Saitō Dōsan , also known as Saitō Toshimasa, was a Japanese samurai during the Sengoku period. He was also known as the "Viper of Mino" for his ruthless tactics. His honorific title from the Imperial Court was Yamashiro-no-kami (山城守). After entering monkhood in his later years, he was also called Saitō Yamashiro-nyudō-no-kami (斎藤山城入道守).

Mino Province was a province of Japan in the area of Japan that is today southern Gifu Prefecture. Mino was bordered by Ōmi to the west, Echizen and Hida to the north, Shinano to the east, and Ise, Mikawa, and Owari to the south. Its abbreviated form name was Nōshū or Jōshū (濃州). Under the Engishiki classification system, Mino was ranked as one of the 13 "great countries" (大国) in terms of importance, and one of the "near countries" (近国) in terms of distance from the capital. The provincial capital and ichinomiya were located in what is now the town of Tarui.