, a native of

Yamaguchi Prefecture is a Prefectures of Japan, prefecture of Japan located in the Chūgoku region of Honshu. Yamaguchi Prefecture has a population of 1,377,631 (1 February 2018) and has a geographic area of 6,112 Square kilometre, km2 (2,359 Square mile, sq mi). Y ...

, was the second Japanese to become a member of the

Baháʼí Faith The Baháʼí Faith is a religion founded in the 19th century that teaches the Baháʼí Faith and the unity of religion, essential worth of all religions and Baháʼí Faith and the unity of humanity, the unity of all people. Established by ...

from Japan. He was also distinguished by serving for many years at the

Baháʼí World Centre The Baháʼí World Centre is the name given to the spiritual and administrative centre of the Baháʼí Faith, representing sites in or near the cities of Acre and Haifa, Israel. Much of the international governance and coordination of the ...

through many of the heads of the religion from the time of

ʻAbdu'l-Bahá ʻAbdu'l-Bahá (; Persian language, Persian: ‎, 23 May 1844 – 28 November 1921), born ʻAbbás ( fa, عباس), was the eldest son of Baháʼu'lláh and served as head of the Baháʼí Faith from 1892 until 1921. ʻAbdu'l-Bahá was later C ...

Shoghi Effendi Shoghí Effendi (; 1 March 1897 – 4 November 1957) was the grandson and successor of ʻAbdu'l-Bahá, appointed to the role of Guardian of the Baháʼí Faith from 1921 until his death in 1957. He created a series of teaching plans that over ...

, the period of the

Custodians Hand of the Cause was a title given to prominent early members of the Baháʼí Faith, appointed for life by the religion's founders. Of the fifty individuals given the title, the last living was ʻAlí-Muhammad Varqá who died in 2007. Hands of ...

, and then the

Universal House of Justice The Universal House of Justice ( fa, بیت‌العدل اعظم) is the nine-member supreme ruling body of the Baháʼí Faith. It was envisioned by Baháʼu'lláh, the founder of the Baháʼí Faith, as an institution that could legislate o ...

. While attending school in

Oakland, California Oakland is the largest city and the county seat of Alameda County, California, United States. A major West Coast of the United States, West Coast port, Oakland is the largest city in the East Bay region of the San Francisco Bay Area, the third ...

he joined the religion in 1904-5.Interview of Sachiro Fujita
by Sylvia Ioas Later he met ʻAbdu'l-Bahá during his journeys to the West in 1912. Initially Fujita was living in Cleveland working for a Doctor Barton-Peek, a female Baháʼí, but failed to meet ʻAbdu'l-Bahá as he came through. Later on ʻAbdu'l-Bahá's next trip west Fujita caught up with him when he reached Chicago at the home of

Corinne True __NOTOC__ Corinne may refer to: Places * Corinne, Saskatchewan, Canada, an unincorporated community * Corinne, Oklahoma, United States, an unincorporated community * Corinne, Utah, United States, a town * Corinne, West Virginia, United States, a c ...

and from there traveled with ʻAbdu'l-Bahá to the west coast and back. During the trip there was an incident similar to the well known one of

Louis George Gregory Louis George Gregory (born June 6, 1874, in Charleston, South Carolina; died July 30, 1951, in Eliot, Maine) was a prominent American member of the Baháʼí Faith who was devoted to its expansion in the United States and elsewhere. He traveled ...

in that at a dinner a place at the table was not set for Fujita and ʻAbdu'l-Baha asked for a place be set. Fujita was separated from ʻAbdu'l-Bahá when he left the United States until 1919 when ʻAbdu'l-Bahá offered an invitation for him to serve the interests of the religion in Haifa at the Baháʼí World Centre. During his lifetime two tablets were addressed to Fujita specifically by ʻAbdu'l-Bahá.

Siegfried Schopflocher Siegfried is a German-language male given name, composed from the Germanic elements ''sig'' "victory" and ''frithu'' "protection, peace". The German name has the Old Norse cognate ''Sigfriðr, Sigfrøðr'', which gives rise to Swedish ''Sigfrid' ...

, who would later be appointed a

Hand of the Cause Hand of the Cause was a title given to prominent early members of the Baháʼí Faith, appointed for life by the religion's founders. Of the fifty individuals given the title, the last living was ʻAlí-Muhammad Varqá who died in 2007. Hands of ...

, converted to the Baháʼí Faith during a meeting with Fujita in 1921 shortly after the death of ʻAbdu'l-Bahá. From his arrival in Haifa, Fujita would serve the rest of his life there except during the tensions of World War II. At the end of World War II contact was re-established with Fujita after some searching by Michael Jamir and later Fujita was able to return to continue to serve at the Baháʼí World Centre. He attended the first Asian Regional Teaching Conference, held in Nikko, Japan, 1955.The Macau Baháʼí Community in the Early Years
, Compiled by Barbara R. Sims, 1991, page 15-16 Until his death in 1976 he continued to serve in Haifa.Bábí and Baháʼí history
Volume 1 By

Moojan Momen Moojan Momen is a retired physician and historian specializing in Baháʼí studies who has published numerous books and articles about the Baháʼí Faith and Islam, especially Shia Islam, including for Encyclopædia Iranica* * * the British Li ...

He is buried in Haifa.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Fujita, Saichirio 1886 births 1976 deaths Japanese Bahá'ís Converts to the Bahá'í Faith 20th-century Bahá'ís

See also

References