The Mystery of Saito Kazuma

Please download the doc file here:

http://www.megaupload.com/?d=5PSKSLX5

(it was written on the new strange version of word, if you have
problems please email secretarytocapt3(a)hotmail.com)

it is a file which will expire in 7 days

we have a reason for this...

it is a work of speculation however we have really tried our best to
investigate this matter

We are currently waiting for a response from someone with an
insider's view of the subject. There is a chance this person may not
be able to clarify this mystery. If that is the case then what you
have is our most sincerest effort.

The work was translated and written by A. Bakalian in collaboration
with secretarytocapt3 who provided some bits of text and who dragged
him (kicking and screaming into the Meiji Era) and into the study of
Takamine Hideo.

In a few days, there will be yet another anniversary to mark the
death of Fujita Goro. In 1915, he lived through his last September.
The month always held great meaning to him. It was in September of
1868 his time as a Shinsengumi fighting in Aizu came to an end.

Perhaps the purpose of why he sat in seiza (position) before death
was to maintain his mental lucidity and clean from his mind that
fateful month from his youth and all ties which bind him to this
world: hate, love, revenge, even joy. He yearned to destroy his ego
in an attempt to find freedom.

------------------------------------------------------------
Minor Detail:

I also wanted to submit to members here a photograph of a garden
where Fujita Goro once spent alot of time in. I know it's not
the "coolest" photo but please bear in mind that many things in Tokyo
was completely destroyed in 1923 Kanto Earthquake, and more
destruction during WWII. This photo was taken in between those
catastrophic events. Thus, to even have this photo is remarkable.
It was preserved outside of Japan. So yes, over 2 decades before the
photo was taken---Fujita Goro was here (I assure you on this fact).

http://1happyturtle.com/T-sensei/gardenatTakamineEstate.jpg

Dear SHQ members,

I know that perhaps the megaupload file (which ended in .docx may have
given some of you problems in viewing the file so I have attached the
file in its entirety below (a the very bottom).

I would also like to present more evidence, as resaerched by Mr.
Bakalian which does much to confirm our assertion that Saito Hajime
did not have 5 names, but 6---and that he came up with the 6th because
he insisted on speaking on behalf of a friend---a very good friend.

{new additional evidence}
"Saito Kazuma" calls himself an Aizu samurai
-- according to Saito Hajime no subete, in the Meiji Era, Fujita Goro
was registered (on records) as formerly an Aizu samurai

-- the most powerful detail emerged from an acquaintance of mine who
graciously provided a key word and that is SAitou Kazuma knew the
Takamine family since their "Sannohe" days.

Sannohe is located in Northern Japan which was where hundreds of Aizu
families were exiled (or travelled to--to reunite with family).
Amongst those samurai included Ichinohe Denpachi who soon changed his
name to Fujita Goro.

Sannohe is a district.

Gonohe is a town.

The Kurasawa family lived in Gonohe. The Kurasawa shared their home
with Fujita Goro. This is a well known fact amongst Japanese
Shinsengumi researchers.

In other words, "Saito Kazuma" who knew the Takamine family from their
time in Sannohe has the SAME biography as SAITOU HAJIME (FUJITA GORO).

Which members of the Takamine family did "Saitou Kazuma" meet in
Sannohe? He met Takamine's mother, and brothers (who were young
children). Takamine Hideo (Tadayoshi) himself was a POW in Edo/Tokyo.
The narrative of the Takamine family has partly been preserved in the
diary of a Swiss immigrant (professor of Oswego Normal School). In
short, "Saitou Kazuma" knew the Takamine family when they faced
incredible hardship, so much so that they adopted one of their younger
sons to another Aizu family. Saitou Kazuma knew this family well
before they prospered in the Meiji Era.

Thus, we feel somewhat our theory has blossomed into something more.

Thank you to Mr. Bakalian for doing this work.
As I have always known, Takamine and Fujita were truly good friends,
even though they were 10 years apart and came from different backgrounds.

I hope they are enjoying a drink now, wherever they may be.

----------------------------
THE MYSTERY OF SAITO KAZUMA
By Armen Bakalian
with notes by secretarytocapt3

FACTS:
Takamine Hideo was the cousin of Takagi/Fujita Tokio
Fujita Goro very likely found employment in the Education Museum
(years on the job 1891-1899) through the assistance of Takamine (who
had a leadership role in the Imperial Museum, and Educational Museum
which was affiliated with the Normal School he also managed).
Fujita Goro was employed at the Tokyo (Higher) Women's Normal School
(years on the job 1899-1909) through petitions by both Takagi
Morinusuke (his brother-in-law) and Takamine Hideo.
A mystery is unfolding.

In the reminiscences collected in: Furoku: Tsuikai Danso of/about the
educator Takamine Hideo, three is one reminiscence, titled "Ko
Takamine Hideo-kun" (The Late Mr. Takamine Hideo) pages 5 to 7, penned
by one "Saito Kazuma, former Aizu retainer." This would be inherently
worth something, except when you consider the following (note:
Japanese kanji follow):

斉藤一 Saito Hajime
斉藤一馬 Saito Kazuma

There is a difference of one kanji between this man's name and the
name of the Shinsengumi captain, Saito Hajime. Nowhere in the text, or
in the entirety of "Takamine Hideo Sensei-den" (especially the
chapter(s) on Aizu), does it have any mention of this man; and it
certainly does not say anything about him being of the Shinsengumi.
However, it also doesn't disprove his potentially being Saito Hajime
of the Shinsengumi. Saito Hajime, at the time of Takamine Hideo's
death, used the name Fujita Goro; however, let us consider the facts:
this is a collection of writings in tribute to one of the greatest
educators in modern Japanese history.
Fujita Goro was a traffic cop, museum guard, and sword appraiser to
Takamine and personal friend; would the writings of such a low-ranking
man fit alongside the tributes penned by Shinoda Toshihide, Yasui
Tetsu, Baron Kuki Ryuichi, and the women who undertook high-level
roles in the Tokyo Women's Normal School? In the modern day, would a
book of reminiscences of a school or university president include the
words of the gateman? Perhaps it is just my opinion, but the answer is no.

However, Fujita Goro does have a way of putting his words alongside
everyone else's: his Aizu connection. He may not have been born in
Aizu, but he was adopted into its community, married the daughter of
an Aizu samurai, and spilled blood for its people. He had as much a
right as anyone to call himself an Aizu samurai. Furthermore, "Saito
Kazuma" does what no one else in Furoku dares to do: brings up, at
length, Takamine's Aizu connection, his conduct in the Boshin War, and
his continued devotion to his former lord's family. Others perhaps
mention Takamine's origins briefly, but pass over them quickly; after
all, at the time of Takamine's death, Aizu was still stigmatized under
the false label of "enemy of the throne."
It is not until 1928, the Imperial wedding between Matsudaira Setsuko
and Prince Chichibu (brother of Emperor Hirohito) did Aizu
"officially" return into good graces to the national narrative.

Could "Saito Kazuma" be, in fact, the rather taciturn(1) Saito Hajime,
writing under a slightly, yet cleverly altered pseudonym? Could the
old warrior have broken his silence for Takamine Hideo? While there is
as yet no definite "yes" answer to that question, there is also no
definite "no." However, when considering even some of the points
covered by Ko Takamine Hideo-kun, the facts line up a little too
neatly for this to be mere coincidence.

*"Saito" has intimate knowledge of the events concerning Takamine's
school. Fujita Goro was an employee of the school.(2)

*"Saito" devotes great length to praising Takamine's art collection.
Takamine, who relied on Saito for sword appraisal, gave Saito
unrestricted access to the art collection in his LOCKED storehouse.(3)

*"Saito" knows that Matsudaira Katamori's sons came to Takamine's
house for tutoring. Firstly, the Matsudaira children, as sons of a
former daimyo, would not be taken just anywhere; secondly, for "Saito"
to know of this point, regarding the still maligned Matsudaira
Katamori's family, shows that he was trusted. Fujita Goro spent a
great deal of time visiting Takamine's house.(4) After all, Fujita
received the name Fujita Goro from Matsudaira Katamori himself.
*"Saito's own oldest son, Fujita Tsutomu, was friends with Matsudaira
Tsuneo. Ofcourse Saito would know if any one of the Matsudaira boys
spent time at Takamine's home. After all, his own sons probably did
as well. We know that Takamine's own daughter frequently visited the
Fujita home.

*"Saito" knows that Takamine talked about the Matsudaira family to his
Aizu friend Kusaka Yoshio (Onetime governor of Nagasaki and Fukushima
Prefectures), and "shed sincere tears." Historical records suggest
that Takamine almost never spoke openly about Aizu, though he was in
charge of the former retainers' association; consequently, for "Saito"
to know of Takamine speaking about Aizu, and speaking emotionally
about Aizu, shows his level of trust. Fujita Goro, as stated above,
often came to the Takamine house, and when he came, would always drink
sake(5). Those who know the Japanese culture of sake know that you
don't just randomly invite someone to your house and let them drink
alone; first of all, for Fujita to be trusted to the point of being
allowed to *always* drink sake at the Takamine house suggests that he
might have witnessed such discussions about the past. Fujita often
spoke of the past to Yamakawa Kenjiro, another prominent Aizu native,
so it is not unreasonable to think that he may have spoken of the past
to Takamine, as well. Kenjiro's brother Hiroshi, during his tenure as
president of the Normal School (while Takamine was still there), is
believed to have been the one who recommended Fujita for employment;
an overlap between Fujita's discussions with Kenjiro and Fujita's
discussions with Takamine Hideo is not at all unreasonable.

The Aizu natives who are on record as having associated or been in
close proximity to Takamine are all families who were high-ranking
Aizu retainers: Yamakawa, Ibuka, Takagi, Numazawa, Iinuma, Saigo...for
the sake of confirmation, I have looked over the casualty lists for a
"Saito Kazuma" or a relation of one, in Yamakawa Kenjiro's Hoshu Aizu
Byakkotai Jukyushi-den, they include: Saito Gengo, Saito Yukichi,
Saito Jinzaemon, Saito Tasaburo, and Saito Tetsunosuke. None of them
particularly high-ranking; none of them containing any reference to a
"Saito Kazuma."(6)

Notes:
(1)Todo Toshihisa, "Saito Hajime Kanren Jinbutsu Jiten," pp. 193-206
of Saito Hajime no Subete. (Tokyo: Shin Jinbutsu Oraisha, 2003), p. 199.
(2)Todo, p. 204.
(3)Todo, p. 198.
(4)Todo, pp. 198-199.
(5)Ibid.
(6)Yamakawa Kenjiro and Munekawa Toraji. Hoshu Aizu Byakkotai
Jukyushi-den. (Wakamatsu: Aizu Chorei Gikai, 1926), pp. 46, 94-95
Some Pros and Cons to Consider
1) Why would FUJITA GORO use a pseudonym? It's unnecessary isn't it?
Mr. Bakalian raises and important point regarding status. In the
Meiji Era generally you would invite someone honored to speak on
behalf of the deceased. While Fujita was no doubt a close and
respected friend his position cannot compare to many of the other
people who contributed to Takamine's memorial/biography.

Again, we have to think like a Japanese living in the Meiji Era not as
someone living in 2007.

Another point to consider is clearly the fact that Saito Kazuma is not
addressing educators, he is addressing people of the Aizu community.
Therefore the name "Saito" may or may not ring a bell with people of
that background. "Saito" would mean nothing to many readers. Simply,
is this the coded language that comes from living a bit separately
from society due to one's past Aizu connections? Please keep in mind
that there was a lot of discrimination, favoritism and cronyism after
1868 which was based on one's feudal hometown.

2) So how does Saito Kazuma get to write all this stuff?
That is the biggest question. The Takamine family had several
surviving members, including Takamine Hideo's aged mother (who was
close to Tokio and no doubt knew Fujita Goro VERY WELL), Takamine's
2nd, 3rd son, and 2 daughters. Why would four members of the Takamine
family let some strange person write all of this? Clearly Saito
Kazuma is someone they knew and trusted very well

3) Who else oversaw the publication?
Yamakawa Kenjiro's name appears at the end of the book as likely a
financial contributor to its publication. He was also a mutual friend
of Fujita and Takamine and a major figure in the post 1868 Aizu
network. Again we ask, if Yamakawa proofread this work he had to know
who Saito Kazuma was and like the Takamine family, was "ok" with it.

4) Wait a minute! Takamine's book was published in 1921 ! Fujita
Goro was DEAD ALREADY in 1915! He could not have written anything.
This is obviously a question which needs to be answered. Takamine
died in 1910, however his memorial was not published for a decade.
Japanese frequently publish memorial even years after the person has
died (they do so to fall on certain Buddhist anniversaries). It is
not strange for a friend to prepare statements which are published
later on behalf of the deceased. Most interestingly even some of
Takamine's speeches were published years after he died (for the first
time). Furthermore, the words of Saito Kazuma may in fact be the
polished narrative assisted by Fujita Tokio (admittedly a very well
educated of the feudal era AND knew Takamine when he was still just a
teenager as well).

Tokio was alive when this project had already started (she died in
1921). Even though she may have retired from the Higher Women's Normal
School (we do not have the start or end dates of her employment
there), she was close to campus and likely "hung out" there to help
out or just be nosy. In doing so she could easily be found. We must
also remember that Tokio was Takamine's cousin and they knew each
other since 1868 while serving in the castle.

To prove that Saito Kazuma is NOT Fujita Goro:
1) Find a real Aizu retainer who was named Saito Kazuma. At this time
we have not yet found a retainer with that name after searching
through more well known Aizu history books (which do include lists of
names). Perhaps one would have to go to a library in Aizu Wakamatsu
to find this man.
2) Find an educator, artist, scientist who was an Aizu associate of
Takamine with the name Saito Kazuma.
I, secretarytocapt3, have spent nearly 3 intense years studying
Takamine Hideo from various research angles. I have never found the
name of an educator, Aizu connections or not, with the name "Saito
Kazuma".

OMG! This is incredible information about Saito Kazuma! It certainly
made my head spin. Information I will read and reread, again and
again, that is for sure.

This is all making me so curious about the Takamine family. I have
not even thought of studying on Mr. Takamine, but after this, I
seriously want to know who this man is that trusted Saito with so
many confidential areas of his life. What was their relationship and
what made them so compatible. Oh, if only I could be a fly on the
wall back then, can you imagine the conversations I'd overhear?

Thank you so much for your research, and for sharing it with those of
us who mentally 'live' during that time. This is precious
information and I for one, am drinking it down like a fish that had
been out of water way too long! Ahhhhhhh *burp* So good!

--- In SHQ@yahoogroups.com, "secretary" wrote:
>
> Dear SHQ members,
>
> I know that perhaps the megaupload file (which ended in .docx may
have
> given some of you problems in viewing the file so I have attached
the
> file in its entirety below (a the very bottom).
>
> I would also like to present more evidence, as resaerched by Mr.
> Bakalian which does much to confirm our assertion that Saito Hajime
> did not have 5 names, but 6---and that he came up with the 6th
because
> he insisted on speaking on behalf of a friend---a very good friend.
>
> {new additional evidence}
> "Saito Kazuma" calls himself an Aizu samurai
> -- according to Saito Hajime no subete, in the Meiji Era, Fujita
Goro
> was registered (on records) as formerly an Aizu samurai
>
> -- the most powerful detail emerged from an acquaintance of mine who
> graciously provided a key word and that is SAitou Kazuma knew the
> Takamine family since their "Sannohe" days.
>
> Sannohe is located in Northern Japan which was where hundreds of
Aizu
> families were exiled (or travelled to--to reunite with family).
> Amongst those samurai included Ichinohe Denpachi who soon changed
his
> name to Fujita Goro.
>
> Sannohe is a district.
>
> Gonohe is a town.
>
> The Kurasawa family lived in Gonohe. The Kurasawa shared their home
> with Fujita Goro. This is a well known fact amongst Japanese
> Shinsengumi researchers.
>
> In other words, "Saito Kazuma" who knew the Takamine family from
their
> time in Sannohe has the SAME biography as SAITOU HAJIME (FUJITA
GORO).
>
> Which members of the Takamine family did "Saitou Kazuma" meet in
> Sannohe? He met Takamine's mother, and brothers (who were young
> children). Takamine Hideo (Tadayoshi) himself was a POW in
Edo/Tokyo.
> The narrative of the Takamine family has partly been preserved in
the
> diary of a Swiss immigrant (professor of Oswego Normal School). In
> short, "Saitou Kazuma" knew the Takamine family when they faced
> incredible hardship, so much so that they adopted one of their
younger
> sons to another Aizu family. Saitou Kazuma knew this family well
> before they prospered in the Meiji Era.
>
> Thus, we feel somewhat our theory has blossomed into something more.
>
> Thank you to Mr. Bakalian for doing this work.
> As I have always known, Takamine and Fujita were truly good friends,
> even though they were 10 years apart and came from different
backgrounds.
>
> I hope they are enjoying a drink now, wherever they may be.
>
> ----------------------------
> THE MYSTERY OF SAITO KAZUMA
> By Armen Bakalian
> with notes by secretarytocapt3
>
> FACTS:
> Takamine Hideo was the cousin of Takagi/Fujita Tokio
> Fujita Goro very likely found employment in the Education Museum
> (years on the job 1891-1899) through the assistance of Takamine (who
> had a leadership role in the Imperial Museum, and Educational Museum
> which was affiliated with the Normal School he also managed).
> Fujita Goro was employed at the Tokyo (Higher) Women's Normal School
> (years on the job 1899-1909) through petitions by both Takagi
> Morinusuke (his brother-in-law) and Takamine Hideo.
> A mystery is unfolding.
>
> In the reminiscences collected in: Furoku: Tsuikai Danso of/about
the
> educator Takamine Hideo, three is one reminiscence, titled "Ko
> Takamine Hideo-kun" (The Late Mr. Takamine Hideo) pages 5 to 7,
penned
> by one "Saito Kazuma, former Aizu retainer." This would be
inherently
> worth something, except when you consider the following (note:
> Japanese kanji follow):
>
> 斉藤一 Saito Hajime
> 斉藤一馬 Saito Kazuma
>
> There is a difference of one kanji between this man's name and the
> name of the Shinsengumi captain, Saito Hajime. Nowhere in the text,
or
> in the entirety of "Takamine Hideo Sensei-den" (especially the
> chapter(s) on Aizu), does it have any mention of this man; and it
> certainly does not say anything about him being of the Shinsengumi.
> However, it also doesn't disprove his potentially being Saito Hajime
> of the Shinsengumi. Saito Hajime, at the time of Takamine Hideo's
> death, used the name Fujita Goro; however, let us consider the
facts:
> this is a collection of writings in tribute to one of the greatest
> educators in modern Japanese history.
> Fujita Goro was a traffic cop, museum guard, and sword appraiser to
> Takamine and personal friend; would the writings of such a low-
ranking
> man fit alongside the tributes penned by Shinoda Toshihide, Yasui
> Tetsu, Baron Kuki Ryuichi, and the women who undertook high-level
> roles in the Tokyo Women's Normal School? In the modern day, would a
> book of reminiscences of a school or university president include
the
> words of the gateman? Perhaps it is just my opinion, but the answer
is no.
>
> However, Fujita Goro does have a way of putting his words alongside
> everyone else's: his Aizu connection. He may not have been born in
> Aizu, but he was adopted into its community, married the daughter of
> an Aizu samurai, and spilled blood for its people. He had as much a
> right as anyone to call himself an Aizu samurai. Furthermore, "Saito
> Kazuma" does what no one else in Furoku dares to do: brings up, at
> length, Takamine's Aizu connection, his conduct in the Boshin War,
and
> his continued devotion to his former lord's family. Others perhaps
> mention Takamine's origins briefly, but pass over them quickly;
after
> all, at the time of Takamine's death, Aizu was still stigmatized
under
> the false label of "enemy of the throne."
> It is not until 1928, the Imperial wedding between Matsudaira
Setsuko
> and Prince Chichibu (brother of Emperor Hirohito) did Aizu
> "officially" return into good graces to the national narrative.
>
> Could "Saito Kazuma" be, in fact, the rather taciturn(1) Saito
Hajime,
> writing under a slightly, yet cleverly altered pseudonym? Could the
> old warrior have broken his silence for Takamine Hideo? While there
is
> as yet no definite "yes" answer to that question, there is also no
> definite "no." However, when considering even some of the points
> covered by Ko Takamine Hideo-kun, the facts line up a little too
> neatly for this to be mere coincidence.
>
> *"Saito" has intimate knowledge of the events concerning Takamine's
> school. Fujita Goro was an employee of the school.(2)
>
> *"Saito" devotes great length to praising Takamine's art collection.
> Takamine, who relied on Saito for sword appraisal, gave Saito
> unrestricted access to the art collection in his LOCKED storehouse.
(3)
>
> *"Saito" knows that Matsudaira Katamori's sons came to Takamine's
> house for tutoring. Firstly, the Matsudaira children, as sons of a
> former daimyo, would not be taken just anywhere; secondly,
for "Saito"
> to know of this point, regarding the still maligned Matsudaira
> Katamori's family, shows that he was trusted. Fujita Goro spent a
> great deal of time visiting Takamine's house.(4) After all, Fujita
> received the name Fujita Goro from Matsudaira Katamori himself.
> *"Saito's own oldest son, Fujita Tsutomu, was friends with
Matsudaira
> Tsuneo. Ofcourse Saito would know if any one of the Matsudaira boys
> spent time at Takamine's home. After all, his own sons probably did
> as well. We know that Takamine's own daughter frequently visited
the
> Fujita home.
>
> *"Saito" knows that Takamine talked about the Matsudaira family to
his
> Aizu friend Kusaka Yoshio (Onetime governor of Nagasaki and
Fukushima
> Prefectures), and "shed sincere tears." Historical records suggest
> that Takamine almost never spoke openly about Aizu, though he was in
> charge of the former retainers' association; consequently,
for "Saito"
> to know of Takamine speaking about Aizu, and speaking emotionally
> about Aizu, shows his level of trust. Fujita Goro, as stated above,
> often came to the Takamine house, and when he came, would always
drink
> sake(5). Those who know the Japanese culture of sake know that you
> don't just randomly invite someone to your house and let them drink
> alone; first of all, for Fujita to be trusted to the point of being
> allowed to *always* drink sake at the Takamine house suggests that
he
> might have witnessed such discussions about the past. Fujita often
> spoke of the past to Yamakawa Kenjiro, another prominent Aizu
native,
> so it is not unreasonable to think that he may have spoken of the
past
> to Takamine, as well. Kenjiro's brother Hiroshi, during his tenure
as
> president of the Normal School (while Takamine was still there), is
> believed to have been the one who recommended Fujita for employment;
> an overlap between Fujita's discussions with Kenjiro and Fujita's
> discussions with Takamine Hideo is not at all unreasonable.
>
> The Aizu natives who are on record as having associated or been in
> close proximity to Takamine are all families who were high-ranking
> Aizu retainers: Yamakawa, Ibuka, Takagi, Numazawa, Iinuma,
Saigo...for
> the sake of confirmation, I have looked over the casualty lists for
a
> "Saito Kazuma" or a relation of one, in Yamakawa Kenjiro's Hoshu
Aizu
> Byakkotai Jukyushi-den, they include: Saito Gengo, Saito Yukichi,
> Saito Jinzaemon, Saito Tasaburo, and Saito Tetsunosuke. None of them
> particularly high-ranking; none of them containing any reference to
a
> "Saito Kazuma."(6)
>
> Notes:
> (1)Todo Toshihisa, "Saito Hajime Kanren Jinbutsu Jiten," pp. 193-206
> of Saito Hajime no Subete. (Tokyo: Shin Jinbutsu Oraisha, 2003), p.
199.
> (2)Todo, p. 204.
> (3)Todo, p. 198.
> (4)Todo, pp. 198-199.
> (5)Ibid.
> (6)Yamakawa Kenjiro and Munekawa Toraji. Hoshu Aizu Byakkotai
> Jukyushi-den. (Wakamatsu: Aizu Chorei Gikai, 1926), pp. 46, 94-95
> Some Pros and Cons to Consider
> 1) Why would FUJITA GORO use a pseudonym? It's unnecessary
isn't it?
> Mr. Bakalian raises and important point regarding status. In the
> Meiji Era generally you would invite someone honored to speak on
> behalf of the deceased. While Fujita was no doubt a close and
> respected friend his position cannot compare to many of the other
> people who contributed to Takamine's memorial/biography.
>
> Again, we have to think like a Japanese living in the Meiji Era not
as
> someone living in 2007.
>
> Another point to consider is clearly the fact that Saito Kazuma is
not
> addressing educators, he is addressing people of the Aizu
community.
> Therefore the name "Saito" may or may not ring a bell with people of
> that background. "Saito" would mean nothing to many readers.
Simply,
> is this the coded language that comes from living a bit separately
> from society due to one's past Aizu connections? Please keep in
mind
> that there was a lot of discrimination, favoritism and cronyism
after
> 1868 which was based on one's feudal hometown.
>
> 2) So how does Saito Kazuma get to write all this stuff?
> That is the biggest question. The Takamine family had several
> surviving members, including Takamine Hideo's aged mother (who was
> close to Tokio and no doubt knew Fujita Goro VERY WELL), Takamine's
> 2nd, 3rd son, and 2 daughters. Why would four members of the
Takamine
> family let some strange person write all of this? Clearly Saito
> Kazuma is someone they knew and trusted very well
>
> 3) Who else oversaw the publication?
> Yamakawa Kenjiro's name appears at the end of the book as likely a
> financial contributor to its publication. He was also a mutual
friend
> of Fujita and Takamine and a major figure in the post 1868 Aizu
> network. Again we ask, if Yamakawa proofread this work he had to
know
> who Saito Kazuma was and like the Takamine family, was "ok" with it.
>
> 4) Wait a minute! Takamine's book was published in 1921 !
Fujita
> Goro was DEAD ALREADY in 1915! He could not have written anything.
> This is obviously a question which needs to be answered. Takamine
> died in 1910, however his memorial was not published for a decade.
> Japanese frequently publish memorial even years after the person has
> died (they do so to fall on certain Buddhist anniversaries). It is
> not strange for a friend to prepare statements which are published
> later on behalf of the deceased. Most interestingly even some of
> Takamine's speeches were published years after he died (for the
first
> time). Furthermore, the words of Saito Kazuma may in fact be the
> polished narrative assisted by Fujita Tokio (admittedly a very well
> educated of the feudal era AND knew Takamine when he was still just
a
> teenager as well).
>
> Tokio was alive when this project had already started (she died in
> 1921). Even though she may have retired from the Higher Women's
Normal
> School (we do not have the start or end dates of her employment
> there), she was close to campus and likely "hung out" there to help
> out or just be nosy. In doing so she could easily be found. We must
> also remember that Tokio was Takamine's cousin and they knew each
> other since 1868 while serving in the castle.
>
> To prove that Saito Kazuma is NOT Fujita Goro:
> 1) Find a real Aizu retainer who was named Saito Kazuma. At
this time
> we have not yet found a retainer with that name after searching
> through more well known Aizu history books (which do include lists
of
> names). Perhaps one would have to go to a library in Aizu Wakamatsu
> to find this man.
> 2) Find an educator, artist, scientist who was an Aizu associate
of
> Takamine with the name Saito Kazuma.
> I, secretarytocapt3, have spent nearly 3 intense years studying
> Takamine Hideo from various research angles. I have never found the
> name of an educator, Aizu connections or not, with the name "Saito
> Kazuma".
>

WARNING: BELOW IS A VERY VERY LONG POST...


--- "kikue.mugen" wrote:

> This is all making me so curious about the Takamine family. I have
> not even thought of studying on Mr. Takamine, but after this, I
> seriously want to know who this man is that trusted Saito with so
> many confidential areas of his life. What was their relationship

and what made them so compatible. Oh, if only I could be a fly on
the wall back then, can you imagine the conversations I'd overhear?
------------------------------------------------
Dear Kikue, thanks for your comment!

Just something for everyone to chew on. WHO came up with the name
Saito Kazuma?

I wager it's not even Fujita.

I think it's Tokio.
Let me try to explain (and you all can disregard this blabber if you
want)

Japanese love to keep logs/records since feudal times. If there is a
famine you write it down. If there is a fire, you note houses burned.
Yamazaki Susumu kept a good log on Shinsengumi
Yamakawa Hiroshi (yet another friend of the Fujitas) even noted in
his log when Fujita Tsutomu was born (Goro and Tokio's first son)
Many families (well before 1868) kept an expense log (usually
maintained by the wife if she was literate)

It is in no way strange if Fujita Goro scribbled something in his log
book (mind you it's probably not a tell all diary XD) after Takamine
died. When the book is printed, Tokio could easily rummage through
hubby's stuff and pull out the papers…and she may have done some
editing…like tag on a fake name….

Remember Tokio was still alive…this is still well before the 1923
earthquake when a lot of things are lost forever.

Kikue, it's not complete yet but you can visit this site
http://www.takaminehideo.net (studied the T-sensei since 2004 and it
occurred to me to put up a site in 2006 XD---there is a section on
the Siamese and Takamine during Fujita's years at the school which I
should upload)

Well the information we posted ofcourse is based on a translation of
just what "Saitou Kazuma" said about Takamine. So your question
about what made two very very different men friends is very important
to me.

So I'd like to approach your question from another angle, "what did
Takamine think about Fujita?" I've been studying this man since
2004. Info on Takamine appears in English, Japanese and Thai (I've
found him in 4 Thai books---however 2 cite the other as source).
I can't even begin to list how different they were in terms of
background:

Age: Takamine was exactly 10 years younger than Fujita Goro
This is important. In 1868, Takamine was only 15 however unlike
Fujita he never really was a fully a samurai "in practice" (if you
incorporate the warrior definition of a samurai). Takamine was a
page, while that was an important job, he like another friend of
Fujita, Yamakawa Kenjiro, could not experience the dimension of going
into battle. The reason why both Takamine and Yamakawa [respected]
Fujita because:

1) Yamaguchi Jiro ~DEFENDED AIZU, their homeland---if I may speculate
here, Fujita to them, was sort of their hero. Regardless of any
difference in social class in the Meiji, they didn't see him
as "officer Fujita" they saw him as a samurai.

2) They shared in survivor's guilt and had empathy for one another
Social Background: Takamine (as a kid he was called Tadayoshi not
Hideo), completed his education at Nisshinkan (Aizu's school for
samurai) and was gifted enough to be called a 'shindo', he was given
the job of page to daimyo Matsudaira Katamori.
We know Saitou's background pretty well (^_^)

Adulthood: Takamine spent 3 years in the USA (rural New York) and
spent the rest of his life in Japan as an academic and was involved
in many extracurricular activities (art, science, charity, working
with many foreigners--some of whom literally exported "Meiji Japan"
to the USA and even to Europe)
Fujita's career was very "classic" post 1868 samurai jobs (police,
bodyguard to Inoue Kaoru, Imperial guard detail for the Empress etc)

Political/Social views: Takamine was a "true" progressive (not like
Mori Arinori, or even Takamine's own mentor Fukuzawa). Some women
here may appreciate this: "He (Takamine) hated the old saying 'men
revered, women subjected'...." (danson-johi) (Takamine Hideo-sensei
den, p. 174 translated by A. Bakalian). T-sensei worked very hard
for women's education and also adopted highly unpopular views at the
risk of his own career.

We don't know about Fujita's views.

so with all these differences in mind how did they become friends,
other than their common Aizu "connection" and the fact that Tokio is
Takamine's cousin?

They are different that's why they get along.

Takamine was VERY LOQUACIOUS (he can blah blah blah for hours on
topics he likes). Fujita was taciturn or he may have come across as
a good listener. For all we know Fujita may have learned how to
sleep with his eyes open in these one sided conversations : LOL :
Fujita may have felt that some of Takamine's ideas were 100% "silly"
because---they were (if you imagine yourself to be a typical Japanese
man of that era).

However, likely their conversations were "selective" and focused on
things they could agree on: certain political figures they knew from
before 1868, who were still around in the Meiji Era. In other
words "Did you read about that guy who just died, remember what he
was up to during the war?...." etc etc

Very few people can advise Takamine in matters of art, except when it
came to swords. Again, one must meditate on the fact that Fujita in
his youth had to have had a peculiar education or mentor to be so
learned in the field of sword appraisal to have been able to give
pointers to a man like Takamine who was -OBSESSED- with things like
traditional, modern art, pottery etc.

We all assume that Fujita's appointment to the Women's Normal School
was to Fujita's advantage.

From my own study into Meiji Education politics I don't think this is
necessarily the only way to view the situation. It was to TAKAMINE'S
ADVANTAGE to have someone in the office to keep him informed. There
was intense factionalism in the system and as the director it was a
good idea to have a good "pulse" on the situation in the school and
to inform him if some of his wacky ideas was truly accepted or not by
his staff and faculty. To keep this short, I have to say that
Takamine's career had very very severe declines. By the time he
drags a friend into the school, Takamine has seen it all when it
comes to career matters.

"Saitou Kazuma" seemed to know intimate details about Takamine. Well
the reverse is true as well. When Numazawa Tatsuo asked his aunt
Ibuka Saku about his true parentage (Tatsuo was Goro and Tokio's
third son), Ibuka told him the truth.

Ibuka is Takamine's mother's family.

In other words, it's impossible to imagine that Takamine didn't know
about the adoption, Ibuka Saku was probably his mother's relative
(sister?). Tokio had to have told Takamine's mother about the
adoption. Pic of Tokio's gal pal "Ma Takamine" (Takamine Kinoko
http://www.shinsengumihq.com/images/TakamineKinoko.jpg).
Takamine's mother in turn may have told her own relative.

Recall this testimony:

"Mrs. Tokio and my grandmother Ikuno/Kinoko were very close to each
other, and Mrs. Tokio often came over to see my grandmother...If my
memories are correct, at the time Ms. Tokio had her bangs
in 'kirisage style"
I remember, when my mother died, Ms. Tokio stopped by my house
several times to help us.
Mrs. Tokio was a woman not too tall, but rather small of stature. She
certainly did look like an Aizu woman. (likely because she was small--
or maybe also because she was hard-working) She often went to the
Matsudaira Katamori's home at Enoki-zaka...working there on many
different things (or: There she devoted herself to various chores,
such as housekeeping and other things women were in charge)
My grandmother often took my sister and I to Mr. Fujita's
residence...As I remember, from the street we would go down the stone-
made staircase to get to the house.

These stories are from Ms. Takamine Keiko who was interviewed in 1978.

Keiko was born in the 1890s and therefore only knew very "aged" Mr.
and Mrs. Fujita.

I guess in a way this discovery of a "Saito Kazuma" makes up for my
disastrous attempt at acquiring the wedding photos of Mr. and Mrs.
Takamine.

While Takamine is not our main interest, what we want are the other
Aizu figures which would show up in a group photo, namely, possibly a
man which may or may not resemble the one shown in teh Seinan War
photo.

Research is never neat and organized, you have to be really really
wily to find what you need and look for other "opportunities" because
after all, there is little or no chance of anyone finding artifacts
directly related to the Fujitas.

Okay, get this. I only got this far in what you've written so far:

***Age: Takamine was exactly 10 years younger than Fujita Goro
This is important. In 1868, Takamine was only 15 however unlike
Fujita he never really was a fully a samurai "in practice" (if you
incorporate the warrior definition of a samurai). Takamine was a
page, while that was an important job, he like another friend of
Fujita, Yamakawa Kenjiro, could not experience the dimension of going
into battle.***

I see what you're saying! I can even relate to it, because Fujita-
sama is my hero today, although I'm way more than 10 years younger
than he. Hey, I like feeling young again!

The reason why I said this is as far as I got with what you wrote is
because I'm chewing it slowly. I cannot begin to tell you how much
this is impacting myself personally. I can understand Yamakawa &
Takamine's interest in Fujita-sama and I can just about feel the
honor they felt in knowing a man that actually did so much for their
people.

OMG and the fiction sense of the whole thing as a writer as I view
Takamine as a page and Fujita-sama 10 years his senior :O I'm just
floored with this information.

Like I said, I'm chewing this all so slowly, taking notes along the
way and perhaps I'll have enough 'stuff' to tack on an entertaining
volume to the fiction I'm writing. Right now I have Saitou in Kyoto
awaiting to meet up with the Roshingumi and I'm already over 51000
words into the manuscript. I'm thinking, just by what you've written
here, later on down the road, after bunches of study, I'll pen a
Takamine episode. Oh heavens, I can feel my heart thumping with
excitement.

Thanks for sharing all this stuff, I'll read and chew more. I just
had to mention this now before I pop.

--- In SHQ@yahoogroups.com, "secretary" wrote:
>
> WARNING: BELOW IS A VERY VERY LONG POST...
>
>
> --- "kikue.mugen" wrote:
> > This is all making me so curious about the Takamine family. I
have
> > not even thought of studying on Mr. Takamine, but after this, I
> > seriously want to know who this man is that trusted Saito with so
> > many confidential areas of his life. What was their relationship
> and what made them so compatible. Oh, if only I could be a fly on
> the wall back then, can you imagine the conversations I'd overhear?
> ------------------------------------------------
> Dear Kikue, thanks for your comment!
>
> Just something for everyone to chew on. WHO came up with the name
> Saito Kazuma?
>
> I wager it's not even Fujita.
>
> I think it's Tokio.
> Let me try to explain (and you all can disregard this blabber if
you
> want)
>
> Japanese love to keep logs/records since feudal times. If there is
a
> famine you write it down. If there is a fire, you note houses
burned.
> Yamazaki Susumu kept a good log on Shinsengumi
> Yamakawa Hiroshi (yet another friend of the Fujitas) even noted in
> his log when Fujita Tsutomu was born (Goro and Tokio's first son)
> Many families (well before 1868) kept an expense log (usually
> maintained by the wife if she was literate)
>
> It is in no way strange if Fujita Goro scribbled something in his
log
> book (mind you it's probably not a tell all diary XD) after
Takamine
> died. When the book is printed, Tokio could easily rummage through
> hubby's stuff and pull out the papers…and she may have done some
> editing…like tag on a fake name….
>
> Remember Tokio was still alive…this is still well before the 1923
> earthquake when a lot of things are lost forever.
>
> Kikue, it's not complete yet but you can visit this site
> http://www.takaminehideo.net (studied the T-sensei since 2004 and
it
> occurred to me to put up a site in 2006 XD---there is a section on
> the Siamese and Takamine during Fujita's years at the school which
I
> should upload)
>
> Well the information we posted ofcourse is based on a translation
of
> just what "Saitou Kazuma" said about Takamine. So your question
> about what made two very very different men friends is very
important
> to me.
>
> So I'd like to approach your question from another angle, "what did
> Takamine think about Fujita?" I've been studying this man since
> 2004. Info on Takamine appears in English, Japanese and Thai (I've
> found him in 4 Thai books---however 2 cite the other as source).
> I can't even begin to list how different they were in terms of
> background:
>
> Age: Takamine was exactly 10 years younger than Fujita Goro
> This is important. In 1868, Takamine was only 15 however unlike
> Fujita he never really was a fully a samurai "in practice" (if you
> incorporate the warrior definition of a samurai). Takamine was a
> page, while that was an important job, he like another friend of
> Fujita, Yamakawa Kenjiro, could not experience the dimension of
going
> into battle. The reason why both Takamine and Yamakawa [respected]
> Fujita because:
>
> 1) Yamaguchi Jiro ~DEFENDED AIZU, their homeland---if I may
speculate
> here, Fujita to them, was sort of their hero. Regardless of any
> difference in social class in the Meiji, they didn't see him
> as "officer Fujita" they saw him as a samurai.
>
> 2) They shared in survivor's guilt and had empathy for one another
> Social Background: Takamine (as a kid he was called Tadayoshi not
> Hideo), completed his education at Nisshinkan (Aizu's school for
> samurai) and was gifted enough to be called a 'shindo', he was
given
> the job of page to daimyo Matsudaira Katamori.
> We know Saitou's background pretty well (^_^)
>
> Adulthood: Takamine spent 3 years in the USA (rural New York) and
> spent the rest of his life in Japan as an academic and was involved
> in many extracurricular activities (art, science, charity, working
> with many foreigners--some of whom literally exported "Meiji Japan"
> to the USA and even to Europe)
> Fujita's career was very "classic" post 1868 samurai jobs (police,
> bodyguard to Inoue Kaoru, Imperial guard detail for the Empress etc)
>
> Political/Social views: Takamine was a "true" progressive (not
like
> Mori Arinori, or even Takamine's own mentor Fukuzawa). Some women
> here may appreciate this: "He (Takamine) hated the old saying 'men
> revered, women subjected'...." (danson-johi) (Takamine Hideo-sensei
> den, p. 174 translated by A. Bakalian). T-sensei worked very hard
> for women's education and also adopted highly unpopular views at
the
> risk of his own career.
>
> We don't know about Fujita's views.
>
> so with all these differences in mind how did they become friends,
> other than their common Aizu "connection" and the fact that Tokio
is
> Takamine's cousin?
>
> They are different that's why they get along.
>
> Takamine was VERY LOQUACIOUS (he can blah blah blah for hours on
> topics he likes). Fujita was taciturn or he may have come across
as
> a good listener. For all we know Fujita may have learned how to
> sleep with his eyes open in these one sided conversations : LOL :
> Fujita may have felt that some of Takamine's ideas were
100% "silly"
> because---they were (if you imagine yourself to be a typical
Japanese
> man of that era).
>
> However, likely their conversations were "selective" and focused on
> things they could agree on: certain political figures they knew
from
> before 1868, who were still around in the Meiji Era. In other
> words "Did you read about that guy who just died, remember what he
> was up to during the war?...." etc etc
>
> Very few people can advise Takamine in matters of art, except when
it
> came to swords. Again, one must meditate on the fact that Fujita
in
> his youth had to have had a peculiar education or mentor to be so
> learned in the field of sword appraisal to have been able to give
> pointers to a man like Takamine who was -OBSESSED- with things like
> traditional, modern art, pottery etc.
>
> We all assume that Fujita's appointment to the Women's Normal
School
> was to Fujita's advantage.
>
> From my own study into Meiji Education politics I don't think this
is
> necessarily the only way to view the situation. It was to
TAKAMINE'S
> ADVANTAGE to have someone in the office to keep him informed.
There
> was intense factionalism in the system and as the director it was a
> good idea to have a good "pulse" on the situation in the school and
> to inform him if some of his wacky ideas was truly accepted or not
by
> his staff and faculty. To keep this short, I have to say that
> Takamine's career had very very severe declines. By the time he
> drags a friend into the school, Takamine has seen it all when it
> comes to career matters.
>
> "Saitou Kazuma" seemed to know intimate details about Takamine.
Well
> the reverse is true as well. When Numazawa Tatsuo asked his aunt
> Ibuka Saku about his true parentage (Tatsuo was Goro and Tokio's
> third son), Ibuka told him the truth.
>
> Ibuka is Takamine's mother's family.
>
> In other words, it's impossible to imagine that Takamine didn't
know
> about the adoption, Ibuka Saku was probably his mother's relative
> (sister?). Tokio had to have told Takamine's mother about the
> adoption. Pic of Tokio's gal pal "Ma Takamine" (Takamine Kinoko
> http://www.shinsengumihq.com/images/TakamineKinoko.jpg).
> Takamine's mother in turn may have told her own relative.
>
> Recall this testimony:
>
> "Mrs. Tokio and my grandmother Ikuno/Kinoko were very close to each
> other, and Mrs. Tokio often came over to see my grandmother...If my
> memories are correct, at the time Ms. Tokio had her bangs
> in 'kirisage style"
> I remember, when my mother died, Ms. Tokio stopped by my house
> several times to help us.
> Mrs. Tokio was a woman not too tall, but rather small of stature.
She
> certainly did look like an Aizu woman. (likely because she was
small--
> or maybe also because she was hard-working) She often went to the
> Matsudaira Katamori's home at Enoki-zaka...working there on many
> different things (or: There she devoted herself to various chores,
> such as housekeeping and other things women were in charge)
> My grandmother often took my sister and I to Mr. Fujita's
> residence...As I remember, from the street we would go down the
stone-
> made staircase to get to the house.
>
> These stories are from Ms. Takamine Keiko who was interviewed in
1978.
>
> Keiko was born in the 1890s and therefore only knew very "aged" Mr.
> and Mrs. Fujita.
>
> I guess in a way this discovery of a "Saito Kazuma" makes up for my
> disastrous attempt at acquiring the wedding photos of Mr. and Mrs.
> Takamine.
>
> While Takamine is not our main interest, what we want are the other
> Aizu figures which would show up in a group photo, namely, possibly
a
> man which may or may not resemble the one shown in teh Seinan War
> photo.
>
> Research is never neat and organized, you have to be really really
> wily to find what you need and look for other "opportunities"
because
> after all, there is little or no chance of anyone finding artifacts
> directly related to the Fujitas.
>

--- In SHQ@yahoogroups.com, "kikue.mugen" wrote:

> OMG and the fiction sense of the whole thing as a writer as I view
> Takamine as a page and Fujita-sama 10 years his senior :O I'm just
> floored with this information.

--------------------------------

Shizuko Akama who wrote one book on historical Saitou Hajime and
another in a novel form also mentioned Takamine Tadayoshi (Hideo)
briefly as well. There were many kinds of pages for a daimyo and
they had ranks etc, however Tadayoshi was close to Matsudaira
Katamori.

The only picture we have of him when he was really young is this one
which was taken after 1868 and likely when he was still a prisoner in
Tokyo and moving around from school to school.

http://1happyturtle.com/T-sensei/Kid.jpg

but even aside from young Takamine in Tsurugajo that horrible fall of
1868, remember we have more guys too.

Takagi GOro (Morinusuke) --- Tokio's bro who was a brave messenger,
Numazawa Shichiro (he later adopted Tokio/Goro's son) he actually saw
combat and as mentioned, Yamakawa Kenjiro.

All 4 of these guys were born 1854 (Year of the Tiger) and all 4 had
extensive ties with Fujita Goro and were close to one another in the
Meiji. We fondly call them the Tigers of Aizu (although we call them
the BAKAtai as a pun on the Byakkotai behind their backs). All 4
became prominent members of society and were key figures in
preserving Aizu's story. They were the fabulous 4! XD

So you see the fictional possibilities are endless especially when
the history basically reveals itself like this. We have many
universes in pop culture, but one can easily create another if you
find inspiration in the history.

We used T-sensei to get to not only Fujita Goro, Fujita Tokio but
also to provide a context for Fujita MIdori (daughter in law of
Tokio+Goro) and Yamaguchi Yukiko (niece of Fujita Goro). Both of
these young ladies attended TAkamine's school.

If you want more fictional possibilities, consider this. That photo
of the garden is interesting because it had hosted MANY MANY MANY
foreigners (both famous and not well known). One wonders if Fujita
ever walked into the home and was faced with...AMERICANS :: gasp ::

If you google William Sturgis Bigelow there should be mention that he
was a collector of Japanese swords and guards (he also had alot of
money to spend). He was very close to Takamine---however from
studying Bigelow's personal letters (some are restricted though) I
couldn't find any mention of Takamine possibly introducing him to
Fujita.

----I digress----
The first chapter of Ono Suzue: A Man of Talent in the Meiji
Era "THE PET RABBIT" which Kikue patiently read, features
mesmerism/hypnotism which in part came about from me studying both
Takamine and Yamakawa (who were deeply interested in the field
generally called "metaphysics").
Interestingly they both appear in the article "The early 20th
century: Shaping the discipline of psychology in Japan" by SATO.
Both of them appear in later chapters (under fictional names
ofcourse) and Fujita explains how he grasps mesmerism via
demonstrating how he confounds his enemies in combat (which surprises
Yamakawa).

I'm resurrecting an old and very complex thread.

If you come to http://groups.yahoo.com/group/SHQ/ and login
and paste: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/SHQ/message/3307

you'll be taken to the first message of the thread. You can skim it
quickly and familiarize yourself with a very odd discovery a
researcher made here about "Saitou Kazuma" who appeared in,
Takamine's, an Aizu retainer, memorial book.

To summarize we try to prove and also list arguments against
how "Saitou Kazuma" wasn't a random Aizu samurai. But in fact,
Fujita Goro (formerly SAITOU HAJIME). The strongest detail which
proves Saitou Kazuma is our Shinsengumi is that his background bares
details very similar to that of Hajime. Namely, they even lived in
the same region up north during the post 1868 exile. Again, the
thread is LONG and time consuming (^_^) and you can go over it at
your own pace. If you've been a member for a long time the info is
redundant in some cases but we had to state things logically best we
can.

Yes we know that he died with his last name Fujita Goro, but as
stated in the super long marathon length post....these people who
received this memorial book were in a niche community.

A community specifically which knew the Shinsengumi and were more
familiar even with Saitou Hajime or his third name Yamaguchi Jiro who
fought at Aizu and left behind a respectible if not heroic record at
that domain.

One of the interesting things the researcher noted was simply how one
character was different in "SAitou Kazuma". Just one character.

As we know one character makes all the difference in
Chinese/Korean/Japanese.

But here is the problem. It may have simply have been an honest to
goodness...TYPO which was typical of that time period (especially if
this was done at a small press).

Well weren't there editors you might ask?

Yes.

Yamakawa Kenjiro, highly literate, competant and detailed was listed
at the back of the book---maybe as a financial contributor, maybe as
an editor but nothing is specific. The book doesn't say "well here
are the editors" in any way. Yamakawa who could easily spell "Saitou
Hajime" properly may have contributed to the book but not had to
proof it.

The book was written by a group of people (I'm guessing
educators/former students of Takamine) who likely had NO IDEA nor
direct relationship with Fujita Goro/Saitou Hajime.

Again, only Aizu folks especially would recognize Saitou Hajime and
for that matter any Shinsengumi name.

I'm thinking that SAitou Kazuma was a typo because even the surviving
family members of Takamine family may not have caught it for the same
reason many of us (pretend you are Japanese) have not seen the way
your dad's friend spells his name *on *paper because your
relationship to that person was face-to-face (verbal interaction).
You didn't read about your dad's friend in let's say a book or
newspaper.

Furthermore, the book was published in 1921. It may have been
compiled months and months earlier ofcourse since so many people's
words were incorporated into it. If the project began in 1919
(Fujita was dead but his wife Tokio sure was alive to contribute and
use her husban'd name)---I know that Takamine's oldest son who
technically should've had a role in this book---was barely in Japan
that year! He was also abroad in 1920. The likelihood of him
spending time or even reading a first draft is unlikely. Travel was
not only the issue this son was completing other work which would've
taken up most of his time.

If other family members were weighed down with the editing/proofing
they'd have *less ability to do so especially in terms of tiny
details like name spelling. The two youngest daughters only knew of
an elderly Fujita Goro and Tokio. There is little or no chance
they'd get the spelling of the name right---even in this very
fascinating case of using Fujita's most "well known" label.

Sorry about this rant---the above idea occurred to me because I read
a message online about someone criticizing a journalist for making a
typing error in an article (the name of a bridge). Simply, the
complexity of language Asian or otherwise just guarantees that some
words have more than one spelling.