Pathway to Japanese Literature
Discover Japan's stories—across time, across language.
← Back
Kuginuki Tōkichi's Arrest MemoirsAuthor: Hayashi Fubō
| Original Title | 釘抜藤吉捕物覚書 |
|---|---|
| Author | 林 不忘 |
| Genre | Historical Fiction |
| Author Type | Male Author |
| Summary | In the sweltering confines of Yanagie-tei theater, rain-soaked lanterns cast eerie shadows over a packed crowd entranced by Edo-era performances—rakugo storytelling, thunderous ballads, and the star act: Ōishi Buemon, a mountain of muscle bending iron and shattering stone. Yet when the curtain falls, Buemon collapses backstage, strangled by unseen hands in a dim corridor. Enter Kuginuki Tōkichi, a gruff investigator with a knack for unraveling the impossible. Clues defy logic: no witnesses, a fleeting shadow on a paper screen, and a corpse too powerful to subdue quietly. As Tōkichi prowls the labyrinthine theater—its air thick with secrets—he confronts a troupe of performers: a lovestruck rakugo storyteller, a master puppeteer with uncanny skill, and a shamisen player harboring silent fears. Between flickering candlelight and whispered alibis, Tōkichi untangles a web where artistry masks lethal intent. The answer lies not in brute force but in strings pulled from the shadows—a revelation that blurs the line between illusion and murder. Will truth emerge before the final act? |
← Return to List← Return to TOP