is a Japanese novelist born in

Fukuoka is the sixth-largest city in Japan, the second-largest port city after Yokohama, and the capital city of Fukuoka Prefecture, Japan. The city is built along the shores of Hakata Bay, and has been a center of international commerce since ancie ...

Fukuoka Prefecture is a Prefectures of Japan, prefecture of Japan located on the island of Kyūshū. Fukuoka Prefecture has a population of 5,109,323 (1 June 2019) and has a geographic area of 4,986 Square kilometre, km2 (1,925 sq mi). Fukuoka Prefecture borders S ...

, Japan.

Biography

Best known for his humorous mysteries, Akagawa's first short story, "Ghost Train", was published in 1976 and went on to win the annually granted All Yomimono New

Mystery Mystery, The Mystery, Mysteries or The Mysteries may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Fictional characters *Mystery, a cat character in ''Emily the Strange'' Films * ''Mystery'' (2012 film), a 2012 Chinese drama film * ''Mystery'' ( ...

Writers' Prize by

Bungeishunjū is a Japanese publishing company known for its leading monthly magazine ''Bungeishunjū''. The company was founded by Kan Kikuchi in 1923. It grants the annual Akutagawa Prize, one of the most prestigious literary awards in Japan, as well as th ...

, a Japanese literary publishing company. Other works of his, and , were later made into

anime is Traditional animation, hand-drawn and computer animation, computer-generated animation originating from Japan. Outside of Japan and in English, ''anime'' refers specifically to animation produced in Japan. However, in Japan and in Japane ...

, while was made into a popular live action movie. His most recognized works to date pertain to his Mike-neko (or

Calico cat A calico cat is a domestic cat of any breed with a tri-color coat. The calico cat is most commonly thought of as being typically 25% to 75% white with large orange and black patches (or sometimes cream and grey patches, which is called a mu ...

) Holmes series. He is extremely prolific; as of 2013, he had written more than 560 novels in the course of his thirty-year career, over 300 million individual published volumes.

Works in English translation

;Mystery novel * '' Three Sisters Investigate'' (original title: ''San Shimai Tanteidan''), trans. Gavin Frew (

Kodansha is a Japanese privately-held publishing company headquartered in Bunkyō, Tokyo. Kodansha is the largest Japanese publishing company, and it produces the manga magazines ''Nakayoshi'', ''Afternoon'', ''Evening'', ''Weekly Shōnen Magazine'' an ...

International, Kodansha English Library, 1985) ;Short story collection * ''

Midnight Suite Midnight is the transition time from one day to the next – the moment when the date changes, on the local official clock time for any particular jurisdiction. By clock time, midnight is the opposite of noon, differing from it by 12 hours ...

'' (original title: ''Mayonaka no tame no Kumikyoku''), trans. Gavin Frew (Kodansha International, Kodansha English Library, 1984) ** ** ** ** ** ;Short story * Beat Your Neighbor Out of Doors (''

Ellery Queen's Mystery Magazine ''Ellery Queen's Mystery Magazine'' is a bi-monthly American digest size fiction magazine specializing in crime fiction, particularly detective fiction, and mystery fiction. Launched in fall 1941 by Mercury Press, ''EQMM'' is named after the fict ...

'', March 1992) ;Essay * ''My Favourite Mystery, "

And Then There Were None ''And Then There Were None'' is a mystery novel by the English writer Agatha Christie, described by her as the most difficult of her books to write. It was first published in the United Kingdom by the Collins Crime Club on 6 November 1939, as ...

" by

Agatha Christie Dame Agatha Mary Clarissa Christie, Lady Mallowan, (; 15 September 1890 – 12 January 1976) was an English writer known for her 66 detective novels and 14 short story collections, particularly those revolving around fictiona ...

'' ( Mystery Writers of Japan, Inc.br>

Awards and nominations

* 1976 – All Yomimono New

Writers' Prize (for unpublished short stories): "Ghost Train" (short story) * 1979 – Nominee for

Mystery Writers of Japan Award The are presented every year by the Mystery Writers of Japan. They honor the best in crime fiction and critical/biographical work published in the previous year. MWJ Award for Best Novel winners (1948–1951, 1976–present) MWJ Award for Best ...

for Best Novel: ''Himatsubushi no Satsujin'' * 1979 – Nominee for

for Best Short Story: "Zennin Mura no Mura Matsuri" * 1980 –

Kadokawa Kadokawa may refer to: *Kadokawa Corporation, the holding company of the Kadokawa Group **Kadokawa Content Gate and Kadokawa Mobile, both former names for BookWalker **Kadokawa Future Publishing, a subsidiary of Kadokawa Corporation and the publis ...

Novel Prize: ''Akusai ni Sasageru Rekuiemu'' (novel) * 1980 – Nominee for

Naoki Prize The Naoki Prize, officially , is a Japanese literary award presented biannually. It was created in 1935 by Kikuchi Kan, then editor of the ''Bungeishunjū'' magazine, and named in memory of novelist Naoki Sanjugo. Sponsored by the Society for the ...

: "Uwayaku no Inai Getsuyobi", "Kinshu no Hi" and "Toho Jugo fun" (three short stories) * 1980 – Nominee for

Yoshikawa Eiji was a Japanese historical novelist. Among his best-known novels are revisions of older classics. He was mainly influenced by classics such as ''The Tale of the Heike'', ''Tale of Genji'', ''Water Margin'' and ''Romance of the Three Kingdoms'', m ...

Prize for New Writers: ''Mike-neko Homuzu no Kaidan'' (novel) * 1982 – Nominee for

for Best Short Story: "Kaidan" * 2006 – Japan Mystery Literature Award for Lifetime Achievement

Main works

Calico Cat Holmes

*Novels *#, 1978 *#, 1979 *#, 1980 *#, 1981 *#, 1981 *#, 1982 *#, 1983 *#, 1985 *#, 1986 *#, 1987 *#, 1988 *#, 1990 *#, 1990 *#, 1991 *#, 1991 *#, 1992 *#, 1993 *#, 1994 *#, 1995 *#, 1995 *#, 1996 *#, 1997 *#, 1998 *#, 2000 *#, 2001 *#, 2002 *#, 2003 *#, 2005 *#, 2006 *#, 2007 *#, 2008 *#, 2009 *#, 2011 *#, 2012 *#, 2013 *Short story collections *#, 1983 *#, 1984 *#, 1984 *#, 1986 *#, 1988 *#, 1989 *#, 1992 *#, 1993 *#, 1996 *#, 1997 *#, 1998 *#, 1999 *#, 2002 *#, 2009

Three Sisters Investigate

* Novels *#, 1982 (English translation: '' Three Sisters Investigate''.

International, Kodansha English Library. 1985) *#, 1985 *#, 1986 *#, 1987 *#, 1988 *#, 1989 *#, 1990 *#, 1991 *#, 1992 *#, 1993 *#, 1994 *#, 1995 *#, 1996 *#, 1997 *#, 1998 *#, 1999 *#, 2000 *#, 2002 *#, 2003 *#, 2005 *#, 2007 *#, 2011 *#, 2013

Hayakawa family series

*Novels *#, 1978 (French translation: ''Meurtres pour tuer le temps''. Philippe Picquier Publishing. , ) *#, 1987 *#, 2000

Standalone novels

* , 1978 * , 1981 (French translation: ''Le piège de la marionnette''. Philippe Picquier Publishing. , )

Film adaptations

* '' Sailor Suit and Machine Gun'' (1981) * ''

Detective Story Detective fiction is a subgenre of crime fiction and mystery fiction in which an investigator or a detective—whether professional, amateur or retired—investigates a crime, often murder. The detective genre began around the same time as specu ...

'' (1983) * ''

Early Spring Story is a 1985 Cinema of Japan, Japanese film directed by Shinichirō Sawai. Plot summary 17-year-old Hitomi Okino's mother died four years ago, and her father has remarried, causing Hitomi to worry that her father is throwing away all memory of her ...

'' (1985) * '' Who Do I Choose?'' (1989) * ''

Chizuko's Younger Sister is a 1991 Japanese film directed by Nobuhiko Obayashi. It was filmed in Mukaishima Island, Hiroshima. Synopsis The film centers on Mika Kitao (北尾実加 ''Kitao Mika''; Hikari Ishida), the clumsy and slow younger sister of Chizuko Kitao (北 ...

'' (1991)

TV drama adaptations

* Mike-Neko Holmes Series (1979 - 1984)
Mike-Neko Holmes no Suiri
(2012)

Video game adaptations

; Majotachi no Nemuri Based on Akagawa's two thriller novels ''Majotachi no Tasogare'' and ''Majotachi no Nagai Nemuri''. * ''Akagawa Jirō: Majotachi no Nemuri'' (

Super Famicom The Super Nintendo Entertainment System (SNES), commonly shortened to Super NES or Super Nintendo, is a 16-bit home video game console developed by Nintendo that was released in 1990 in Japan and South Korea, 1991 in North America, 1992 in Euro ...

– 1995) * ''Akagawa Jirō: Majotachi no Nemuri: Fukkatsusai'' (PlayStation – 1999) * ''Akagawa Jirō: Majotachi no Nemuri: Kanzenban'' ( PC – 2001) ;Yasōkyoku * ''Akagawa Jirō: Yasōkyoku'' (

PlayStation is a video gaming brand that consists of five home video game consoles, two handhelds, a media center, and a smartphone, as well as an online service and multiple magazines. The brand is produced by Sony Interactive Entertainment, a divisi ...

– 1998) (based on Akagawa's short story collection ''Satsujin o Yonda Hon'') * ''Akagawa Jirō: Yasōkyoku 2'' (PlayStation – 2001) * ''Akagawa Jirō Mystery: Yasōkyoku – Hon ni Manekareta Satsujin'' (

Nintendo DS The is a handheld game console produced by Nintendo, released globally across 2004 and 2005. The DS, an initialism for "Developers' System" or "Dual Screen", introduced distinctive new features to handheld games: two LCD screens working in tan ...

– 2008) ;Others * ''Akagawa Jirō no Yurei Ressha'' (

Family Computer The Nintendo Entertainment System (NES) is an 8-bit Third generation of video game consoles, third-generation home video game console produced by Nintendo. It was first released in Japan in 1983 as the commonly known as the The NES, a redes ...

– 1991) (based on Akagawa's short story "Ghost Train") * ''Tsuki no Hikari: Shizumeru Kane no Satsujin'' (

PlayStation 2 The PlayStation 2 (PS2) is a home video game console developed and marketed by Sony Computer Entertainment. It was first released in Japan on 4 March 2000, in North America on 26 October 2000, in Europe on 24 November 2000, and in Australia on 3 ...

– 2002) (based on Akagawa's novel ''Shizumeru Kane no Satsujin'') * ''Akagawa Jirō Mystery: Tsuki no Hikari'' (Nintendo DS – 2008) (based on Akagawa's novel ''Shizumeru Kane no Satsujin'') ;Unique Games * ''Emit Vol. 1: Toki no Maigo'' (Scenario writing by Akagawa Jirō. Also bundled in the '' Emit Value Pack'' compilation) * ''Emit Vol. 2: Inochigake no Tabi'' (Scenario writing by Akagawa Jirō. Also bundled in the '' Emit Value Pack'' compilation) * ''Emit Vol. 3: Watashi ni Sayonara o'' (Scenario writing by Akagawa Jirō. Also bundled in the '' Emit Value Pack'' compilation)

References

J'Lit , Authors : Jiro Akagawa , Books from Japan

at

GameFAQs GameFAQs is a website that hosts FAQs and walkthroughs for video games. It was created in November 1995 by Jeff Veasey and was bought by CNET Networks in May 2003. It is currently owned by Fandom, Inc. since October 2022. The site has a databa ...

''Akagawa Jirō no Yūrei Ressha''
at

MobyGames MobyGames is a commercial website that catalogs information on video games and the people and companies behind them via crowdsourcing. This includes nearly 300,000 games for hundreds of platforms. The site is supported by banner ads and a small ...

''Akagawa Jirou Majotachi no Nemuri'' (Super Famicom)
at Superfamicom.org
''Akagawa Jirō Mystery: Tsuki no Hikari – Shizumeru Kane no Satsujin''
at

''Tsuki no Hikari: Shizumeru Kane no Satsujin''
at

Gamefaqs GameFAQs is a website that hosts FAQs and walkthroughs for video games. It was created in November 1995 by Jeff Veasey and was bought by CNET Networks in May 2003. It is currently owned by Fandom, Inc. since October 2022. The site has a databa ...

''Emit'' series
at vndb.org {{DEFAULTSORT:Akagawa, Jiro 1948 births Living people 20th-century Japanese novelists 21st-century Japanese novelists Japanese male short story writers Japanese mystery writers Japanese horror writers Writers of young adult literature Writers from Fukuoka (city) 20th-century Japanese short story writers 21st-century Japanese short story writers 20th-century Japanese male writers 21st-century male writers