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Tenement House Ten'ichibōAuthor: Yamamoto Shūgorō

Original Title長屋天一坊
Author山本 周五郎
GenreDetective & Mystery
Author TypeMale Author
SummaryIn Edo under Tokugawa Yoshimune, the Ten'ichibō Incident ignites chaos when a man wielding forged credentials declares himself the shogun’s illegitimate heir. Though authorities swiftly unmask him, whispers of his legitimacy linger among citizens, blurring truth and rumor. Years later, Rokken Nagaya tenement landlord Gosuke becomes obsessed with noble lineage after fabricating his own grand ancestry. Tormenting tenants to uncover hidden pedigrees, he fixates on elevating his status—until palanquin bearers Ginta and Kinta devise a scheme. They present a dim-witted beggar as a daimyo’s lost heir, exploiting Gosuke’s delusions of grandeur. As the landlord’s mania intensifies, tensions flare between his domineering daughter Owaki—infamous for her ruthless rent collection—and the rebellious tenants. Amidst crumbling trust and class divides, shadows of Edo’s past resurface: can a beggar’s lie topple a tyrant, or will Gosuke’s hunger for prestige consume them all? A wry tale of ambition and deception unfolds where identity is currency, and no one’s roots escape scrutiny.