was a Japanese

Japanese people

The are an ethnic group originating in the Japanese archipelago and are the predominant ethnic group of Japan. Worldwide, approximately 130 million people are of Japanese descent; of these, approximately 127 million are residents of Japan. People of Japanese ancestry who live in other countries...

 poet

Poet

A poet is a person who writes poetry. A poet's work can be literal, meaning that his work is derived from a specific event, or metaphorical, meaning that his work can take on many meanings and forms. Poets have existed since antiquity, in nearly all languages, and have produced works that vary...

 of the Taishō period

Taisho period

The , or Taishō era, is a period in the history of Japan dating from July 30, 1912 to December 25, 1926, coinciding with the reign of the Taishō Emperor. The health of the new emperor was weak, which prompted the shift in political power from the old oligarchic group of elder statesmen to the Diet...

, a member of Araragi school

Araragi (magazine)

was a Japanese literary magazine of the prewar period.Started in 1908 by Itō Sachio, it was a leading magazine of tanka . A group of poets who contributed to the magazine had come to be known as the Araragi school....

, and a psychiatrist

Psychiatrist

A psychiatrist is a physician who specializes in the diagnosis and treatment of mental disorders. All psychiatrists are trained in diagnostic evaluation and in psychotherapy...

.

The psychiatrist Shigeta Saitō is his first son, the novelist Morio Kita

Morio Kita

was the pen name of , a Japanese novelist, essayist, and psychiatrist.A graduate of Tohoku University's School of Medicine, Kita initially worked as a doctor at Keio University Hospital. Motivated by the collections of his father's poems and the books of German author Thomas Mann, he decided to...

 is his second son and the essayist Yuka Saitō

Yuka Saitō (essayist)

is a Japanese essayist and Suntory employee. A graduate of Seijo University's School of Literature.She is a daughter of novelist Morio Kita, a niece of psychiatrist Shigeta Saitō and a granddaughter of poet Mokichi Saitō.- Bibliography:...

 is his granddaughter.

Saitō was born in a village now part of Kaminoyama, Yamagata

Kaminoyama, Yamagata

is a city located in Yamagata Prefecture, Japan.As of 2008, the city has an estimated population of 34,784 and the density of 144 persons per km². The total area is 240.95 km².The city was founded on October 1, 1954.-Railway stations:...

. He studied under Itō Sachio

Ito Sachio

was the pen-name of , a Japanese tanka poet and novelist active during the Meiji period of Japan.-Biography:Itō was born in what is now Sanmu city, Chiba prefecture, as the younger son to a farming family...

, a writer initiating magazines such as Araragi

Araragi (magazine)

was a Japanese literary magazine of the prewar period.Started in 1908 by Itō Sachio, it was a leading magazine of tanka . A group of poets who contributed to the magazine had come to be known as the Araragi school....

. By the time of his death, Saitō had written seventeen collections of poems and 17,907 poems. He received the Order of Culture

Order of Culture

The is a Japanese order, established on February 11, 1937. The order has one class only, and may be awarded to men and women for contributions to Japan's art, literature or culture; recipients of the order also receive an annuity for life...

 in 1951.

He was the family doctor of author Ryūnosuke Akutagawa

Ryunosuke Akutagawa

was a Japanese writer active in the Taishō period in Japan. He is regarded as the "Father of the Japanese short story". He committed suicide at age of 35 through an overdose of barbital.-Early life:...

 and assisted in his suicide

Suicide

Suicide is the act of intentionally causing one's own death. Suicide is often committed out of despair or attributed to some underlying mental disorder, such as depression, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, alcoholism, or drug abuse...

.