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Kosuke Kindaichi

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Kosuke Kindaichi
Kosuke Kindaichi character
A Bronze statue of Kindaichi Kōsuke in Japan
First appearanceThe Honjin Murders (1946)
Created bySeishi Yokomizo
Portrayed byKōji Ishizaka
In-universe information
GenderMale
OccupationConsulting detective
NationalityJapanese

Kosuke Kindaichi (金田一 耕助, Kindaichi Kōsuke) is a fictional Japanese detective created by Seishi Yokomizo, a renowned mystery novelist. His first case, The Honjin Murders, is a novel of a locked room murder in an old family house, which many people regard as one of the best Japanese detective novels, was published in 1946. Kindaichi went on to feature in another 76 novels, selling more than 55 million books and appearing in numerous film, television and stage adaptations.[1]

Novels

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The Kosuke Kindaichi series consists of 77 cases.

Works in translation

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Pushkin Vertigo has published English translations of the Kindaichi series since 2020:

  • The Inugami Clan (1951) and The Honjin Murders (1946) were published in 2020
  • The Village of Eight Graves (1951) published in 2021
  • Gokumon Island (1948) in June 2022
  • The Devil's Flute Murders (1953) in 2023.[2]
  • The Little Sparrow Murders (original title: 悪魔の手まり歌　Akuma no Temari Uta) (1959) in 2024.[3]
  • Murder at the Black Cat Cafe (1947) in September 2025.


One other novel is available in French translation.

  • La Ritournelle du démon (original title: 悪魔の手まり歌　Akuma no Temari Uta) (1959)

In other media

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Film

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Seizaburō Kawazu starred as Kindaichi in the 1954 film Yurei otoko, while Ryō Ikebe appeared in 1956's Vampire Moth, and Ken Takakura in 1961's Akuma no temari-uta.

Akira Nakao starred as Kindaichi in Yoichi Takabayashi's 1975 adaptation of The Honjin Murders entitled Death at an Old Mansion, which was entered into the 26th Berlin International Film Festival.

Director Kon Ichikawa made six films about Kindaichi, starring Koji Ishizaka:

Kiyoshi Astumi played the detective in Yatsuhaka-mura (1977), while Toshiyuki Nishida appeared in Devil's Flute (1979). Director Nobuhiko Obayashi made a parody film in 1979 titled The Adventures of Kosuke Kindaichi, starring Ikkô Furuya in the title role. Takeshi Kaga played the character in the 1981 film Akuryoto, whilst 1996's Yatsuhaka-Mura starred Etsushi Toyokawa.

Television

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There have been numerous Television drama films starring various different actors as Kindaichi:

  • Takaya Kamikawa in Kindaichi Kōsuke File - Meiro Sou no Sangeki (2002, TV Tokyo) and. Kindaichi Kōsuke File - Gokumon Tou (2003, TV Tokyo)
  • Goro Inagaki in Inugamike no Ichizoku (2004), Yatsuhakamura (2004), Jōōbachi (2006), Aakuma ga Kitarite Fue o Fuku (2007) and Akuma no Temariuta (2009)
  • Sosuke Ikematsu in Kindaichi Kosuke Tōjō! (2016)
  • Hiroki Hasegawa in Gokumon tō (2016)
  • Hidetaka Yoshiokain Akuma ga Kitarite Fue wo Fuku (2018)

Actor Kazuyuki Furuya played Kindaichi on television for nearly 30 years. In 2013 and 2014 a pair of television films were made pairing Kindaichi with another famous fictional Japanese detective Edogawa Ranpo's Kogoro Akechi. Tomohisa Yamashita played Kindaichi, whilst Hideaki Itô was Akechi.[6][7]

Manga and anime

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A profile of Kosuke appears at the end of the manga Case Closed Volume 6.

Hajime Kindaichi (金田一 一, Kindaichi Hajime), the main character of Kindaichi Case Files, is depicted as the grandson of Kosuke Kindaichi.

In episode 14 of Lupin the Third Part II, a German count invites the best private detectives from all over the world - including Kindaichi - to the maiden voyage of his blimp in order to catch Lupin III, who is after the count's jewel.

In the Lupin the Third Part IV episode "From Japan With Love", the celebrity detective Akechi Kousuke Holmes is partially named after Kosuke Kindaichi (as well as Kogoro Akechi and Sherlock Holmes).

See also

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References

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  1. ^ Also known as Rhyme of Vengeance[4][5]
  1. ^ "How locked room mystery king Seishi Yokomizo at last broke into english". The Guardian. 6 February 2020. Retrieved 30 December 2020.
  2. ^ "Pushkin Vertigo".
  3. ^ "Pushkin Vertigo".
  4. ^ Quandt, James (2001). Kon Ichikawa. Cinematheque Ontario. p. 429-437. ISBN 0-9682969-3-9.
  5. ^ Phillips, Alastair; Stringer, Julian (2007). Japanese Cinema: Texts and Contexts. Routledge. pp. 149–151. ISBN 9781134334223.
  6. ^ "Kindaichi Kôsuke vs. Akechi Kogorô". IMDb. Retrieved 2 March 2022.
  7. ^ "Kindaichi Kôsuke vs. Akechi Kogorô Again". IMDb. Retrieved 2 March 2022.
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