Saitō Satoshi
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Saitō Satoshi 齋藤 聰 |
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Saitō Satoshi, 5th Sōke of Negishi-ryū
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| Born |
March 24, 1922 Minato-ku, Tokyo, Japan |
| Died | March 16, 2014 (aged 91) Itabashi-ku, Tokyo, Japan |
| Native name | 齋藤 聰 |
| Style | Negishi-ryū Shurikenjutsu Shirai-ryū Shurikenjutsu Kuwana Han-den Yamamoto-ryū Iaijutsu |
| Teacher(s) |
Gichin Funakoshi Kanji Naruse Seiko Fujita |
| Rank | Sōke |
| Notable students | Yoshimi Tomabechi (retired) David Kawazu-Barber (JPN) Yoshifumi Hayasaka (JPN) Pierre Simon (deceased) |
Saitō Satoshi (齋藤 聰?, March 24, 1922 – March 16, 2014) was the 5th Generation Sōke of Negishi-ryū, a classical Japanese warrior tradition and the nation's last surviving specialist school of Shurikenjutsu. From 1997 to 2014, Saitō served as the elected President of the Nihon Kobudō Shinkōkai (est. 1935), Japan's oldest classical martial arts association. In addition, Saitō was the 6th generation head of Shirai-ryū shurikenjutsu and the 15th Sōke of Kuwana Han-den Yamamoto-ryū Iaijutsu. In 1992, Saitō was awarded the Imperial Order of the Sacred Treasure.
Born in Tokyo’s Minato Ward on March 24, 1922, Saitō Satoshi was one of four siblings. At the age of eighteen he enrolled at the law faculty of Tokyo's Keio University. Whilst at Keio, he began the study of karate under Funakoshi Gichin, the attributed father of modern-day karate-dō. In 1941, at the age of 19, Saitō began his training in shurikenjutsu under the instruction of Naruse Kanji, headmaster of the tradition. In 1943, Saitō was drafted into the military. When Naruse heard that Saitō would be heading off to war, he had the blade of his most treasured katana fitted to the body of a military issued guntō. Saitō was instructed to carry it proudly into battle. During his service, Saitō attained the rank of second lieutenant, receiving training as both an artillery officer and an aircraft navigator. During his military service, he made regular visits to the dōjō of Miyawaki Tōru, master of Chuya-ha Itto-ryū and Shirai-ryū Shurikenjutsu. For many years, Naruse had been working toward the resurrection of Shirai-ryū, which many believed to have died-out. At Naruse's request, Saitō compiled valuable technical and historical information concerning the tradition. Eventually however, both Miyawaki and his Shizuoka-based dōjō fell victim to a strategic bombing campaign, which had been targeting the armament factories and airfields in Hamamatsu. During this period, Naruse Kanji had written to Saitō Satoshi and expressed his wish for him to succeed him as headmaster of both the Negishi-ryū and Yamamoto-ryū traditions.
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