斎藤一

Saitō Hajime, captain of the Shinsengumi's Third Division, was regarded alongside Okita Sōji as one of the corps' deadliest swordsmen. He trained in Mugai-ryū (some say Ittō-ryū) and, as a left-handed fighter, possessed a distinctive sword style. His signature technique, the 'left single-handed thrust,' was a razor-sharp strike delivered from the left hand that struck terror into his opponents. He also served as the Shinsengumi's spy, involved in numerous purges with cold-blooded composure. During the Boshin War, he fought alongside the Aizu domain to the bitter end, then reinvented himself as Fujita Gorō to survive the Meiji era. The longest-lived of all Shinsengumi officers, he survived until 1915. Saitō reportedly favored unsigned, purely functional blades that prioritized cutting ability over fame or beauty — swords chosen to kill with certainty. His life embodies a man who upheld the samurai spirit even as the age of the samurai came to an end.