, also known as ''Inspector Imanishi Investigates'', is

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'' ( ...

novel A novel is a relatively long work of narrative fiction, typically written in prose and published as a book. The present English word for a long work of prose fiction derives from the for "new", "news", or "short story of something new", itsel ...

written by

Seichō Matsumoto was a Japanese writer, credited with popularizing detective fiction in Japan. Matsumoto's works broke new ground by incorporating elements of human psychology and ordinary life. His works often reflect a wider social context and postwar nihil ...

. ''Suna no Utsuwa'' was originally serialized as a serial in the Japanese newspaper ''

Yomiuri Shimbun The (lit. ''Reading-selling Newspaper'' or ''Selling by Reading Newspaper'') is a Japanese newspaper published in Tokyo, Osaka, Fukuoka, and other major Japanese cities. It is one of the five major newspapers in Japan; the other four are t ...

'' between 1960 and 1961 and was published from

Kobunsha Kobunsha ( ja, 光文社 ''Kōbunsha'') is a Japanese publishing company. It publishes literature, manga novels, and women's magazines. Company history Kobunsha was established on October 1, 1945, and belongs to the Kodansha group. The company h ...

in 1961. The novel has been made into a film and TV dramas.

Adaptations

* ''

Castle of Sand is a 1974 Japanese police procedural film directed by Yoshitarō Nomura, based on the novel '' Suna no Utsuwa'' by Seicho Matsumoto. Plot Yoshitaro Nomura's 1974 film of Seicho Matsumoto's immensely popular detective story tells the tale of two ...

'' (1974), a

Shochiku () is a Japanese film and kabuki production and distribution company. It also produces and distributes anime films, in particular those produced by Bandai Namco Filmworks (which has a long-time partnership—the company released most, if not all ...

production, directed by Yoshitarō Nomura and starring Tetsurō Tamba. * ''Suna no Utsuwa'' (1977), a Fuji TV production, mini-series in 6 episodes. directed by Takuji Tominaga. It stars

Tatsuya Nakadai is a Japanese film actor. He was featured in 11 films directed by Masaki Kobayashi, including ''The Human Condition'' trilogy, wherein he starred as the lead character Kaji, plus ''Harakiri'', ''Samurai Rebellion'' and ''Kwaidan''. Nakadai wor ...

(Eitaro Imanishi) and Masakazu Tamura ( Eiryo Waga). * ''

Suna no Utsuwa is a 2004 Japanese television drama series. It is based on a Japanese novel '' Suna no Utsuwa''. Cast * Masahiro Nakai * Ken Watanabe * Yasuko Matsuyuki * Shinji Takeda * Masaru Nagai * Kotomi Kyono * Yoko Moriguchi * Hidekazu Akai * Masachika I ...

'' (2004), a TBS production, starring

Masahiro Nakai is a Japanese television host, actor, news presenter, radio personality. He was the leader of the now defunct boy band SMAP, which had been the best-selling boy band in Asia. While working as a member of a boy band, he worked extensively as a te ...

as Eiryo Waga and

Ken Watanabe is a Japanese actor. To English-speaking audiences, he is known for playing tragic hero characters, such as General Tadamichi Kuribayashi in '' Letters from Iwo Jima'' and Lord Katsumoto Moritsugu in ''The Last Samurai'', for which he was nomi ...

as Eitaro Imanishi.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Suna no Utsuwa 1961 Japanese novels Japanese novels Japanese crime novels Japanese novels adapted into films 1970s drama television series