(born ; February 18, 1844 – September 28, 1915) was a Japanese

samurai The samurai () were members of the warrior class in Japan. They were originally provincial warriors who came from wealthy landowning families who could afford to train their men to be mounted archers. In the 8th century AD, the imperial court d ...

of the late

Edo period The , also known as the , is the period between 1600 or 1603 and 1868 in the history of Japan, when the country was under the rule of the Tokugawa shogunate and some 300 regional ''daimyo'', or feudal lords. Emerging from the chaos of the Sengok ...

, who most famously served as the captain of the third unit of the

Shinsengumi The was a small secret police organization, elite group of swordsmen that was organized by commoners and low rank samurai, commissioned by the (military government) during Japan's Bakumatsu period (late Tokugawa shogunate) in 1863. It was ac ...

. He was one of the few core members who survived the numerous wars of the Bakumatsu period. He was later known as and worked as a

police officer A police officer (also called policeman or policewoman, cop, officer or constable) is a Warrant (law), warranted law employee of a police, police force. In most countries, ''police officer'' is a generic term not specifying a particular rank. ...

Tokyo Tokyo, officially the Tokyo Metropolis, is the capital of Japan, capital and List of cities in Japan, most populous city in Japan. With a population of over 14 million in the city proper in 2023, it is List of largest cities, one of the most ...

during the

Meiji Restoration The , referred to at the time as the , and also known as the Meiji Renovation, Revolution, Regeneration, Reform, or Renewal, was a political event that restored Imperial House of Japan, imperial rule to Japan in 1868 under Emperor Meiji. Althoug ...

where he worked mostly undercover for them and for the Japanese government.

Early years

He was born in

Edo Edo (), also romanized as Jedo, Yedo or Yeddo, is the former name of Tokyo. Edo, formerly a (castle town) centered on Edo Castle located in Musashi Province, became the '' de facto'' capital of Japan from 1603 as the seat of the Tokugawa shogu ...

Musashi Province was a Provinces of Japan, province of Japan, which today comprises Tokyo, Tokyo Metropolis, most of Saitama Prefecture and part of Kanagawa Prefecture. It was sometimes called . The province encompassed Kawasaki, Kanagawa, Kawasaki and Yokohama. ...

(now

).Itō, "Takada kinshin kara Tonami zaijūroku," p. 145 Very little is known about his early life. He was born to , an '' ashigaru'' of the Akashi Domain, who had bought the rank of ''

gokenin A was initially a vassal of the shogunate of the Kamakura and the Muromachi periods.Iwanami Kōjien, "Gokenin" In exchange for protection and the right to become '' jitō'' (manor's lord), a ''gokenin'' had in times of peace the duty to protect ...

'' (a low-ranking retainer directly serving the Tokugawa shōgun), and his wife . He had an older brother named Hiroaki and an older sister named Katsu. According to the published records of his family, Saitō left

in 1862, after accidentally killing a ''

hatamoto A was a high ranking samurai in the direct service of the Tokugawa shogunate of feudal Japan. While all three of the Shōgun, shogunates in History of Japan, Japanese history had official retainers, in the two preceding ones, they were referred ...

''.Itō, "Shinsengumi kessei made," p. 40. He went to

Kyoto Kyoto ( or ; Japanese language, Japanese: , ''Kyōto'' ), officially , is the capital city of Kyoto Prefecture in the Kansai region of Japan's largest and most populous island of Honshu. , the city had a population of 1.46 million, making it t ...

and taught in the

dōjō A is a hall or place for immersive learning, experiential learning, or meditation. This is traditionally in the field of martial arts. The term literally means "place of the Way" in Japanese. History The word ''dōjō'' originates fro ...

of a man named Yoshida, who had relied on Saitō's father Yūsuke in the past. His style of swordsmanship is not clear. According to a tradition of his descendants, his style comes from Ittō-ryū (One sword style). Saito Hajime's swordsmanship style is considered to be Mugai Ryū that originates from Yamaguchi Ittō-ryū. He is also considered to have learned Tsuda Ichi-den-ryū and Sekiguchi-ryū.

Shinsengumi Period

The same age as Okita Sōji and another member named

Tōdō Heisuke was a samurai of Japan's late Edo period who served as the eighth unit captain of the Shinsengumi. His full name was ''Tōdō Heisuke Fujiwara no Yoshitora''. Background Tōdō was from Edo, Musashi Province (now Tokyo). Very little is known abo ...

, the three shared the distinction of being the youngest in

Kondō Isami was a Japanese swordsman and samurai of the late Edo period. He was the fourth generation master of Tennen Rishin-ryū and was famed for his role as commander of the Shinsengumi. Background He was born Miyagawa Katsugorō to a farmer Miyagawa ...

's group and being among its most gifted swordsmen. As a member of the

, Saitō 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". Saitō was an unusually tall man at . He was also noted to be very dignified, especially in his later years. He always made sure that his obi was tied properly and when he walked he was careful not to drag his feet. At rest he always sat in the formal position, called seiza, and he would remain very alert so that he could react instantly to any situations that might occur. He was, however, known to be very intimidating when he wanted to be. Along with his duties as Captain of the Third Squad in the Shinsengumi, he was also responsible for weeding out any potential spies within the Shinsengumi ranks. Members had to constantly be mindful of what they said around him. His original position within the Shinsengumi was . His duties included being a

kenjutsu is an umbrella term for all ('' ko-budō'') schools of Japanese swordsmanship, in particular those that predate the Meiji Restoration. Some modern styles of kendo and iaido that were established in the 20th century also included modern forms o ...

instructor. During the Ikedaya incident on July 8, 1864, Saitō was with Hijikata Toshizō's group that arrived later at the Ikedaya Inn. On August 20, 1864, Saitō and the rest of the Shinsengumi took part in the Kinmon incident against the Chōshū rebels. In the reorganization of the ranks in November 1864, he was first assigned as the fourth unit's captain and would later receive an award from the shogunate for his part in the Kinmon incident. At the Shinsengumi new headquarters at Nishi Hongan-ji in April 1865, he was assigned as the third unit's captain. Saitō was considered to be on the same level of swordsmanship as the first troop captain Okita Sōji and the second troop captain Nagakura Shinpachi. In fact, it is rumoured that Okita feared his sword skill. Despite prior connections to Aizu, his descendants dispute that he served as a spy. His controversial reputation comes from accounts that he executed several corrupt members of the Shinsengumi; however, rumors vary as to his role in the deaths of Tani Sanjūrō in 1866 and Takeda Kanryūsai in 1867. His role as an internal spy for the Shinsengumi is also questionable; one common example being that he is said to have been instructed to join Itō Kashitarō's splinter group

Goryō Eji In a broad sense, is an honorific for a spirit, especially one that causes hauntings, and the term is used as a synonym for . In a narrower sense, it refers to a person who was a noble or accomplished person in his or her lifetime, but who lost ...

Kōdai-ji faction, to spy on them, which eventually led to the Aburanokōji incident on December 13, 1867. However, this is disputed by Abe Jūrō, who did not believe he was a spy. It is probable that he also monitored other intelligence and enemy activity. Together with the rest of the Shinsengumi, he became a ''

'' in 1867. Later in late December 1867, Saitō and a group of six Shinsengumi members were assigned to protect Miura Kyūtarō, who was one of the major suspects of the assassination of Sakamoto Ryōma. On January 1, 1868, they fought against sixteen assassins who were trying to kill Miura in revenge at the Tenmaya Inn on what was known as the Tenmaya incident. After the outbreak of the

Boshin War The , sometimes known as the Japanese Revolution or Japanese Civil War, was a civil war in Japan fought from 1868 to 1869 between forces of the ruling Tokugawa shogunate and a coalition seeking to seize political power in the name of the Impe ...

from January 27, 1868 onwards, Saitō, under the name , took part in Shinsengumi's fight during the

Battle of Toba–Fushimi The occurred between pro-Imperial and Tokugawa shogunate forces during the Boshin War in Japan. The battle started on 27 January 1868 (or fourth year of Keiō, first month, 3rd day, according to the lunar calendar), when the forces of the sho ...

and the

Battle of Kōshū-Katsunuma The took place between pro-Imperial and Tokugawa shogunate forces during the Boshin War in Japan. The battle followed the Battle of Toba–Fushimi on 29 March 1868 (Gregorian calendar). Prelude After defeating the forces of the Tokugawa shogu ...

, before withdrawing with the surviving members to Edo and later to the Aizu domain. Due to Hijikata being incapacitated as a result of the injuries sustained at the Battle of Utsunomiya Castle, Saitō became the commander of the Aizu Shinsengumi around May 26, 1868 and continued on into the Battle of Shirakawa. After the Battle of Bonari Pass, when Hijikata decided to retreat from Aizu, Saitō and a small group of 20 members parted with Hijikata and rest of the surviving Shinsengumi and continued to fight alongside the Aizu army against the imperial army until the very end of the Battle of Aizu. This parting account was recorded in Kuwana retainer Taniguchi Shirōbei's diary, where it was recorded as an occurrence also involving Ōtori Keisuke, whom Hijikata requested to take command of the Shinsengumi; thus the said confrontation was not with Hijikata. However, questions regarding this parting remain, especially considering the conflicting dates. Saitō, along with the few remaining men of the Shinsengumi who went with him, fought against the imperial army at Nyorai-dō (a small temple near Aizuwakamatsu Castle), where they were severely outnumbered. It was at the Battle of Nyorai-dō that Saitō was thought to have been killed in action; however, he managed to get back to Aizu lines and joined the Aizu domain's military as a member of the ''Suzakutai''. After Aizuwakamatsu Castle fell, Saitō and the five surviving members joined a group of former Aizu retainers who traveled southwest to the Takada Domain in

Echigo Province was an old provinces of Japan, old province in north-central Japan, on the shores of the Sea of Japan. It bordered on Uzen Province, Uzen, Iwashiro Province, Iwashiro, Kōzuke Province, Kōzuke, Shinano Province, Shinano, and Etchū Province, ...

, where they were held as

prisoners of war A prisoner of war (POW) is a person held captive by a belligerent power during or immediately after an armed conflict. The earliest recorded usage of the phrase "prisoner of war" dates back to 1610. Belligerents hold prisoners of war for a ...

. In the records listing the Aizu men detained in Takada, Saitō is on record as Ichinose Denpachi.

Meiji Restoration

Saitō, under the new name , traveled to Tonami, the new domain of the

Matsudaira clan The was a Japanese samurai clan that descended from the Minamoto clan. It originated in and took its name from Matsudaira village, in Mikawa Province (modern-day Aichi Prefecture). During the Sengoku period, the chieftain of the main line of the ...

of Aizu. He took up residence with Kurasawa Heijiemon, the Aizu ''

karō were top-ranking samurai officials and advisors in service to the ''daimyōs'' of feudal Japan. Overview In the Edo period, the policy of ''sankin-kōtai'' (alternate attendance) required each ''daimyō'' to place a ''karō'' in Edo and anothe ...

'' who was an old friend of his from Kyoto. Kurasawa was involved in the migration of Aizu samurai to Tonami and the building up of the settlements in Tonami (now

Aomori Prefecture is a Prefectures of Japan, prefecture of Japan in the Tōhoku region. The prefecture's capital, largest city, and namesake is the city of Aomori (city), Aomori. Aomori is the northernmost prefecture on Japan's main island, Honshu, and is border ...

), particularly in Gonohe village. In Tonami, Fujita met Shinoda Yaso, the daughter of an Aizu retainer. The two met through Kurasawa, who was then living with Ueda Shichirō, another Aizu retainer. Kurasawa sponsored Fujita and Yaso's marriage on August 25, 1871; the couple lived in Kurasawa's house. It was also around this time that Fujita may have become associated with the Police Bureau. Fujita and Yaso moved out of the Kurasawa house on February 10, 1873, and started living in the Ueda household. When on June 10, 1874, he left Tonami for

, Yaso moved in with Kurasawa and the Kurasawa family records last entry of her is in 1876. It is unknown what happened afterwards. It was around this time Fujita Gorō began to work as a

in the

Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department The , known locally as simply the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD), is the prefectural police of Tokyo, Tokyo Metropolis, Japan. Founded in 1874, the TMPD is the largest police force in Japan by number of officers, with a staff of more than 4 ...

. In 1874, Fujita married Takagi Tokio. Tokio was the daughter of Takagi Kojūrō, a retainer of the Aizu domain. Her original name was Sada; she served for a time as

lady-in-waiting A lady-in-waiting (alternatively written lady in waiting) or court lady is a female personal assistant at a Royal court, court, attending on a royal woman or a high-ranking nobility, noblewoman. Historically, in Europe, a lady-in-waiting was o ...

to Matsudaira Teru. The marriage is believed to have been sponsored by the former Aizu ''

Yamakawa Hiroshi Baron was a Japanese general, samurai, politician and educator. Originally a samurai from Aizu Domain during Bakumatsu, he became a general in the early Meiji era Imperial Japanese Army. He was also one of the first persons, together with his br ...

and Sagawa Kanbei as well as the former lord of Aizu Matsudaira Katamori. Fujita and Tokio had three children: Tsutomu (1876–1956); Tsuyoshi (1879–1946); and Tatsuo (1886–1945).Nagaya, p. 36. Tsutomu and his wife Nishino Midori had seven children; the Fujita family continues to the present day through Tarō and Naoko Fujita, the children of Tsutomu's second son Makoto. Fujita's third son Tatsuo was adopted by the Numazawa family, Tokio's maternal relatives (another family of Aizu ''

'') whose family had nearly been wiped out in the

Fujita fought on the

Meiji government The was the government that was formed by politicians of the Satsuma Domain and Chōshū Domain in the 1860s. The Meiji government was the early government of the Empire of Japan. Politicians of the Meiji government were known as the Meiji ...

's side during

Saigō Takamori Saigō Takamori (; 23 January 1828 – 24 September 1877) was a Japanese samurai and politician who was one of the most influential figures in Japanese history. He played a key role in the Meiji Restoration, which overthrew the Tokugawa shogunate ...

Satsuma rebellion The Satsuma Rebellion, also known as the , was a revolt of disaffected samurai against the new imperial government of the Empire of Japan, nine years into the Meiji era. Its name comes from the Satsuma Domain, which had been influential in ...

, as a member of the police forces sent to support the

Imperial Japanese Army The Imperial Japanese Army (IJA; , ''Dai-Nippon Teikoku Rikugun'', "Army of the Greater Japanese Empire") was the principal ground force of the Empire of Japan from 1871 to 1945. It played a central role in Japan’s rapid modernization during th ...

. During his lifetime, Fujita Gorō shared some of his Shinsengumi experiences with a select few, these included Aizu natives Yamakawa Kenjirō and Takamine Hideo, whose houses he frequented. He would drink ''

sake Sake, , or saki, also referred to as Japanese rice wine, is an alcoholic beverage of Japanese origin made by fermenting rice that has been polished to remove the bran. Despite the name ''Japanese rice wine'', sake, and indeed any East Asi ...

'' with Yamakawa and Takamine and tell stories of his past. However, he did not write anything about his activity in the Shinsengumi as Nagakura Shinpachi did. During his life in the Meiji period, Fujita was the only one who was authorized by the government to carry a

katana A is a Japanese sword characterized by a curved, single-edged blade with a circular or squared guard and long grip to accommodate two hands. Developed later than the ''tachi'', it was used by samurai in feudal Japan and worn with the edge fa ...

despite the collapse of the Tokugawa rule. In 1875, Fujita assisted Nagakura Shinpachi (as Sugimura Yoshie) and Matsumoto Ryōjun in setting up a memorial monument known as ''Grave of Shinsengumi'' in honor of

, Hijikata Toshizō, and other deceased Shinsengumi members at

Itabashi is a special ward in the Tokyo Metropolis in Japan. In English, it is called Itabashi City. Itabashi has sister-city relations with Burlington, Ontario, in Canada; Shijingshan District of Beijing in the People's Republic of China; and Bolog ...

. Following his retirement from Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department in 1890, Fujita worked as a guard for

Tokyo National Museum The or TNM is an art museum in Ueno Park in the Taitō wards of Tokyo, ward of Tokyo, Japan. It is one of the four museums operated by the , is considered the oldest national museum and the largest art museum in Japan. The museum collects, prese ...

, and later as a clerk and accountant for Tokyo Women's Normal School from 1899, as well as for the Tokyo Higher Normal School, jobs he secured thanks to his friendship with Takamine Hideo.Tōdō, p. 198. Takamine also relied upon Fujita's skill as an appraiser of swords, and gave Fujita permission to freely enter his art warehouse.

Death

Fujita's heavy drinking was believed to have contributed to his death from a stomach ulcer. He died in 1915 at age 72, sitting in ''

seiza '' Seiza '' ( or ; ; ) is the formal, traditional way of sitting in Japan. It involves a specific positioning and posture in a Kneeling, kneeled position so as to convey respect, particularly toward elders. It developed among samurai during t ...

'' in his living room. Upon his will, he was buried at Amidaji,

Aizuwakamatsu is a city in Fukushima Prefecture, Japan. , the city had an estimated population of 118,159 in 50,365 households, and a population density of 310 persons per km2. The total area of the city was . History The area of present-day Aizuwakamatsu ...

, Fukushima,

Japan Japan is an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean off the northeast coast of the Asia, Asian mainland, it is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan and extends from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea ...

Saitō in fiction

He has featured in several anime and manga, and is also prominent in other media about the Shinsengumi. Saitō's appearance in Nobuhiro Watsuki's ''

Rurouni Kenshin is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Nobuhiro Watsuki. The story begins in 1878, the 11th year of the Meiji era in Japan, and follows a former assassin of the Bakumatsu, known as Hitokiri Battosai. After his work against ...

'' series is likely the best-known of his manga and anime incarnations. The series introduces Saitō as an anti-hero and eventual ally to the protagonist

Himura Kenshin is a fictional character and the protagonist of the manga ''Rurouni Kenshin'' created by Nobuhiro Watsuki. Kenshin's story is set in a fictional version of Japan during the Meiji period. Kenshin is a former legendary assassin known as , more ...

, and depicts several of the known historical descriptions of him from real life, from his personality and role in the Shinsengumi to his being left-handed. As Watsuki is a self-proclaimed Hijikata Toshizō fan, Saitō makes in-series call-backs to his time in the Shinsengumi by peddling Hijikata's ''ishida san'yaku'' powdered medicine as a cover, and states that his ''Gatotsu'' attack is a perfected version of Hijikata's ''Hiratsuki''. His famous 'swift death to evil' (aku soku zan) motto in the series was also the theme of an entry in the 2000

International Obfuscated C Code Contest The International Obfuscated C Code Contest (abbreviated IOCCC) is a computer programming contest for Source code, code written in C (programming language), C that is the most creatively obfuscated code, obfuscated. Held semi-annually, it is desc ...

, in which a series of programmed source code featuring his anime portrait in

ASCII Art ASCII art is a graphic design technique that uses computers for presentation and consists of pictures pieced together from the 95 printable (from a total of 128) character (computing), characters defined by the ASCII Standard from 1963 and ASCI ...

wrote other programs that eventually formed a loop spelling out ''aku soku zan''. In the 2012 live-action film adaptation and its sequels Saitō is played by

Yōsuke Eguchi is a Japanese actor and singer. Since 1986, he has appeared in a number of television series and movies. Personal life He is married to the singer-songwriter Chisato Moritaka (born 11 April 1969) is a Japanese pop singer who also is ...

. Keiichiro Washizuka of '' The Last Blade'' games invokes Saitō Hajime's design in the '' Rurouni Kenshin: Trust & Betrayal'' OVA while also sporting Kenshin's famous scar. He fights with a series of ‘sliding charge’ attacks that resemble the ''Gatotsu''. He is parodied in the anime ''

Gintama is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Hideaki Sorachi. It was serialized in Shueisha's manga magazine ''Weekly Shōnen Jump'' from December 2003 to September 2018, later in '' Jump Giga'' from December 2018 ...

'' as Saitō Shimaru, a

narcoleptic Narcolepsy is a chronic neurological disorder that impairs the ability to regulate sleep–wake cycles, and specifically impacts REM (rapid eye movement) sleep. The symptoms of narcolepsy include excessive daytime sleepiness (EDS), sleep-r ...

with a fear of speaking. In the series, he holds the role of an internal investigator of the Shinsengumi, a post he was said to have held in real life, and is also regarded as its most deadly member by Okita Sougo, the ''Gintama'' proxy of Okita Sōji. Saitō is the third unit captain of the Shinsengumi in '' Peacemaker Kurogane''. Here he is perpetually sleepy with droopy eyes and a soft voice and the supernatural ability to see ghosts. And similar to his depiction in ''

'', he is shown with a fondness for

soba Soba ( or , "buckwheat") are Japanese noodles made primarily from buckwheat flour, with a small amount of wheat flour mixed in. It has an ashen brown color, and a slightly grainy texture. The noodles are served either chilled with a dipping sau ...

. He is portrayed as a quiet and serious spy in '' Kaze Hikaru''. He is also the protagonist of the manga ''Burai'', a fictional story about the Shinsengumi during the later part of the Tokugawa shogunate. Saitō is featured in the manga ''Getsumei Seiki'', in later episodes of the anime '' Shura no Toki: Age of Chaos'', and the video game series ''Bakumatsu Renka Shinsengumi'' and ''Code of the Samurai''. In the 2003 Japanese film '' When the Last Sword Is Drawn'', Saitō is played by Kōichi Satō. 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. Saitō Hajime is also shown in the '' Hakuōki Shinsengumi Kitan'' otome

visual novel A visual novel (VN) is a form of digital interactive fiction. Visual novels are often associated with the medium of video games, but are not always labeled as such themselves. They combine a textual narrative with static or animated illustratio ...

games, as well as its film, anime, and manga adaptations. Here, like his historical inspiration, he is very reserved and analytical, using a left-handed sword technique and later joining Itō's splinter group at the order of Hijikata. He appears in several

NHK , also known by its Romanization of Japanese, romanized initialism NHK, is a Japanese public broadcasting, public broadcaster. It is a statutory corporation funded by viewers' payments of a television licence, television license fee. NHK ope ...

productions. In the 2004 NHK

Taiga drama is the name NHK gives to the annual year-long historical drama television series it broadcasts in Japan. Beginning in 1963 with the black-and-white ''Hana no Shōgai'', starring kabuki actor Onoe Shoroku II and Awashima Chikage, the network regul ...

Shinsengumi! is a 2004 Taiga drama historical fiction television series produced by Japanese broadcaster NHK. It was a popular drama about the Shinsengumi, a Japanese special police force from the Bakumatsu period. Actors include Koji Yamamoto (actor), Koji ...

'' Saitō is played by Joe Odagiri. Shinji Ozeki portrayed Saitō in the 2011 adaptation Shinsengumi Keppūroku. In the 2013

'' Yae no Sakura'', he is played by Kenji Furuya of Dragon Ash, and

Shugo Oshinari is a Japanese actor. Career Oshinari co-starred in Shunji Iwai's '' All About Lily Chou-Chou'' with Hayato Ichihara. He also appeared in films such as Kenta Fukasaku's '' Battle Royale II: Requiem'' and Takahisa Zeze's '' Heaven's Story''. ...

portrays him in one episode of the NHK historical documentary series ''Rekishi Hiwa Historia''. Saitō also appears in '' Ryū ga Gotoku: Ishin!'' and its remake '' Like a Dragon: Ishin!'', where he is portrayed as a false identity of the game's version of Sakamoto Ryōma. Saitō also appears in the mobile game '' Fate/Grand Order'' as a limited 4-Star Saber-class Servant which debuted during the GUDAGUDA Yamatai-koku 2020 event. Saito appeared in the 2024 drama "With You I Bloom: The Shinsengumi Youth Chronicle" based on the 1963 Shinsengumi manga by

Osamu Tezuka Osamu Tezuka (, born , ''Tezuka Osamu'', – 9 February 1989) was a Japanese manga artist, cartoonist and animator. Considered to be among the greatest and most influential cartoonists of all time, his prolific output, pioneering techniques an ...

. He was portrayed by Kohei Shoji. https://www.tv-asahi.co.jp/kimiyuki/

Notes

References

* Kikuchi Akira (2003). "Saitō Hajime no Aizu-sensō," pp. 110–135 in ''Shinsengumi Saitō Hajime no Subete''. (Tokyo: Shin Jinbutsu Ōraisha). * Itō Tetsuya (2003). "Saitō Hajime nenfu," p. 223-243 in ''Shinsengumi Saitō Hajime no Subete''. (Tokyo: Shin Jinbutsu Ōraisha). * Itō Tetsuya (2003). "Takada kinshin kara Tonami zaijūroku," pp. 136–149 in ''Shinsengumi Saitō Hajime no Subete''. (Tokyo: Shin Jinbutsu Ōraisha). * Nagaya Yoshie (2003). "Saitō Hajime no shūhen (shutsuji to sono kakeizu)," pp. 27–37 in ''Shinsengumi Saitō Hajime no Subete''. (Tokyo: Shin Jinbutsu Ōraisha). * ''Shinsengumi Encyclopedia''. Tokyo: Shin Jinbutsu Oraisha, 1978. * Tōdō Toshihisa (2003). "Saitō Hajime kanren jinbutsu jiten," pp. 193–206 in ''Shinsengumi Saitō Hajime no Subete''. (Tokyo: Shin Jinbutsu Ōraisha). * Yamamura Tatsuya (1998). ''Shinsengumi Kenkyaku-Den''. Tokyo:

PHP PHP is a general-purpose scripting language geared towards web development. It was originally created by Danish-Canadian programmer Rasmus Lerdorf in 1993 and released in 1995. The PHP reference implementation is now produced by the PHP Group. ...

Interface.
幕臣取り立て
at www.geocities.jp

External links

Hajime no Kizu
A site dedicated to Saitō Hajime and the Shinsengumi in various fictional and historical incarnations.
wiki.samurai-archives
Website that catalogs information on the Shinsengumi and its historical activities and members.
Shinsengumi HQ
Timeline of events pertaining to the Shinsengumi from historical research, from before 1860 until after Meiji. {{DEFAULTSORT:Saito, Hajime 1844 births 1915 deaths Japanese police officers Japanese swordfighters Meiji Restoration Nobility from Tokyo People of the Boshin War People of the Satsuma Rebellion Samurai Shinsengumi