Pathway to Japanese Literature

Part One I

Ladies and gentlemen, the detective story I am about to relate is a most intricate murder case—one that even the young science detective Tsubakihara Toshio-kun himself describes as having required his utmost efforts.

In criminal investigations, the most difficult aspect fundamentally lies in those cases where the murder victim's identity remains unknown. Even when confronted with a corpse that has demonstrably been killed by another's hand, unless one can ascertain both who that body represents and what manner of person they were, there exists no viable starting point for pursuing the culprit. Thus history abounds with examples of cases involving unidentified victims that have ultimately gone unresolved.

If the identity remains unknown, one cannot ascertain what kind of life that person led or with whom they associated. Even if a prime suspect is apprehended, unless that individual confesses, it remains difficult to impose punishment for killing someone whose identity remains unknown. Therefore, when handling a murder victim’s corpse, a detective must first and foremost establish who that person is. Once that is determined, detectives begin narrowing down suspects—but there are times when the criminal’s identity proves difficult to ascertain. In such cases, detectives must undertake painstaking efforts unseen by others.

In the case I am about to recount as well, because the murdered man’s identity proved difficult to ascertain, Toshio-kun had to exert extraordinary efforts. As you all know, Toshio-kun often solved cases within his laboratory; however, to determine a corpse’s identity, he had at times to go out to various places and question numerous individuals. In this case as well, this took a heavy toll on Toshio-kun’s health, and precisely for that reason, whenever the topic of this case arises, he cannot help but let out a sigh of “It really took it out of me.”

II

Ladies and gentlemen, you have likely had the occasion to view the entire Asakusa area from the heights of Ueno Park. From Kannondō—that is, Kinryū-zan Sensō-ji—as one gradually shifts one’s gaze leftward, where the eye’s reach begins to wane, stand three not overly large temples lined up in a row. These are historic temples said to have been built by the command of His Excellency the Shogun during the former shogunate era, but since entering the Meiji period, their inner resources had become less abundant, and they had fallen into considerable disrepair. While their sect was the Jōdo school, the temple priests of all three institutions changed frequently. However, thanks to managing parishioners' graves, they seemed to somehow keep sustaining themselves.

Even during the Great Kanto Earthquake, these three temples alone miraculously escaped burning and became a refuge for nearby disaster victims. After that, reconstruction in this area progressed only sluggishly, and the temples continued to deteriorate further; but now, all three temples have come to be inhabited by quite competent temple priests and workers, and it is said that they enjoy favorable reputations among their parishioners.

All three temples faced a street called S and were lined up in order from the right as one faced them: Hōkō-ji, Tōsen-ji, and Fukunen-ji. Each temple had a main gate facing the front street, but behind their main halls, all three had extensive cemeteries that bordered a narrow lane called M. Their cemeteries lacked any formal gate—only sparse Japanese black pines stood there—allowing unrestricted passage. Therefore, when visiting graves, there were also those who entered from the rear rather than through the main gate.

I should clarify that while these three temples were identical in both the shape of their main halls and the layout of their cemeteries, their priests and temple workers did not maintain particularly close relations with one another. I should mention that along the mutual boundaries between the three temples, a modest earthen wall had been constructed. Though it must be said that this earthen wall had crumbled in places.

Ah, before I knew it, my explanation about the three temples had grown rather lengthy. However, unless you clearly understand the state of these three temples, it will become difficult to grasp the full account of the case I am about to relate. Indeed, it could be said that Toshio-kun noticed the similarities among these three temples and thereby found the key to solving this case.

III

It was a mid-May morning under perfectly clear skies. Tatsubei—a sixty-year-old temple worker at Tōsen-ji, which stood central among the three temples—had been sweeping fallen crimson azalea blossoms in the rear garden while edging toward the cemetery with his broom when suddenly he gasped softly and stood rooted to the spot.

For there lay a man face down before a stone monument. At first, the old man thought that the man might be sleeping. This was because come summer, homeless people without lodging would often spend the night in this cemetery. However, upon approaching, the old man’s assumption proved horribly mistaken. To put it cruelly, the back of the man’s head had been split like a pomegranate.

The old man suddenly threw down his broom, stumbled into a run, and went to inform the temple priest. The head priest—a man around fifty with a freshly shaven head—turned pale and came running out. Then the old man reported it to the police box, and from the police box it was relayed to the Metropolitan Police Department. As it happened—and as you all know—the case had fallen under Detective Oda’s jurisdiction, so he immediately came to consult Toshio-kun. By that time, all cases under Detective Oda’s charge had come to be entrusted to Toshio-kun. This arrangement had proven more convenient for Detective Oda.

We immediately rushed to the scene. As the corpse had been left undisturbed, Toshio-kun was very pleased and began the investigation. Until now, in most cases when Toshio-kun arrived at a scene, it had already been thoroughly trampled—leaving even hard-won clues rendered useless. But in this case, since he had been presented with a completely fresh crime scene, he could not voice his usual complaints.

Instead of voicing complaints, Toshio-kun had apparently thought at first glance, "This looks like a tough case." This was something Toshio-kun later explained—the reason being that the man who met such a wretched end wore nothing but a knit shirt and underpants, lacking any hat, geta sandals, or even tabi socks on his feet. It initially seemed as though only the corpse had been transported from elsewhere, but since blood from the occipital wound had flowed into the ground without any other spillage, one could only conclude that the criminal had killed the man on-site before carrying off his kimono, geta, and hat.

For what purpose did the criminal do such a thing? One might initially suspect this to be a robbery; however, if it were indeed a robbery, there would be no reason for the perpetrator to take even the hat and wooden sandals. In the end, this was undoubtedly done by the criminal to obscure the corpse’s identity—so concluded Toshio-kun the instant he laid eyes on it.

“Uncle P.”

"...", said Toshio-kun to Detective Oda while still looking down at the corpse.

“This case is going to be exceedingly complicated.” “How can you tell?” Detective Oda asked in surprise.

"The criminal stripped the body effectively naked to conceal its identity. Even if someone tried to hide the victim's identity, a Tokyo resident's details would surface soon enough—the perpetrator wouldn't risk stripping it bare without cause. By leaving it like this, they must have believed identification would prove impossible." As he spoke, Toshio-kun inspected the occipital wound again while surveying the area.

“It was likely struck with a club or a thick tree branch in a single blow, but the criminal took that murder weapon away as well.” Then he turned to me, “Brother, lend me a hand. I want to turn the corpse over.”

It was a rather thankless task, but I assisted in turning the corpse onto its back. His face was smeared with mud, but he appeared to be around fifty years old—sallow-complexioned, with closely cropped hair and a rather robust build. Toshio-kun carefully brushed the dirt from [the corpse's] face and asked the temple priest and Old Man Tatsubei. “Does this face look familiar to you?” Both of them stared intently, but eventually shook their heads.

“Last night, did you happen to hear any human voices here?”

Once again, both of them denied it.

“I can’t say for certain, but judging from the stiffness of the muscles, the murder must have been committed around midnight last night.”

With these words addressed to no one in particular, Toshio-kun searched through the corpse’s shirt pocket. Of course there was nothing—but some debris from inside had caught on his fingertips. I promptly retrieved a watch glass from my detective bag and collected onto it what he had found. Then Tsubakihara took an ear pick and scraped out wax from both ears of our cadaverous friend here before meticulously gathering scrapings under fingernails next followed by toenail residue too—all handled like sacred relics rather than mere biological detritus.

The head priest was gazing at Toshio-kun’s actions with curious eyes, but

“What do you intend to accomplish by collecting fingernail dirt and earwax?” the head priest inquired. “The dirt under one’s nails and earwax can provide clues about their occupation.” “For instance, your nails likely contain incense or makkō powder.” “Therefore, finding makkō powder in someone’s nail residue would confirm they’re a priest.” The head priest looked startled and examined his own fingertips. Toshio-kun then meticulously inspected the ground surrounding the corpse. With no rainfall for nearly a week, the hardened earth revealed no trace of footprints.

“Uncle P, this completes the initial inspection. Please have this corpse transported to the Metropolitan Police Department immediately and get facial photographs taken. Then arrange for an autopsy to thoroughly examine the stomach and intestinal contents. Simultaneously ensure they conduct a full analysis of the digestion progress in those contents. I’ll return to the laboratory to examine the debris and bodily residues.”

Part Two

I Tsubakihara Toshio returned to the laboratory and immediately began conducting microscopic examinations of the debris from the shirt pocket, the earwax, and the fingernail dirt collected from the corpse. Fundamentally, the microscopic examination of such debris and grime occupied the most crucial position among recent scientific detective methods, and in some cases served a more important role than fingerprints. In this field, Mr. Locard—who currently served as head of the Lyon Police Forensics Department in France—stood as the most renowned authority. Many difficult cases had been solved with remarkable ease through his methods, and detailed examples of these were found in his recent book, which had naturally already become one of Toshio-kun’s favorite works.

If I were to attempt to cite one or two examples now—in one case, a young woman had been strangled in a forest. Before long, a young man was arrested as a suspect, but despite various circumstantial evidence, he absolutely refused to confess.

The police then asked Mr. Locard whether they could obtain direct evidence. Thereupon, Mr. Locard first conducted a thorough examination of the woman’s corpse and found scratch marks on her neck—likely made by fingernails when the perpetrator strangled her. Thereupon, when they collected and examined dirt from the young man’s fingernails this time, what appeared under the microscope was the epithelial layer of human skin and a particular type of face powder.

This face powder differed from ordinary face powder—as it was a rare type particularly favored by the murdered woman—and thus the evidence had become conclusive. When confronted with this evidence, even the young man could no longer contain himself and finally confessed.

At another time, a counterfeit bill ring was arrested. However, they could not determine who among them was the mastermind or where the counterfeit bills were being produced. Of course, none of them confessed to it, and the police were at a loss, so they requested Mr. Locard’s analysis. Thereupon, Mr. Locard collected earwax from each of the suspects and examined them one by one. As a result, he discovered splatters of printing ink in one man’s earwax. The man in question was an innkeeper, and though the police had not suspected him enough to conduct a house search, upon Mr. Locard’s discovery they immediately raided the premises and investigated—whereupon a printing press was indeed discovered in the basement.

In this way, the examination of fingernail dirt and earwax could at times provide conclusive evidence. As I had mentioned previously, one could also discern a person's occupation from the dirt under their nails. Moreover, one could also determine where that person had lived.

However, in criminal investigations, not every case proceeds as conveniently as these examples. Toshio-kun had set about the microscopic examination with considerable enthusiasm, but when he emerged roughly three hours later, his face unmistakably bore a look of disappointment. “Well? Did you uncover any significant clues?” When I asked,

“No good, no good. No unusual findings at all—just a bit of pepper powder on the right thumb.”

“Pepper?” I said and considered.

“There’s no need to think about it. He probably just ate some Western food.” Toshio-kun said nonchalantly.

“Was there anything unusual in the earwax?” “No, there’s nothing—I didn’t discover anything of note even in the debris from the shirt pocket.”

The moment I saw the corpse in the cemetery, I thought this case would be a tough one—and indeed it was. "Now all I can do is wait for the autopsy results and hope to gain some clue from them." Just then, the entrance bell rang, so when I went to open it, there stood none other than Detective Oda himself.

As soon as Detective Oda stepped inside, Toshio-kun inquired about the autopsy results. "After transporting the corpse to the Metropolitan Police Department for immediate autopsy, they discovered the deceased had eaten Western food approximately two hours before death." We involuntarily exchanged glances. Detective Oda continued speaking without acknowledging our reaction. "They determined this from how thoroughly the beef cutlet had been digested. "If the murder occurred around midnight last night, he likely ate the cutlet about ten o'clock."

“In that case, have you already had them search the Western restaurants in that vicinity?”

Detective Oda nodded, “Yes—I immediately ordered my subordinates to split up with photos of the deceased and have them search not just the Asakusa vicinity but as many Western restaurants as possible. “They’ve been instructed to call here immediately upon discovery. “By the way, have you discovered anything unusual?” “As I was just discussing with Brother, we’ve found absolutely no leads. “We discovered pepper powder in the grime under the right thumb’s fingernail, but this merely corroborates the autopsy findings you just described. “In any case, the culprit in this case must either be an extremely lucky individual or else an extremely cunning one.”

“However, the fact that the deceased ate Western food is an extremely significant clue at this point. We’ll probably find out where he ate it before long. Once we do that, we’ll find out who he came to eat with, and naturally obtain clues about the culprit.”

Just then, the telephone rang, so when I went to answer it, the caller was a man who asked to speak with Detective Oda. Realizing what was happening, I signaled to Detective Oda with my eyes. Soon after, he took the receiver and began speaking in what sounded like an excited tone. As soon as he hung up—

“Toshio-kun, we’ve found it! We’ve identified the Western restaurant the deceased visited last night. I plan to head there immediately—will you come with me?”

Two

A few minutes later, the three of us were heading toward our destination by car. According to Detective Oda’s account, the Western restaurant where the deceased had stopped by last night was located in Asakusa Ward Y-chō—about ten chō away from where the corpse was discovered in S-chō’s three temples.

Approximately thirty minutes later, when the car arrived, the town was relatively bustling, and H-tei—the Western restaurant where the deceased had stopped by—was a two-story white Western-style building with a neat and tidy appearance. We were greeted by detectives and went inside, but fortunately, given the hour, there were no customers, so we could speak leisurely. According to the detectives who had come to search, the matter had been resolved surprisingly quickly because, conveniently enough, the waitress remembered the dead man’s face.

Detective Oda praised the detectives for their efforts and had them summon the woman who had served the deceased. Then, before long, a fair-skinned, round-faced woman of seventeen or eighteen timidly emerged from the back and came before everyone. According to her account, last night the deceased had entered around nine-thirty with another man, ordered beef cutlet, drank alcohol, and talked incessantly about something until approximately eleven-thirty. She didn’t remember the dead man’s clothing well—though he had been wearing a serge kimono with a serge haori—but stated that the other man had also worn a serge kimono with a black unlined haori, and both had been wearing gray soft caps.

“What kind of haircut did the other man have?” Toshio-kun asked. “It was a close-cropped haircut, sir.” “You remember his face well—in other words, if he were to come here again, could you recognize him immediately?” “Yes, I believe I remember that, sir.” “You often discern people’s occupations at a glance—what did you think that man did for a living?”

“Yes, well—he was fair-skinned and had very clean hands, so at first glance I thought he might be a doctor.”

“Right—so did you happen to hear what they were talking about?” “I’m afraid I don’t know anything about that. At that precise time, we were crowded with customers, so I couldn’t stay in one place to serve them—and besides, they kept talking in hushed tones the whole time.” “So which one of them paid the bill?” “Well, I’m afraid we couldn’t quite tell—when we left the bill on their table, after a while we found money placed on the tray. However, after the two gentlemen had left, when we were cleaning the table, a business card was found. Whether they had left it intentionally, or perhaps it had fallen out of a wallet by chance, or maybe they hadn’t noticed it drop because they were looking down—in any case, by the time I noticed it, they had already left, so there was nothing I could do about it.”

Toshio-kun's face suddenly lit up, “Do you still have that business card?”

“Yes,” said the woman as she went into the back, and before long she returned holding a business card.

The business card that Toshio-kun received with trembling hands was,

Dentist Ōmura Teizō Tokyo-shi Nihonbashi-ku Kakigarachō Sanchōme It was as shown above. Toshio-kun stared fixedly at it for some time, then turned to Detective Oda and said, “In any case, why don’t we go visit Dr. Ōmura’s dental practice?”

After that, we left the Western restaurant H-tei with the detectives who had discovered it and got into the car.

When we arrived at Kakigarachō Sanchōme, to our surprise, there was no dentist named Ōmura. We felt as though we’d been tricked by a fox like fools, searching everywhere until we found a police box between Nichō-me and Ichō-me. When we went there, fortunately, the officer had been in charge of that district for the past ten years. When we briefly explained our business, inquired about Dr. Ōmura’s dental practice, and showed him the business card, the officer became greatly astonished,

“This is strange—Mr. Ōmura was burned to death during the earthquake disaster,” he exclaimed in a trembling voice.

Part Three

1

What could it mean that either the murdered man or the man who had dined with him had possessed a business card belonging to a deceased person—specifically, Dr. Ōmura, the dentist who had died over four years prior during the earthquake disaster? Toshio-kun, along with Detective Oda and the accompanying detectives, were all left dumbfounded and could only exchange glances for some time.

“Is it certain that Dr. Ōmura was burned to death in the earthquake disaster?” After some time, Toshio-kun asked the police officer at the police box. “Well, I’m afraid I can’t give a definite answer when you put it that way,” “On September 1, 1923 (Taisho 12), that dreadful day, Mr. Ōmura had business elsewhere and never returned home. His family came to believe he had been burned to death and eventually gave up hope, returning to their hometown.”

“In that case, since no corpse was ever discovered, if we entertain doubts, Mr. Ōmura might still be alive.” “So, do you know where his family’s current hometown is located?”

“Nagoya.” “Nagoya?” Toshio-kun thought to himself,

“Do you know which part of Nagoya it is?” “I don’t recall offhand, but I can check and find out.” With that, the police officer opened his desk drawer and searched through it, then soon copied something onto a scrap of paper and handed it to Toshio-kun.

Toshio-kun put it into his pocket and turned toward Detective Oda, “Uncle, at this point, this business card is our only lead. To proceed further with the investigation, we have no choice but to go to Nagoya and hear the full story directly from Mr. Ōmura’s surviving family. Since we must conclude this business card couldn’t have ended up in the Western restaurant by mere chance, we have to consider—as the waitress stated—that it was dropped by either the murdered man or the man who dined with him. As you can see, this business card differs from a newly made one—as it appears to have been kept in a wallet or something similar for a long time—so I think it’s most reasonable to conclude that it was a business card Dr. Ōmura himself had made.”

“This being the case, one of the two men who dined together must have had some connection with Mr. Ōmura. It’s possible Mr. Ōmura’s surviving family may know one of the two men. Therefore, under these circumstances, I believe it is necessary for us to go to Nagoya and meet with Mr. Ōmura’s surviving family. Fortunately, we know the address, so I plan to go to Nagoya now.”

“That sounds quite troublesome.” “Then I’ll leave the trip to Nagoya in your hands, Toshio-kun.” “However, don’t you think we should be conducting some search here in the meantime?” “Let me see...”

With that, Toshio-kun lowered his head in thought for a moment before saying, "Then please verify the backgrounds of both the chief priest and temple worker at Tōsen-ji where the body was found." "And as an added precaution, would you also have them check the identities of the priests and temple workers at the two neighboring temples flanking Tōsen-ji?"

Thus, we parted from the group and returned to the laboratory to prepare for our journey.

2

Due to the train schedule, we boarded the eleven o'clock night train departing from Tokyo Station that evening. "Nagoya City Higashi Ward Chikusa-cho Takami 3-banchi Ōmura Shinko"—this was our destination.

We arrived at Nagoya Station a little before eight in the morning, and the pleasant May sun was blazing down. First, we had breakfast at Mikado Shokudo inside the station, then hired a car and headed straight east along Hirokoji Street. Hirokoji Street, which runs east-west through Nagoya as its most bustling thoroughfare, was lined with what one might call towering buildings, yet enveloped in a certain relaxed atmosphere that could be said to symbolize Nagoya itself. Toshio-kun looked around curiously at both sides while offering various striking observations as he spoke to me.

Before long, the car cut through the town and emerged into what appeared to be the outskirts.

About ten years ago, I had taken this same road to visit Kakuōzan Nisshō-ji Temple. At that time, both sides of the road were entirely green rice fields with what looked like farmlands here and there. Now, however, it had developed into a proper urban area with townhouses lining both sides—albeit intermittently.

The speed of urban development was truly astonishing. Lost in quiet reflection, I shifted my gaze to the scenery beyond the window, but before long the car arrived at our destination. About three blocks north from the main street stood a compact single-story house with a small nameplate reading "Ōmura Residence" written in a feminine hand. When we stood before the lattice door, the sound of an organ and children singing could be heard from within, but the moment we opened the lattice door, the music ceased, and soon a tall, slender woman in her early thirties slid open the shoji screen to greet us. One glance told us she was the mistress of this house—Mrs. Ōmura herself.

Mrs. Ōmura looked puzzled upon seeing our unfamiliar faces, but when Toshio-kun briefly explained our purpose, she said, “Please come this way,” and showed us to a back room. The moment everyone was seated, Toshio-kun immediately proceeded to the matter at hand. He took out the business card in question from his pocket, “Would you happen to recognize this?” he said, staring fixedly at her face. 3

Mrs. Ōmura picked up the business card and examined it, but soon her hand began to tremble slightly. “Oh, how do you come to have this?” “So this business card undoubtedly belongs to your husband Mr. Ōmura?” “This was undoubtedly made at my husband’s request.” “By any chance, do you still have another business card identical to this one?” “Hmm, I believe there were still a couple left.”

Having said this, Mrs. Ōmura stood up and withdrew to the adjoining room, but after some time returned holding a business card. When Toshio-kun compared them, they were completely identical. "I’ve heard your husband Mr. Ōmura met a tragic end during the earthquake disaster, but were you together at home that day?"

“No.”

Mrs. Ōmura said firmly, her expression suddenly turning sorrowful. "That very day, a friend had come to visit, and he had gone out from morning onward." "Since he never returned after that, we came back here presuming he had perished in the earthquake disaster." "Since all my family members evacuated safely, I cannot help but feel regret—if he had been with us, he would have been safe too."

Her voice trembled with emotion. “And what became of this friend you mentioned who went out with your husband?” “That person is also missing.” “However, that gentleman had no family and was unmarried. Though he often visited us, we did not know his place of origin well enough to have any leads for inquiry. Thus, to this day, we cannot even say for certain whether he and my husband were together when they encountered disaster that day or had become separated.”

“Then what was that gentleman’s name?” “He was called Inamura Katsuyuki.”

“What did he do?” “He was working as a reporter for a magazine called Kabushiki Geppō.” “Then, on September 1st, for what purpose did your husband and Mr. Inamura go out?” “Well, that is precisely what I do not understand.” "My husband did not usually speak to me much about his own affairs." “That morning when Mr. Inamura came to visit, he abandoned his examination room and went out.” “His main profession wasn’t thriving, but even so, I believe it must have been a rather significant matter for him to abandon his examinations and go out.”

“Then, what did this Mr. Inamura look like, and how old was he?” “As for his age, he was about the same as my husband—I believe he was thirty-five or thirty-six at the time. He had a round face and always kept his hair closely cropped, but—” At that moment, Toshio-kun seemed to realize something and took out the photo of the corpse from his pocket. And then, with eyes filled with curiosity, he held it out before Mrs. Ōmura while—

“By any chance, you wouldn’t happen to know this person?” he asked. Mrs. Ōmura appeared to notice Toshio-kun’s meaningful demeanor and picked up the photograph with a gesture as if touching something dreadful. She stared at it intently—but soon let out a soft “Ah!” as an expression of surprise rapidly spread across her face.

“Do you know him?” Toshio-kun pressed urgently.

Mrs. Ōmura took a deep breath,

“This person. This person is the Mr. Inamura I just mentioned!”

Part 4

I

When Mrs. Ōmura saw the photograph of the corpse and exclaimed that it depicted her husband’s acquaintance Inamura Katsuyuki, Toshio-kun leapt for joy. And with good reason. In criminal investigations, if the identity of the deceased is ascertained, it may well be said that half the progress of the search has been made. Science can at times immediately ascertain a criminal’s identity, but there are not infrequent cases—as with this incident—where microscopes and other scientific tools prove of no use whatsoever. At such times, those engaged in detective work have no choice but to put their physical bodies to work and advance step by step, moving from clue to clue. In scientific detection, it is sufficient that the method of progression be scientific.

Now that Toshio-kun had ascertained the identity of the corpse, what investigative steps did he take next? After hearing Mrs. Ōmura’s exclamation and reflexively half-rising from his seat, Toshio-kun remained silent for some time due to his excitement. Then Mrs. Ōmura—as readers might imagine—inquired about the circumstances under which the photograph of the deceased Inamura had been taken.

And then, Toshio-kun briefly recounted how Inamura’s corpse had been discovered in Tōsen-ji’s cemetery—a sequence of events that had necessitated his visit to Nagoya as part of the investigation. “If we suppose Mr. Inamura had stayed alive all this time like this,” he said while staring intently at Mrs. Ōmura’s face, “then depending on circumstances, your husband might still be alive as well.”

Toshio-kun said while staring intently at Mrs. Ōmura’s face. “No,” Mrs. Ōmura flatly denied. “If my husband were alive, he would surely have returned by now.” “Because he was such a devoted father, there’s absolutely no way he would have abandoned his children.” “Moreover, there is not the slightest reason for him to live without regard for his family.”

Toshio-kun was nodding lightly as he thought,

“By any chance, might you have a photograph of your husband?”

"My husband was not very fond of having his photograph taken, so there isn’t a single one of him alone—but there happens to be a picture of our whole family taken just before the earthquake disaster."

With these words, Mrs. Ōmura stood up, went to the inner room, and soon returned holding a single photograph. Toshio-kun received it and stared intently. In the center were her husband and herself, with their two children seated in front of them. On either side of Mr. and Mrs. Ōmura stood a woman who appeared to be a maid and a man around thirty-five or thirty-six years old with a mustache and long hair. Toshio-kun pointed at that person and asked.

“Would this be a relative of yours?” At that moment, a look resembling displeasure appeared on Mrs. Ōmura’s face.

“No.”

Mrs. Ōmura answered hesitantly. “This person worked for us in a capacity akin to a substitute dentist, so to speak, but as certain inconveniences arose, we had him leave approximately half a month before the earthquake disaster.” “What was his name?” “He went by Ishikawa Gorō.” “Where might this person be from?” “Well, that’s precisely what’s peculiar about it. We ended up hiring him through someone’s introduction on a chance occasion, but he never clearly stated his place of birth or anything of the sort.”

“There was no particular need for us to press him with questions, and at first we were pleased as he worked faithfully. But gradually his nighttime outings increased, until finally he began making various bothersome remarks to me while my husband was away. That is why we ultimately had him leave.” “However, I heard through others that he seemed to hold a great grudge against us.” “Due to the earthquake disaster, that gentleman too went missing.”

“Thank you very much for everything. I sincerely apologize for visiting so early in the morning and causing you such inconvenience. As we are searching for the culprit who killed Mr. Inamura, it would be extremely convenient if we could borrow this photograph. Of course we will handle it with utmost care and return it promptly once a copy has been made, so I earnestly hope you will grant this request.”

“That will be quite acceptable.”

With these words, Mrs. Ōmura cheerfully agreed to Toshio-kun’s request.

II

We decided to return to Tokyo on the afternoon limited express. In the train car, Toshio-kun took out photographs of the corpse and the Ōmura family and was intently studying them. When looking at photographs, Toshio-kun always closed one eye.

You are probably familiar with something called a stereoscope. When two photographs taken from slightly different positions are arranged side by side and viewed with both eyes, the spatial relationships between objects within the photographs become clearly apparent. With a single photograph alone, the spatial relationships of objects do not become clear. However, when one closes one eye and gazes at the photograph, even a single photograph can appear with clear depth perception, much like a stereoscope. The height of the nose and the contours of the face—if one closes one eye and looks—become clearly apparent.

For some time now, Toshio-kun had been intently examining the photograph of the Ōmura family with one eye closed,

He suddenly called out to me, “Brother.” “Look at this man Ishikawa Gorō’s face.” “In common parlance, this is a face you must never let your guard down around.” “In the works of Italy’s renowned criminologist Lombroso, there appears a face exactly like this one—listed as the stereotypical criminal visage.” “Whether we speak of his narrow forehead, his exceptionally thick hair and beard, his protruding cheekbones, or his large chin—he possesses every qualification befitting a criminal.”

“Look particularly at the eyes—Vidocq, the French detective, even claimed you could determine whether someone was a criminal just by looking at their eyes. His eyes are sunken yet relatively large, with a somehow dull and clouded gleam—characteristics belonging to the murderer type. It seems this man too falls into that category. Moreover, his complexion is exceedingly pale—though of course color isn’t clearly discernible in photographs—and the way his hands appear as delicate as a woman’s only further confirms that he fulfills all the qualifications of a criminal.”

“So you think this man is involved in the current case?” “No, I haven’t formed any opinion yet. It’s just that I found it unusual that a man with such a stereotypical criminal’s face happened to be photographed here. But Brother, I think that to investigate this case properly, we still need to look into this man as well.” “Moreover, considering that he was dismissed shortly before the earthquake due to some impropriety, that he was vague about his place of origin, that he harbored resentment toward Mr. Ōmura after being dismissed, and that he went missing following the earthquake—I believe there is all the more value in investigating him.”

“Do you think Mr. Ōmura died in the earthquake disaster, or do you believe he’s still alive?”

“Initially when I heard the murdered man was Inamura,” he continued analytically while adjusting his glasses’ chain,“I thought there might be a chance Mr. Ōmura—who had gone out with Inamura—could still be alive like him. That’s why I asked Mrs. Ōmura to show me his photograph.” He tapped the photo with his index finger.“But seeing this convinced me Mr. Ōmura’s at least no longer among us.” “Now contrast this man Ishikawa Gorō,” he flipped to another print,“who possesses every hallmark of Lombroso’s criminal archetype—against Mr. Ōmura’s features.” His nail traced jawlines on both images.“From any phrenological standpoint,the latter could only belong to a good man.” A wry smile surfaced.“Of course,villainous physiognomy’s been studied exhaustively,but who bothers cataloging virtue? We lack positive criteria—merely judge goodness through absence of malice.” He stacked the photos neatly.“Thus our conclusion about Mr. Ōmura hinges on proving he wasn’t wicked.”

“In other words, Mr. Ōmura’s face merely indicates he isn’t a villain, but if he truly was the doting father Mrs. Ōmura described, there’s no reason he wouldn’t show himself as long as he remained alive.” “In any case, now that we’ve identified the dead man, we must next find the man who ate a Western meal with him at that Western Restaurant H.”

III

Upon returning to the laboratory, Toshio-kun immediately set to work making copies of the photograph he had borrowed from Mrs. Ōmura. We had returned home a little past ten o’clock, and since train travel proves quite exhausting, I suggested he should go to bed immediately and get some rest—but Toshio-kun absolutely refused to listen. I believe he worked until nearly three o’clock, but as I had excused myself and turned in earlier, I did not know what time Toshio-kun finally went to bed.

The following morning when I awoke, Toshio-kun had also roused almost simultaneously and appeared to be in remarkably high spirits. “Brother, before you wash your face, let me show you the photos I copied last night.” With these words he urged me into the laboratory and showed me six playing card-sized photographs. Three men were each photographed in frontal and profile views. One was Mr. Ōmura, one was Mr. Ishikawa, but the identity of the third man remained unknown. A man of ill countenance with a closely cropped head, protruding cheekbones, and devoid of any facial hair.

“Who is this?”

And I pointed at the unfamiliar man and said. Toshio-kun laughed and, “Can’t you tell? It’s still Mr. Ishikawa. All I did was remove his beard and give him a close shave.” As always, I was impressed by Toshio-kun’s technical skill, but I found myself marveling at how simply removing the beard and shaving the head could alter someone’s appearance so dramatically. “Look,” said Toshio-kun.

“Creating a profile view from a frontal photograph requires considerable effort, but with practice, it becomes relatively straightforward. It’s achieved through monocular observation—drawn by brush—but when photographed afterward, it can pass for an authentic image.” “Human facial features become more distinctly discernible when viewed from the side rather than frontally. Even among parents and siblings, faces that appear dissimilar when viewed head-on often reveal strikingly similar contours in profile.” “Take Mr. Ishikawa’s photograph—when we remove the beard and shave the head clean, the frontal view appears markedly different. Yet observe the profile view, and the resemblance becomes unmistakable.”

Indeed, when he put it that way, it made perfect sense. "Why did you go to the trouble of making this?" "That will become clear once we go to H Restaurant. Now let’s finish our meal quickly and go catch the waitress in her sleep."

We soon boarded a car and rushed to H Restaurant. Sure enough, the waitress in question welcomed us while rubbing her eyes. Toshio-kun called her to a corner and first presented two photographs of Mr. Ōmura—both a profile view and frontal portrait. "Do you recognize this person?"

The waitress stared alternately at the two photographs but quietly shook her head. “I’ve never seen this person before.” Thereupon, Toshio-kun produced a photograph of Mr. Ishikawa with a beard and thrust both the frontal and profile views before the waitress. Yet again, she shook her head quietly. Thereupon, Toshio-kun, “Then what about this person?”

Having said this, he showed her a photograph with the beard removed and the head closely shaven.

Then a look of tension suddenly appeared on the waitress's face. She took up the profile photograph in her hand and exclaimed triumphantly.

“This person.” “The person who dined with the deceased was this individual.”

Part V

I

When through the testimony of H Restaurant’s waitress it became clear that the man who had dined with the murdered victim the previous night was Ishikawa Gorō—a man of rather dubious character who had once been associated with Dr. Ōmura’s dental practice—the extent of Toshio-kun’s elation can well be imagined by you, dear readers. The degree of joy he felt now far surpassed what he had experienced when meeting Dr. Ōmura’s family in Nagoya and discovering that the murdered man was Inamura Katsuyuki, an acquaintance of the late dentist.

It was only natural—given that Ishikawa Gorō had dined with the victim until around 11:30 that night, and that the crime had been perpetrated within approximately thirty minutes thereafter—that Ishikawa Gorō must stand as the most compelling suspect in Inamura’s murder.

Now all that remained was to ascertain Ishikawa Gorō’s whereabouts—and since Toshio-kun had created that retouched photograph—having photo prints made and sending detectives scurrying in all directions would inevitably yield clues about the culprit. The moment we burst out of H Restaurant, Toshio-kun dragged me along, flagged down an empty taxi that happened by at precisely that instant, and pressed the driver to head straight for Metropolitan Police Headquarters. Uncharacteristically restless, Toshio-kun at first ignored my attempts at conversation—but then abruptly—

“Ah, I’ve got it!”

he shouted. “What? What do you mean?” I asked, somewhat taken aback. “What do you mean ‘what’? The culprit!” “But hasn’t the culprit already been confirmed as Ishikawa Gorō?” “There’s no Ishikawa Gorō anywhere!” I said in surprise. “Then does that mean the culprit isn’t the man in the photograph?” “Of course it’s the man in the photograph, but he’s no longer going by Ishikawa Gorō. So I inferred what he looks like now and where he is.”

I couldn’t suppress the curiosity surging up within me. “Is it true? Where’s he? What’s he doing?” “Just think.”

And Toshio-kun, with a mischievous air, refused to tell me right away. As the car jostled me, I tried piecing together each fact from memory—every detail I’d experienced since this affair began—but of course I still had no idea what kind of place the culprit occupied or what guise he now wore. Though I’d seen the same clues and heard the same testimony as Toshio-kun, my mind only sank deeper into confusion, like grasping at clouds. “I can’t possibly figure this out myself—don’t keep stringing me along and just tell me already!”

And I voiced my defeated whimper.

Toshio-kun grinned slyly and, “I’ll tell you, but unfortunately we’ve already arrived at the Metropolitan Police Department.”

Having said this, he opened the door of the taxi that had just stopped at that moment, and Toshio-kun leaped out like a rubber ball.

II

Detective Oda welcomed us with his usual smile, and soon the three of us were seated facing each other in the reception room. “How did it go?”

Detective Oda asked as if he had been waiting impatiently. Then, instead of recounting our numerous investigative findings up to that point, Toshio-kun turned to Detective Oda and inquired about the results of the background checks on Tōsen-ji's head priest and temple worker—the ones who had discovered the corpse. "We didn’t limit ourselves to Tōsen-ji—we examined Hōkō-ji and Fukunen-ji flanking it as thoroughly as possible," Detective Oda began. “Though regarding Fukunen-ji’s priest—he’s been bedridden with fever for about a week—and their temple worker’s a rather scatterbrained old man, so we couldn’t get coherent statements. But we managed to verify the identities of the priests and workers at the other two temples relatively clearly.”

The three temples all shared similar layouts, their boundaries consisting solely of crumbling earthen walls. Yet curiously enough, even the priests themselves—and the temple workers too—scarcely associated with one another, exchanging nothing more than occasional glimpses of faces. Consequently, nobody knew the identities of priests or workers from neighboring temples. However, through direct interviews and investigations, both the Head Priest of Tōsen-ji and the Head Priest of Hōkō-ji—along with their respective temple workers—were found to possess well-documented personal histories, devoid of any notably suspicious elements.

"And though Fukunen-ji’s temple worker is a simple-minded old man, at least his identity has been clearly established. All that remains now is verifying Fukunen-ji’s Head Priest’s identity, but with arrangements made to meet him once his fever subsides, the detectives returned as matters stood. Moreover, there’s a detailed report here—please give this a read." Having said this, as Detective Oda took out the report from his pocket and handed it over, Toshio-kun read it intently for several minutes; upon finishing, he fell into deep thought...

“Thank you very much. This has made my hypothesis all the more certain.” "The culprit is already as good as a cornered rat." Detective Oda was surprised and looked at Toshio-kun’s face. “Huh? “So you’ve identified the victim?” “Not only have we established the victim’s identity, but we’ve also identified the man who dined with him at H軒 on the night of the murder.” “This is a photograph of that man.” Having said this, Toshio-kun laid out photographs of Ishikawa Gorō before Detective Oda.

At first, Detective Oda wore a look as if he'd been tricked by a fox and stared fixedly at Toshio-kun for some time, but— “You… Is it true? You’ve made a splendid achievement.” “How on earth did you get this photograph?” Thereupon, Toshio-kun methodically explained: that he had met the Ōmura widow in Nagoya; that the victim, Inamura Katsuyuki—a magazine reporter—had frequently associated with Mr. Ōmura at the time and had gone out somewhere with him on the day of the earthquake disaster, never returning; that the Ōmura household had dismissed a dental assistant named Ishikawa Gorō shortly before the earthquake; that upon being shown a photograph of this Ishikawa Gorō—whose face bore criminal-like features—he had specially modified the photo and shown it to a waitress at H軒, whereupon it was confirmed to depict the man who had dined with the victim; and so forth.

All the while, Detective Oda listened with an expression of astonishment, but— “So you still think the culprit is this Ishikawa Gorō, then?”

Before Toshio-kun could reply, I interjected. “Not only that, but Toshio-kun even knows where this man is right now.” “In the car on the way here just now, I was made to think about it, but I couldn’t come up with anything at all.”

“Hmm”

Detective Oda also crossed his arms and began to think. “With just the materials Toshio-kun has presented so far, I can’t form any judgment at all. Or have you discovered some other evidence, Toshio-kun?”

“No.”

Toshio-kun flatly denied it.

“I estimated it—merely estimated based on the materials we’ve gathered so far.” “Hmm”

Detective Oda tilted his head.

"That makes it even more difficult—I couldn't possibly make an estimation with the materials at hand." "Please share your reasoning here and now."

Toshio-kun seemed to hesitate for a moment, but—

“Well, but if I were to explain everything now, it would spoil the suspense. So instead, I’ll explain only the principles that should guide deductions in such cases.”

“Principles?”

“It’s the law of probability.”

At such an outlandish statement, both Detective Oda and I struggled momentarily to comprehend its meaning. Perceiving our bewilderment, Toshio-kun began to speak as follows. III

“The law of probability—to illustrate with an example—suppose there are several people gathered here.” “When calculating their heights, those of moderate stature prove most numerous, while those at either extreme—the exceptionally tall or short—are fewest in number.” “Now if you were to toss several seashells,” he continued, “instances where all land face-up or face-down would be rarest. Cases where roughly half face each direction—or proportions approaching that balance—would occur most frequently.”

“Therefore, when evaluating biological issues and similar matters, conducting research with this law in mind proves extremely advantageous.”

“Even in criminal cases, this law of probability still applies. Criminals who commit crimes in society mostly adhere to similar patterns. In other words, the most commonplace crimes are by far the most frequent. The ingenuity of criminals tends to follow a set pattern.” “Exceptionally skilled criminals are rarely encountered. Therefore, in the case of a crime detective, one should still follow the law of probability—consider what an ordinary criminal would likely think and proceed with the investigation by aligning it with the evidence.”

“I myself usually pray to encounter unusual cases in my daily work, yet what are called difficult cases merely involve evidence not being gathered systematically—because of this, even valuable evidence ends up fueling mistaken deductions. When solved, they prove to be utterly ordinary crimes. Paradoxically, cases appearing mundane at first glance often become exceptionally arduous—this pattern has held true in all previous examples.”

“Now, to the current case,” “From the moment I first saw the corpse, I thought this would prove to be an exceptionally challenging case.” “Furthermore, from how someone stole the corpse’s clothing and devised ways to prevent identification, I concluded this was the work of a rather clever individual.” “And upon learning that the man who dined with the victim had criminal-like features, I deemed it reasonable to consider him the perpetrator.” When I considered this, I realized solving the case required deducing what ingenuity such a man might employ. “This constitutes precisely the application of the law of probability.” “Then—what would this man have contemplated when committing murder?” “The motive likely centers on Mr. Ōmura. It seems plausible Inamura attempted to blackmail Ishikawa.”

Having resolved to kill Inamura, Ishikawa would have found it risky to lead his target toward a desolate area around midnight—a move too likely to arouse suspicion. If we accept that the murder occurred in the cemetery, we can only conclude that Inamura walked there entirely of his own accord. Moreover, given that he was killed within the brief period between 11:30 PM and midnight, it’s inconceivable that the body was transported from elsewhere—meaning the crime must have been carried out in that cemetery without fail. "In that case, even entering that desolate cemetery must have been done by the victim without any sense of unnaturalness."

“What, then, does that signify?” “In other words, either Inamura himself was residing there, or Ishikawa Gorō had to be residing there.” “However, at Tōsen-ji where the crime was committed, aside from the temple priest and temple worker, no one else was residing.”

That was when I began to think. As I continued thinking this way, I recalled the time I first examined the corpse. I realized all three temples shared identical layouts—similar precincts and similarly arranged cemeteries. And there I discerned how the criminal's ingenuity had operated.

And so, in the car, I shouted to Brother that I had figured out who the criminal was. “And now, having borrowed and read this report from Uncle P, I have finally confirmed my deduction.”

Having spoken this far, Toshio-kun let out a sigh of relief.

“Ah! Now I see—no time for dallying!”

With these words, Detective Oda stood up.

Ladies and gentlemen, who is the culprit?

Part VI

I

As soon as he heard Toshio-kun’s reasoning about the criminal’s path, Detective Oda—true to his reputation—seemed to grasp it,

“I can’t afford to dawdle any longer.” As he said this and stood up, I had no idea what was going on.

Although I had somehow managed to grasp the significance of this "law of probability" Toshio-kun had explained, and though I could nod along to the idea of applying that same law to interpret the current case, I still had absolutely no idea where the criminal might be.

According to Toshio-kun’s explanation, the culprit was Ishikawa Gorō—though he no longer went by that name—and since the murder had been committed in a secluded temple cemetery, the criminal couldn’t have led victim Inamura there without arousing suspicion; therefore, the two must have entered Tōsen-ji’s cemetery quite naturally. This would mean either Ishikawa Gorō or Inamura Katsuyuki had to have been residing at Tōsen-ji.

However, since there were only the temple priest and temple worker at Tōsen-ji, and it was unthinkable that culprit Ishikawa had disguised himself as either the priest or temple worker, I found myself utterly at a loss in my judgment.

If I had been given sufficient time to consider matters at leisure, even I would surely have reached a proper conclusion. Now that the case had been solved, it seemed almost mystifying how simple it was that I hadn't been able to arrive at one.

However, just as with Columbus's egg—something you all surely know—what appears perfectly simple when considered after being solved proves far from easy to conceive beforehand. While most of you readers have likely deduced the culprit upon hearing Toshio-kun's explanation, I suspect there remain some among you who, like myself, still find yourselves wavering in judgment.

To those unable to reach a conclusion, I ask that you kindly wait a little longer. I must advance my pen and record what occurred after Detective Oda rose to his feet. Detective Oda had no sooner stood up than he pushed open the door and hurried out; after roughly five minutes had passed, he returned once more.

“I’ve decided to bring four skilled officers with us.” “Now then, let’s head out together.” With these words, he urged us on. I had no idea where we were going, but Toshio-kun, having anticipated this development from the start, followed Detective Oda with eager determination. I thought about asking Toshio-kun where we were headed, but

“Still haven’t figured it out?” Because I found it mortifying to be asked that, I pretended to understand and went along with them.

Outside, two cars had been prepared. When Toshio-kun whispered something to Oda-san, Oda-san nodded, had the officers board the front car, and issued some instructions. Then, the car carrying the police officers immediately started moving.

Then the three of us—Oda-san, Toshio-kun, and I—boarded the rear car. By that time, the front car had already turned into the side street.

I was full of curiosity and anticipation about where the car was headed, but the destination turned out to be Tōsen-ji’s cemetery. So then it occurred to me—perhaps the culprit was at Tōsen-ji after all. When we entered the cemetery, the temple worker Old Man Tatsubei noticed us and approached. Following that, the temple priest came running out. I stared intently at the faces of the temple worker and the priest, one after the other, to see if either resembled the photograph of Ishikawa Gorō, but there was not the slightest similarity.

The temple priest asked Detective Oda with a smile. “How are things progressing? Have you identified the culprit?”

Detective Oda had been scanning the surroundings since earlier and appeared restless. Was he waiting for the officers’ car that had departed ahead of us? Even when asked by the temple priest,

“No... not yet.”

he gave a perfunctory reply and said nothing more.

At this moment, Toshio-kun said to the temple priest.

“While these three temples are completely identical in structure, I hear the priests don’t interact much with one another.”

Then, the temple priest flushed slightly and said: "As those who serve Buddha, we wish to interact cordially with one another. However, since the other party inexplicably disdains such exchanges, we refrain from forcing the matter—deeming it improper to insist." “Then, do you not have any interaction with the temple priest of neighboring Fukunen-ji?”

“Far from socializing, I haven’t even properly seen his face.” “Mr. Tatsubei, do you know what Fukunen-ji’s temple priest looks like?” Toshio-kun asked the temple worker. “I’ve seen him two or three times.” Just then, an elderly man who appeared to be a temple worker from neighboring Fukunen-ji walked through the cemetery toward town. Toshio-kun turned to Old Man Tatsubei and asked in a low voice: “Is that Fukunen-ji’s temple worker?” “That’s right.”

Old Man Tatsubei answered flatly. Toshio-kun took out the photograph of Ishikawa Gorō from his pocket and held it out before Old Man Tatsubei. “Do you recognize this face in the photo?”

Old Man Tatsubei stared fixedly at the profile in the photograph for some time but suddenly broke into a smile— “This person! The priest of neighboring Fukunen-ji—” he shouted.

二

In that moment, I comprehended all the mysteries at once.

And then, at that moment— With a clattering of footsteps in Fukunen-ji’s cemetery, the four officers who should have arrived in the advance car came panting over the boundary earthen wall and dashed up to Detective Oda. Detective Oda asked.

“What’s wrong? Did you catch him?” “Unfortunately.”

“To avoid detection,” replied one of the officers, “we abandoned our car far off in that town over there, secretly infiltrated Fukunen-ji through the main gate, and approached the bedroom—only to find, unexpectedly, that instead of the temple priest in the bedding, there lay an elderly man who appeared to be a temple worker, with a hand towel wrapped around his neck and strangled to death.” “What? Strangled?” “After that, we searched every room in the priest’s quarters and main hall, but everywhere was deathly silent—not a single mouse remained. It appears the culprit strangled the temple worker and fled.”

At that moment, Toshio-kun shouted.

“In that case—the temple worker who just left is precisely our culprit! He hasn’t gotten far yet! Quickly now—into the car! After him!”

With Toshio-kun leading the way, we seven packed ourselves into the car like sardines and gave chase after the temple worker. The temple worker had been walking straight ahead in the distance, but suddenly looked back, apparently noticed us, and abruptly turned into a side alley.

The car sped at full throttle and reached the corner of that side alley, but it was a narrow path only about four feet wide—far too small for a car to pass through. Reluctantly, the entire group jumped down and chased after the temple worker, but they had no idea where he had gone.

On both sides stood several houses with hedges, and if he had taken refuge in any of them, the search would become exceedingly troublesome. Detective Oda began to fret anxiously.

When we finally arrived at the crossroads, a gentleman wearing gold-rimmed tinted glasses and Western clothes walked quietly toward us from the right.

Detective Oda touched his hat,

“Might I ask if you happened to meet an elderly man around here just now?”

he inquired politely. "I did meet him." The gentleman answered calmly and composedly. "As for that old man, he went into the second house from over there." "That’s him!" As everyone began to rush out, Toshio-kun restrained them with his hand and addressed the gentleman. "Mr. Ishikawa Gorō! Now your luck has run out."

The gentleman suddenly dodged and broke into a sprint. After an intense chase and subsequent struggle, within minutes he was handcuffed and—maintaining a meek demeanor—hauled into the car by Detective Oda, then transported to Metropolitan Police Headquarters.

III

Everyone!

And thus, this troublesome case was resolved.

According to the confession of Ishikawa Gorō—that is, the priest of Fukunen-ji Temple—he had been taken in by Dr. Ōmura’s household but was expelled after attempting improper conduct, which he deeply resented. He had been acquainted with Inamura Katsuyuki since their time in Dr. Ōmura’s household, but upon realizing Inamura was a black-hearted man, the two conspired to swindle a large sum of money from Dr. Ōmura. Thereupon, Inamura arranged to broker a land deal for Dr. Ōmura and lured him out on the morning of September 1, Taisho 12 (1923), under the pretext of finalizing the registration.

Of course, that was a fabrication—their true aim had been to seize the large sum of money Dr. Ōmura had brought with him. Thereupon, Inamura entered a house with Dr. Ōmura under the pretense of visiting a friend’s place, but Ishikawa had been waiting there all along. Together, they quickly killed Dr. Ōmura, concealed the corpse in the house, divided the money, and then Ishikawa and Inamura parted ways. However, whether fortunately or unfortunately, when that Great Earthquake and Fires occurred, Dr. Ōmura’s corpse was burned away, and all traces of their crime had been erased.

Ishikawa Gorō then wandered from place to place, but ill-gotten gains never prosper, and before long, while living in reduced circumstances, he was fortunate enough to take up residence as the head priest of Fukunen-ji Temple. If he had continued living like that, it would have been fine, but heaven does not long permit the existence of evildoers.

The other day, Inamura Katsuyuki suddenly visited the temple. Inamura had also been wandering from place to place and had fallen into dire poverty, but somehow managed to track down Ishikawa’s whereabouts. The moment they met, he demanded, "Lend me money." Naturally, Ishikawa had no money to lend to others, so when he tried to smoothly refuse, Inamura began blackmailing him using the murder of Dr. Ōmura as leverage. At that moment, Ishikawa resolved to kill Inamura. The two dined at Western restaurant H-tei, then—exploiting the similar layout of the cemeteries—he lured him into Tōsen-ji’s adjacent graveyard and bludgeoned him to death. After stripping off the victim’s clothing and geta sandals, Ishikawa returned with an air of innocence.

However, since the temple worker I had thought dull-witted noticed this, I resolved to go all the way and strangled him as well. Disguised as the temple worker, I narrowly escaped—but thanks to Toshio-kun’s efforts, was finally arrested. Since I had already been wearing Western clothes underneath when leaving the temple, I could transform into a gentleman in so little time.

In any case, this incident was the most troublesome case that Toshio-kun had handled up to now.