Kosuke Kindaichi
Kosuke Kindaichi character
A Bronze statue of Kindaichi Kōsuke in Japan
First appearanceThe Honjin Murders (1946)
Created bySeishi Yokomizo
Portrayed byKōji Ishizaka
In-universe information
GenderMale
OccupationConsulting detective
NationalityJapanese

Kosuke Kindaichi (金田一 耕助, Kindaichi Kōsuke) is a fictional Japanese detective created by Seishi Yokomizo, a renowned mystery novelist. His first case, The Honjin Murders, is a novel of locked room murder in an old family, which many people regard as one of the best Japanese detective novels, was published in 1946. Kindaichi went on to feature in another 76 novels, selling more than 55 million books and appearing in numerous film, television and stage adaptations.[1]

Works in translation

Pushkin Vertigo has published English translations of the Kindaichi series since 2020:

  • The Inugami Clan (1951) and The Honjin Murders (1946) were published in 2020
  • The Village of Eight Graves (1951) published in 2021
  • Gokumon Island (1977) in June 2022
  • The Devil's Flute Murders (1953) in 2023.[2]

One other novel is available in French translation.

  • La Ritournelle du démon (original title: 悪魔の手まり歌　Akuma no Temari Uta) (1959)

Cases

The Kosuke Kindaichi series consists of 77 cases.

  • The Case of the Honjin Murder (本陣殺人事件, Honjin satsujin jiken, April 1946)
  • Gokumon Island (獄門島, Gokumon-tō, January 1947 - October 1948)
  • Bat and Slug (1947)
  • The Case of the Black Cat Restaurant (1947)
  • A Killer (1947–1932)
  • Black Orchid Princess (1948)
  • Woman Walking at Night (夜歩く, Yoru aruku, 1948)
  • The Village of Eight Graves (八つ墓村, Yatsuhaka Mura, March 1949 - March 1951)
  • Death Mask (1949)
  • The Inugami Clan (犬神家の一族, Inugami-ke no Ichizoku, January 1950 - May 1951)
  • Mysterious Woman (1950)
  • Under Hundred Suns (1951)
  • Queen Bee(Rhyme of Vengeance) (女王蜂, Joōbachi, June 1951 – May 1952)
  • A Crow (1951)
  • The Devil Comes and Plays His Flute (悪魔が来りて笛を吹く, Akuma ga Kitari te Fue o Fuku, 1951-1953)
  • Dead Man's Seat (novel) (1952)
  • Lake of Mud (1953)
  • Undying Butterfly (1953)
  • Death Mask's Return (1953)
  • The Bride in the Labyrinth (1954)
  • Evil Man (1954)
  • Garden of Demon (1954)
  • Yurei Otoko (1954)
  • Fallen Angel (1954)
  • Mirage Island (novel) (1954)
  • The Sleeping Bride (1954)
  • Three Heads Tower (1955)
  • Vampire Moth (1955)
  • A Deadly Pond (1955)
  • Head (1955)
  • A Ghost in the Old Yard (1955)
  • The Poisoned Arrow (1956)
  • A Beautiful Waxwork (1956)
  • Black Wing (1956)
  • Death Angel's Arrow (1956)
  • A Calendar of Witch (1956)
  • A Cat in the Darkness (1956)
  • Lady in the Dream (1956)
  • The Seven Masks (1956)
  • Tragedy at the House of Meiro (1956)
  • Field of Beast (1956)
  • Head of a Playing Cards Table (1957)
  • Lady in the Mist (1957)
  • A Lady During the Wartime (1957)
  • Lady in the Mud (1957)
  • Lady in the Suitcase (1957)
  • Lady in the Mirror (1957)
  • Lady in the Umbrella (1957)
  • Lady in the Cell (1957)
  • Murder at the Kagami Beach (1957)
  • Mystery of the 13th Boat (1957)
  • A Devil's rhyme for playing ball (1957–1959)
  • Beautiful Lady in the Jar (1957)
  • Lady of the Fan (1957)
  • Girl's Shadow Under the Door (1957)
  • Demon's Birthday Festival (1958)
  • Lady in the Cave (1958)
  • Lady in the Coffin (1958)
  • Cross of Fire (1958)
  • Lady in the Red (1958)
  • Lady in the Pupil (1958)
  • Spade Queen (1958)
  • Rose Villa (1958)
  • A Demon Child (1958–1959)
  • Inside a Perfume's Mind (1958)
  • Villa in a Fog (1958)
  • Human Face (novel) (1960)
  • Female Leech (1960)
  • Black and White (1960–1961)
  • One Hundred Lips Song of Satan (1962)
  • Lady in the Sundial (1962)
  • The End of Hunting (1962)
  • Black Tiger at Night (1963)
  • Cat Mansion (1963)
  • A Batman (1964)
  • A Masked Party (1974)
  • The House of Hanging on Hospital Slope (病院坂の首縊りの家, Byoinzaka no Kubikukuri no Ie, December 1975)
  • Demon's Island (1978–1980)

Film and television

Director Kon Ichikawa made five films about Kindaichi, starring Koji Ishizaka:

Director Nobuhiko Obayashi made a parody film in 1979 titled The Adventures of Kosuke Kindaichi, starring Ikkô Furuya in the title role. Takeshi Kaga played the character in the 1981 film Akuryoto.

In 2013 and 2014 a pair of films were made pairing Kindaichi with another famous fictional Japanese detective Kogoro Akechi. Tomohisa Yamashita played Kindaichi, whilst Hideaki Itô was Akechi.[3][4]

Manga and anime

A profile of Kosuke appears at the end of the manga Case Closed Volume 6.

Hajime Kindaichi (金田一 一, Kindaichi Hajime), the main character of Kindaichi Case Files, is depicted as the grandson of Kosuke Kindaichi.

In episode 14 of Lupin the Third Part II, a German count invites the best private detectives from all over the world - including Kindaichi - to the maiden voyage of his blimp in order to catch Lupin III, who is after the count's jewel.

In the Lupin the Third Part IV episode "From Japan With Love", the celebrity detective Akechi Kousuke Holmes is partially named after Kosuke Kindaichi (as well as Kogoro Akechi and Sherlock Holmes).

See also

References

  1. ↑ "How locked room mystery king Seishi Yokomizo at last broke into english". The Guardian. 6 February 2020. Retrieved 30 December 2020.
  2. ↑ "Pushkin Vertigo".
  3. ↑ "Kindaichi Kôsuke vs. Akechi Kogorô". IMDb. Retrieved 2 March 2022.
  4. ↑ "Kindaichi Kôsuke vs. Akechi Kogorô Again". IMDb. Retrieved 2 March 2022.
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