Saitō Hajime
Saitō Hajime | |
|---|---|
Saitō Hajime in 1897 | |
| Native name | 斎藤 一 |
| Birth name | Yamaguchi Hajime |
| Other name(s) | Yamaguchi Jirō Ichinose Denpachi Fujita Gorō |
| Born | February 18, 1844 Edo, Japan |
| Died | September 28, 1915 (aged 71) Tokyo, Japan |
| Buried | Amidaji, Aizuwakamatsu, Fukushima, Japan |
| Allegiance | Tokugawa bakufu Aizu Domain |
| Branch | Rōshigumi (former) Mibu Rōshigumi (former) Shinsengumi Suzakutai |
| Years of service | 1862–1869 |
| Rank | Captain |
| Commands | Shinsengumi third unit |
| Battles / wars | Ikedaya incident Kinmon incident Tenmaya incident Boshin War
Satsuma Rebellion |
| Spouse(s) | Shinoda Yaso (m. 1871–1874)Takagi Tokio (m. 1874) |
| Children | Fujita Tsutomu (son) Fujita Tsuyoshi (son) Numazawa Tatsuo (son) |
| Relations | Yamaguchi Yūsuke (father) Masu (mother) Yamaguchi Hiroaki (brother) Soma Katsu (sister) |
| Other work | Police officer |
| Police career | |
| Country | Tokyo |
| Allegiance | Tokyo Metropolitan Government |
| Department | Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department |
| Service years | 1877–1890 |
| Status | Retired |
| Rank | Police Inspector |
| Other work | Guard at Tokyo National Museum (1890–1899) Clerk, accountant at Tokyo Women's Normal School (1899–1909) |
Saitō Hajime (斎藤 一) (born Yamaguchi Hajime (山口 一); February 18, 1844 – September 28, 1915) was a Japanese samurai of the late Edo period, who most famously served as the captain of the third unit of the Shinsengumi. He was one of the few core members who survived the numerous wars of the Bakumatsu period. He was later known as Fujita Gorō (藤田 五郎) and worked as a police officer in Tokyo during the Meiji Restoration where he worked mostly undercover for them and for the Japanese government.