA (who looked slightly more realistic than the Rurouni Kenshin TV series, since the character designs were done by another designer who made the character appear more realistic due to the OVA's dark nature).

[edit]