Saito

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Saito is a 'to' surname combining 'Sai' (斎, meaning purification/fasting) with 'to' (藤, wisteria/Fujiwara). The name is linked to the Fujiwara who served as ritual purification priests (sai-no-to) at imperial ceremonies. The Saito clan became a powerful warrior house in Mino Province (Gifu) during the Sengoku period, most famously with Saito Dosan, the 'Viper of Mino' who rose from oil merchant to domain lord.