Discover Japan's stories—across time, across language.

| Original Title | 謎の咬傷 |
|---|---|
| Author | 小酒井 不木 |
| Genre | Detective & Mystery |
| Author Type | Male Author |
| Summary | In a frigid Tokyo winter, Inspector Kirihara confronts a chilling enigma: jewelry merchant Denzou Ohara lies dead in his mansion, throat savaged by human teeth. The scene reveals no signs of struggle—only a chloroform bottle, a woman’s handkerchief embroidered “Tanimura,” and strands of severed hair. Ohara’s reclusive habits and peculiar fetish for collecting locks of women’s hair surface, entwining his death with whispers of deviance. As Kirihara probes deeper, suspects emerge: a short-haired clerk with guarded secrets, a grieving craftsman whose wife died under mysterious circumstances, and spectral traces of a bitter grudge. The bite marks—a macabre signature—hint at vengeance beyond the grave, while diabetes and impotence shadow Ohara’s twisted obsessions. Clues spiral through hidden keys, phantom intruders, and a widow’s dying wish. Kirihara navigates this labyrinth of desire and retribution, where teeth become weapons and love curdles into violence. But as shadows lengthen, even the inspector must confront how far a shattered heart will go to bite back. |