Biography: Sachiro Fujita

Sachiro Fujita first saw ‘Abdu’l-Bahá from a Chicago lamp post that he had climbed in order to see over the crowd. When the Master saw him He said, “Come down Zachias, for this day I would sup with thee” and together they drove off to Corinne True’s home. After resting, the Master met with Fujita and stated:

So, how is our Japanese Effendi? Recently the government of Japan has undergone a change. A new emperor has come to the throne. The sovereignty of the former Mikado has come to an end… But as you are a believer in God, you have a kingdom which will never collapse and will be everlasting. 

Fujita came from a prominent Japanese family and had heard of the Faith from Mrs. Helen Goodall in San Francisco several years prior to his personal encounter with the Master. Once a notorious party-hopper, Fujita became a Baha’i and received a tablet of praise from ‘Abdu’l-Bahá. Not believing it to be about himself, Fujita dismissed it. After received two more tablets from the Master, Fujita began to realize he truly was the recipient of the Master’s warm words and he asked what he could do to better serve the Faith. When they met, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá asked him to finish his engineering education in order to be able to work for Him in Haifa. For seven years, Fujita lived with the Trues and finished his schooling. He then travelled to Haifa where he lived, with the exception of a few years in Japan during World War II, until he passed away.

Fujita liked to make the Master laugh. Two such stories that occurred while Fujita was in Haifa and are found in the biography of Curtis Kelsey, an American who traveled to the World Centre at the Master’s request in order to illumine the Shrine of the Báb (at a time when no one on Mount Carmel had electricity!). Nathan Rutstein recounts:

The Master loved Fujita dearly, showering special care over the precious pearl from Japan. Every day the two would have breakfast together – alone. It was a time of peace, when the Master could bask in the light of Fujita’s purity, not having to meet any demands. Often their breakfasts were feasts of laughter, especially after ‘Abdu’l-Bahá asked Fujita to grow a beard. When full-grown, it was at best a thin collection of long hairs, nothing like the thick luxuriant beards Persians grow. The Master enjoyed stroking Fujita’s wispy beard, usually making Him laugh. 

He also writes that often only Fujita and Curtis shared lunch with the Master and they had their favorite games:

One involved the Master’s brown cat. Fujita, who took care of the cat for  ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, would always lock the cat in the kitchen during lunch. He did that just to hear the Master say, ‘Let the cat out,’ which, of course, Fujita would do. As soon as the kitchen door was opened, the cat would dart to the feet of  ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, who would stroke and feed her. After gobbling the food, the cat would brush against the Master’s feet and purr loudly. Everyone knew it was a joke, but it was fun for all.

 

Sources:

He Loved and Served: The Story of Curtis Kelsey, p.73-6

‘Abdu’l-Bahá in Their Midst, p.191

Photo from www.bahaisworldwide.blogspot.ca