is a fictional Japanese
detective
A detective is an investigator, usually a member of a law enforcement agency. They often collect information to solve crimes by talking to witnesses and informants, collecting physical evidence, or searching records in databases. This leads the ...
created by
Seishi Yokomizo
was a Japanese mystery novelist, known for creating the fictional detective Kosuke Kindaichi.
Early life
Yokomizo was born in the city of Kobe, Hyōgo Prefecture. He read detective stories as a boy and in 1921, while employed by the Daiichi Ba ...
, a renowned mystery novelist. His first case, ''
The Honjin Murders
is a mystery novel by Seishi Yokomizo. It was serialized in the magazine '' Houseki'' from April to December 1946, and won the first Mystery Writers of Japan Award in 1948. It was filmed as '' Death at an Old Mansion'' in 1975. In 2019, it was t ...
'', is a novel of a locked room murder in an old family house, 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.
Novels
The Kosuke Kindaichi series consists of 77 cases.
*
*
*''
Bat and Slug'' (1947)
*''
The Case of the Black Cat Restaurant'' (1947)
*''
A Killer'' (1947–1932)
*''
Black Orchid Princess'' (1948)
*
*
*''
Death Mask
A death mask is a likeness (typically in wax or plaster cast) of a person's face after their death, usually made by taking a cast or impression from the corpse. Death masks may be mementos of the dead or be used for creation of portraits. The m ...
'' (1949)
*
*''
Mysterious Woman'' (1950)
*''
Under Hundred Suns'' (1951)
*
*''
A Crow'' (1951)
*
*''
Dead Man's Seat (novel)'' (1952)
*''
Lake of Mud
A lake is often a naturally occurring, relatively large and fixed body of water on or near the Earth's surface. It is localized in a depression (geology), basin or interconnected basins surrounded by dry land. Lakes lie completely on land an ...
'' (1953)
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Undying Butterfly'' (1953)
*''
Death Mask's Return
Death is the end of life; the irreversible cessation of all biological functions that sustain a living organism. Death eventually and inevitably occurs in all organisms. The remains of a former organism normally begin to decompose shor ...
'' (1953)
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The Bride in the Labyrinth'' (1954)
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Evil Man'' (1954)
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Garden of Demon'' (1954)
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Yurei Otoko'' (1954)
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Fallen Angel
Fallen angels are angels who were expelled from Heaven. The literal term "fallen angel" does not appear in any Abrahamic religions, Abrahamic religious texts, but is used to describe angels cast out of heaven. Such angels are often described ...
'' (1954)
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Mirage Island (novel)
Mirage Island is a rocky island long lying west of Cape Mousse on the coast of Antarctica. It was charted in 1950 by the French Antarctic Expedition and so named by them because mirages were frequently observed in the vicinity of the island.
...
'' (1954)
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The Sleeping Bride
''The'' is a grammatical article in English, denoting nouns that are already or about to be mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The' ...
'' (1954)
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Three Heads Tower'' (1955)
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Vampire Moth'' (1955)
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A Deadly Pond'' (1955)
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Head
A head is the part of an organism which usually includes the ears, brain, forehead, cheeks, chin, eyes, nose, and mouth, each of which aid in various sensory functions such as sight, hearing, smell, and taste. Some very simple ani ...
'' (1955)
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A Ghost in the Old Yard'' (1955)
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The Poisoned Arrow'' (1956)
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A Beautiful Waxwork'' (1956)
*''Black Wing'' (1956)
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Death Angel's Arrow'' (1956)
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A Calendar of Witch'' (1956)
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A Cat in the Darkness'' (1956)
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Lady in the Dream'' (1956)
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The Seven Masks'' (1956)
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Tragedy at the House of Meiro'' (1956)
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Field of Beast'' (1956)
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Head of a Playing Cards Table'' (1957)
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Lady in the Mist
''Lady'' is a term for a woman who behaves in a Politeness, polite way. Once used to describe only women of a high social class or status, the female counterpart of lord, now it may refer to any adult woman, as gentleman can be used for men.
" ...
'' (1957)
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A Lady During the Wartime'' (1957)
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Lady in the Mud'' (1957)
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Lady in the Suitcase'' (1957)
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Lady in the Mirror
''Lady'' is a term for a woman who behaves in a polite way. Once used to describe only women of a high social class or status, the female counterpart of lord, now it may refer to any adult woman, as gentleman can be used for men.
"Lady" is al ...
'' (1957)
*''
Lady in the Umbrella
''Lady'' is a term for a woman who behaves in a polite way. Once used to describe only women of a high social class or status, the female counterpart of lord, now it may refer to any adult woman, as gentleman can be used for men.
"Lady" is al ...
'' (1957)
*''
Lady in the Cell'' (1957)
*''
Murder at the Kagami Beach'' (1957)
*''
Mystery of the 13th Boat
Mystery, The Mystery, Mysteries or The Mysteries may refer to:
Arts, entertainment, and media Fictional characters
*Mystery, a cat character in ''Emily the Strange''
*Mystery, a seahorse that SpongeBob SquarePants adopts in the episode " My Pre ...
'' (1957)
*''
A Devil's Rhyme for Playing Ball'' (1957–1959)
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Beautiful Lady in the Jar'' (1957)
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Lady of the Fan'' (1957)
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Girl's Shadow Under the Door'' (1957)
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Demon's Birthday Festival'' (1958)
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Lady in the Cave'' (1958)
*''
Lady in the Coffin
''Lady'' is a term for a woman who behaves in a polite way. Once used to describe only women of a high social class or status, the female counterpart of lord, now it may refer to any adult woman, as gentleman can be used for men.
"Lady" is al ...
'' (1958)
*''
Cross of Fire
''Cross of Fire'' is a 1989 American television miniseries based on the rape and murder of Madge Oberholtzer by D. C. Stephenson, a highly successful leader of the Indiana branch of Ku Klux Klan. It stars John Heard as Stephenson and Mel H ...
'' (1958)
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Lady in the Red'' (1958)
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Lady in the Pupil
''Lady'' is a term for a woman who behaves in a polite way. Once used to describe only women of a high social class or status, the female counterpart of lord, now it may refer to any adult woman, as gentleman can be used for men.
"Lady" is al ...
'' (1958)
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Spade Queen'' (1958)
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Rose Villa'' (1958)
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A Demon Child'' (1958–1959)
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Inside a Perfume's Mind'' (1958)
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Villa in a Fog
A villa is a type of house that was originally an ancient Roman upper class country house that provided an escape from urban life. Since its origins in the Roman villa, the idea and function of a villa have evolved considerably. After the fal ...
'' (1958)
*''
Human Face
The face is the front of the head that features the eyes, nose and mouth, and through which animals express many of their emotions. The face is crucial for human identity, and damage such as scarring or developmental deformities may affect t ...
'' (1960)
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Female Leech'' (1960)
*''Black and White'' (1960–1961)
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One Hundred Lips Song of Satan'' (1962)
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Lady in the Sundial'' (1962)
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The End of Hunting
''The'' is a grammatical Article (grammar), article in English language, English, denoting nouns that are already or about to be mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the ...
'' (1962)
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Black Tiger at Night'' (1963)
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Cat Mansion'' (1963)
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A Batman'' (1964)
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A Masked Party'' (1974)
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Demon's Island'' (1978–1980)
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'' (1948) in June 2022
* ''The Devil's Flute Murders'' (1953) in 2023.
* ''The Little Sparrow Murders'' (original title: 悪魔の手まり歌 ''Akuma no Temari Uta'') (1959) in 2024.
* ''Murder at the Black Cat Cafe'' (1947) in September 2025.
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)
In other media
Film
Seizaburō Kawazu starred as Kindaichi in the 1954 film ''
Yurei otoko'', while
Ryō Ikebe
was a Japanese actor. He graduated from Rikkyō University and originally wanted to be a director, but ended up debuting as an actor at Tōhō in 1941. He did not achieve popularity until starring in a series of youth films in the late 1940s. H ...
appeared in 1956's ''
Vampire Moth'', and
Ken Takakura
, born , was a Japanese actor and singer who appeared in over 200 films. Affectionately referred to as "Ken-san" by audiences, he was best known for his brooding style and the stoic presence he brought to his roles. He won the Japan Academy Pri ...
in 1961's ''Akuma no temari-uta''.
Akira Nakao
was a Japanese actor, television personality, and artist from Kisarazu, Chiba. He was represented by the Furutachi Project agency.
Biography
Nakao attended Chiba Prefectural Kisarazu High School from 1958, and entered Musashino Art University ...
starred as Kindaichi in
Yoichi Takabayashi
was a Japanese film director.
Career
Born in Kyoto and graduating from Ritsumeikan University, Takabayashi became a pioneering independent filmmaker working in 8mm and 16mm film, earning awards at foreign festivals for his work. His 1970 film ...
's 1975 adaptation of ''The Honjin Murders'' entitled ''
Death at an Old Mansion
is a 1975 Japanese horror film directed by Yoichi Takabayashi, based on the mystery novel ''The Honjin Murders'' (1946) by Seishi Yokomizo. It was entered into the 26th Berlin International Film Festival.
Cast
* Akira Nakao
was a Japane ...
'', which was entered into the 26th Berlin International Film Festival''.
Director Kon Ichikawa made six films about Kindaichi, starring Koji Ishizaka:
*''The Inugami Family'' (1976)
*''Akuma no temari-uta'' (1977)
*''Gokumon-to'' (1977)
*''Queen Bee (1978 film), Queen Bee'' (1978)
*''Byoinzaka no Kubikukuri no Ie, The House of Hanging on Hospital Slope'' (1979)
*The Inugamis (2006 film), ''The Inugamis'' (2006)
Kiyoshi Astumi played the detective in ''Yatsuhaka-mura'' (1977), while Toshiyuki Nishida appeared in ''Devil's Flute'' (1979). 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'', whilst 1996's ''Yatsuhaka-Mura'' starred Etsushi Toyokawa.
Television
There have been numerous television drama films starring various different actors as Kindaichi:
* Takaya Kamikawa in ''Kindaichi Kōsuke File - Meiro Sou no Sangeki'' (2002, TV Tokyo) and. ''Kindaichi Kōsuke File - Gokumon Tou'' (2003, TV Tokyo)
* Goro Inagaki in ''Inugamike no Ichizoku'' (2004), ''Yatsuhakamura'' (2004), ''Jōōbachi'' (2006), ''Aakuma ga Kitarite Fue o Fuku'' (2007) and ''Akuma no Temariuta'' (2009)
*Sosuke Ikematsu in ''Kindaichi Kosuke Tōjō!'' (2016)
*Hiroki Hasegawa in ''Gokumon tō'' (2016)
* Hidetaka Yoshiokain ''Akuma ga Kitarite Fue wo Fuku'' (2018)
Actor Kazuyuki Furuya played Kindaichi on television for nearly 30 years. In 2013 and 2014 a pair of television films were made pairing Kindaichi with another famous fictional Japanese detective Edogawa Ranpo's Kogoro Akechi. Tomohisa Yamashita played Kindaichi, whilst Hideaki Itô was Akechi.
Manga and anime
A profile of Kosuke appears at the end of the manga ''Case Closed (manga), Case Closed'' Volume 6.
, 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
* Kogoro Akechi
References
External links
Kindaichi Kosuke Museum- Fans Site
{{DEFAULTSORT:Kindaichi, Kosuke
Kosuke Kindaichi,
Characters of the Golden Age of Detective Fiction
Fictional amateur detectives
Fictional Japanese detectives
Fictional Japanese people
Novel series by featured character