Pathway to Japanese Literature

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

I Am the Twenty-Faced ManAuthor: Edogawa Ranpo

Original Title	おれは二十面相だ
Author	江戸川乱歩
Genre	Children's Literature
Author Type	Male Author
Summary	In a shadowy Tokyo research institute, renowned scholar Dr. Matsunami seeks Detective Akechi’s aid after a university student vanishes from a sealed Egyptian room housing a cursed ancient scroll. The chamber—barred windows, a single guarded door, no hidden exits—defies logic, leaving even the detective baffled. As Akechi and his sharp-witted assistant Kobayashi investigate, they uncover eerie phenomena: flickering lights, phantom hands, and a spectral struggle between a mummy-like figure and a shadowy thief. A daring overnight stakeout reveals a cunning trick involving mirrored doors and a janitor’s double life, exposing the thief as the legendary Fiend with Twenty Faces. Yet the victory is fleeting—the master criminal escapes with a taunting call, vowing darker schemes. Meanwhile, across the city, disembodied voices and floating objects haunt a pearl collector’s home, hinting at the Fiend’s next target. Blending locked-room mystery and supernatural dread, this tale teases a battle of wits between genius and villainy, where nothing—and no one—is as it seems.