Saichiro Fujita

Who was Saichiro Fujita?

Saichirō Fujita, a native of Yamaguchi Prefecture, was the second Japanese to become a member of the Bahá'í Faith from Japan. He was also distinguished by serving for many years at the Bahá'í World Centre through many of the heads of the religion from the time of `Abdu'l-Bahá, Shoghi Effendi, the period of the Custodians, and then the Universal House of Justice.

While attending school in Oakland, California he joined the religion in 1904-5. Later he met `Abdu'l-Bahá during his journeys to the West in 1912. Initially Fujita was living in Cleveland working for a Doctor Barton-Peek, a female Bahá'í, but failed to meet `Abdu'l-Bahá as he came through. Later on `Abdu'l-Bahá's next trip west Fujita caught up with him when he reached Chicago at the home of Corinne True and from there traveled with `Abdu'l-Bahá to the west coast and back. During the trip there was an incident similar to the well known one of Louis George Gregory in that at a dinner a place at the table was not set for Fujita and `Abdu'l-Baha asked for a place be set.

Fujita was separated from `Abdu'l-Bahá when he left the United States until 1919 when `Abdu'l-Bahá offered an invitation for him to server the interests of the religion in Haifa at the Bahá'í World Centre as it came to be called. During his lifetime two tablets were addressed to Fujita specifically by `Abdu'l-Bahá. Siegfried Schopflocher, who would later be appointed a Hand of the Cause, converted to the Bahá'í Faith during a meeting with Fujita in 1921 shortly after the death of `Abdu'l-Bahá.