About Saitō Mitsukage

Persona Biography

Here I write the tale of my journey thus far. As it would be inappropriate for me to speak of my own journey without mention of those who have gone before, let me first speak of my father and how the Saitō family rose to the place of honour it now holds. My father is the illustrious merchant, Saitō no Yoshimitsu.

In Heian-kyō, the imperial capital, the Saitō family prospered as purveyors of fabrics to the myriad levels of courtiers who lived nearby, before the Ōnin War began in the first year of Ōnin. My grandfather, Saitō no Takamitsu, had built many connections among the weavers of silk, cotton, and flax from across Yamashirō province and beyond. When the war struck, the only thing that kept the Saitō family business running was my grandfather's drive. My father was practically weaned on the running of the business in wartime, and by his coming of age at 13, he was helping my grandfather with sales. It was my father's idea to broaden the scope of the family business, contacting makers of fine furniture, farmers, and producers of sake, trying to bring in more clientele.

The Ōnin War finally ended in the 8th year of Bunmei, leaving the capital in ruins and the old order shattered. My father had learned how to feel the flow of this social change. When the Yamashiro Ikki—a league of local warriors and powerful commoners—rose up in 1485 to expel the warring factions from our province, he lent them his support. He assisted in any way that he could, save fighting himself. Once the ikki had taken control, the Saitō family was conveniently placed to supply the new de facto government of Yamashirō province. Thus, with the business growing, Saitō no Takamitsu-dono set to finding a match for my father.

I was born in Kamigyō, the "upper" section of Heian-kyō, on the 19th day of the 4th month of the 18th year of Bunmei. My father's ties to the new powers meant that my brothers and I were raised in the fashion of the Bushi, our-warrior caste. He wanted to cement our family's position in this more exalted place by finding us careers in the service of various Daimyō.

My education started at a young age. I was required to study the classics of our neighbour, which required me to familiarize myself with the Kanbun, The Analects, the Tao Te Ching, and Sun Wu's Art of War. I was also taught the mathematics necessary in business. In addition to these scholarly pursuits, there was a focus on teaching myself and my brothers the ways of war: archery, horsemanship, spearmanship, swordsmanship, grappling arts (jujutsu), and military tactics. My father hired the best sensei for us, including a holder of a menkyo (license to teach) in Kukishin Ryū.

On the 3rd day of the 2nd month of the 9th year of Meiō, Go-Tsuchimikado-tennō died. He was succeeded by Go-Kashiwabara-tennō, his son, in the 9th month of the same year. While this was an important event, the tenuous rule of the Ashikaga shogun, Ashikaga Yoshizumi, meant that the imperial family did not have the money or power to do more than present the next descendant of Amaterasu to be Emperor.

My coming of age was celebrated on the 17th day of the 2nd month of the 9th year of Meiō. I was 14 years old. My father arranged for me to serve as a retainer to the Kitabatake clan in Shima Province on the east coast. So, in the spring of the 10th Year of Meiō, I left my family's home. Once in Shima province, I found that my days were spent much as they had been at home: training to fight in the wars raging across the country and fighting off the pirates of Ise bay.

It was then that a letter came to me from my tutor back in Heian-kyō. He told me that while I was in Shima province I should find his teacher, Kuki Kiyotaka, and present his letter of introduction. Thus began my martial career, studying with the 7th headmaster of the Kukishin Ryū.

Five years passed, studying with him while serving the Kitabatake daimyō of Shima province. I received my menkyo from him on the 1st day of the 1st month of the second year of Eishō. I also received the admonition that he had taught me everything I could learn from him, and that to continue my education I should go on musha shugyō, a warrior's journey. So, I approached my lord, Kitabatake Tomoyoshi, the kami of Shima, and asked if I could be excused from his service to return home. Having served him well, he released me from my duties.

I followed my sensei's instructions and took a circuitous route back to Heian-kyō. I often stopped in places that had notable sensei and trained with their students. It was said that Tengu could be found in the mists of the mountainous province of Iga. In the hopes of following in the footsteps of my ancestor, Saitō Musashibō Benkei—who was said to have learned from Sōjōbō, the king of the Tengu—I made my way there. In the forests of Iga, I did not find Yōkai to train with. I did, however, find shugenja, mountain ascetics, who shared the trail with me, and I learned much of shugendō from them.

It was in the 7th year of Eishō that I returned to my father's home. I brought with me a plan: during my journey, I had passed through the great port of Sakai. There, I heard tales from Ryukyuan traders of a new power in the Southern Seas—men from the far west, with pale skin and tongues alien to any known in our lands, who had recently conquered the great port of Malacca.

I am a scholarly type, you see. Though my time as a soldier and shugyōsha were positive times in my life, I wished to leave my mark on the family's history in a way more akin to my father's. I wished to spread the business, and the knowledge I had accumulated, to these other people. I also had a desire to see these pale ones, to learn their languages and cultures, and to carry the teaching license of Kukishin Ryū that I held to places outside the communities where we are well known.

My father saw this as a great opportunity. Having other sons to build the family name, he granted me his blessing. My father used his contacts to get me an audience, with which to ask Ashikaga Yoshitane—the Sei-i Taishōgun who had recently retaken his title—for his permission as well. On the 1st day of the 1st month of the 8th year of Eishō, I was granted a ship and crew to carry my goods West. We wandered across the lands of the "Known Worlde," and at each port, I sent a letter home to my father, including a map of the journey and a catalogue of the items traded.

On the 28th day of the 11th month of the 11th year of Eishō, we finally landed in the Barony of Seagirt, where I have found a community which seems to accept me and the things that I have to teach. I have sent the ship home with the goods we have traded for, the gold of the many lands we have encountered, and maps of the routes. I have set up a nice house here in Seagirt, near a mountain by the sea. I still train, still study, and still teach those who would learn of my homeland. Hopefully, it will be these things which my grandchildren will write of me, as I have written of the accomplishments of my forebears.