, also known as Kani Yoshinaga (可児吉長), was a Japanese samurai

Samurai

is the term for the military nobility of pre-industrial Japan. According to translator William Scott Wilson: "In Chinese, the character 侍 was originally a verb meaning to wait upon or accompany a person in the upper ranks of society, and this is also true of the original term in Japanese, saburau...

 of the late Sengoku era through early Edo era, who served various lords before coming into the service of the Tokugawa clan

Tokugawa clan

The was a powerful daimyo family of Japan. They nominally descended from Emperor Seiwa and were a branch of the Minamoto clan by the Nitta clan. However, the early history of this clan remains a mystery.-History:...

. Saizō was originally a vassal of the Saitō in Mino province. When Saitō Tatsuoki

Saito Tatsuoki

was a daimyo in Mino Province during the Sengoku period and the third generation lord of the Saitō clan. He was a son of Saitō Yoshitatsu, and a grandson of Saitō Dōsan. He was also a nephew of Oda Nobunaga's first wife, Nōhime, herself a daughter of Saitō Dōsan....

 was defeated by Oda Nobunaga

Oda Nobunaga

was the initiator of the unification of Japan under the shogunate in the late 16th century, which ruled Japan until the Meiji Restoration in 1868. He was also a major daimyo during the Sengoku period of Japanese history. His opus was continued, completed and finalized by his successors Toyotomi...

, Saizō joined the Shibata clan

Shibata clan

The Shibata clan a Japanese clan that had originated during the Heian period of Japan. The Shibata clan of Echigo province were notably related to that of the Shibata clan of Owari province. The Shibata clan of Echigo were descended from Sasaki Moritsuna, a supporter of Minamoto no Yoritomo and a...

, which he later left to serve Akechi Mitsuhide

Akechi Mitsuhide

, nicknamed Jūbei or called from his clan name and title, was a samurai who lived during the Sengoku period of Feudal Japan.Mitsuhide was a general under daimyo Oda Nobunaga, although he became infamous for his betrayal in 1582, which led to Nobunaga's death at Honno-ji...

. After Mitsuhide's defeat at the Battle of Yamazaki

Battle of Yamazaki

The was fought in 1582 in Yamazaki, Japan, located in current day Kyoto Prefecture. This battle is sometimes referred to as the Battle of Mt. Tennō ....

, he joined Oda Nobutaka

Oda Nobutaka

was a samurai and member of Oda clan. He was adopted as the head of Kanbe clan that ruled the middle region of Ise Province and was also called Kanbe Nobutaka ....

 until Nobutaka's death at 1583. Saizō eventually joined Toyotomi Hidetsugu

Toyotomi Hidetsugu

was a nephew and retainer of Toyotomi Hideyoshi who lived during the Sengoku period of the 16th century of Japan.A practitioner of the shudō tradition, Hidetsugu had a number of Wakashū...

, and then, following Hidetsugu's fall, went to serve Maeda Toshiie

Maeda Toshiie

was one of the leading generals of Oda Nobunaga following the Sengoku period of the 16th century extending to the Azuchi-Momoyama period. His father was Maeda Toshimasa. He was the fourth of seven brothers. His childhood name was "Inuchiyo" . His preferred weapon was a yari and he was known as...

. Eventually, he ended up with Fukushima Masanori

Fukushima Masanori

was a Japanese daimyo of the late Sengoku Period to early Edo Period who served as lord of the Hiroshima Domain. A retainer of Toyotomi Hideyoshi, he fought in the battle of Shizugatake in 1583, and soon became known as one of Seven Spears of Shizugatake which also included Katō Kiyomasa and...

, under whom he would serve at the Battle of Sekigahara

Battle of Sekigahara

The , popularly known as the , was a decisive battle on October 21, 1600 which cleared the path to the Shogunate for Tokugawa Ieyasu...

. He is best remembered for his taking of 16 heads at Sekigahara - probably the most for any one single warrior at that battle. Rather than bring the heads back to camp one by one, Saizō marked them as his own by stuffing their mouths with bamboo grass. It is said that upon hearing of his deeds at the post battle gathering, Tokugawa Ieyasu

Tokugawa Ieyasu

 was the founder and first shogun of the Tokugawa shogunate of Japan , which ruled from the Battle of Sekigahara  in 1600 until the Meiji Restoration in 1868. Ieyasu seized power in 1600, received appointment as shogun in 1603, abdicated from office in 1605, but...

nicknamed him 'Sasasaizō' - Bamboo grass Saizō.