ARCHIVED Japan Society Book Club: The Honjin Murders by Seishi Yokomizo

Date
Monday 13 January 2020
Time
7.00pm

Venue
The Japan Society
13 / 14 Cornwall Terrace
London NW1 4QP

Booking Details
Free for Japan Society Members

Available from Pushkin Press, AbeBooks and Amazon
Japanese version available here

In the winter of 1937, the village of Okamura is abuzz with excitement over the forthcoming wedding of a son of the grand Ichiyanagi family. But amid the gossip over the approaching festivities, there is also a worrying rumour – it seems a sinister masked man has been asking questions about the Ichiyanagis around the village. Then, on the night of the wedding, the Ichiyanagi family are woken by a terrible scream, followed by the sound of eerie music – death has come to Okamura, leaving no trace but a bloody samurai sword, thrust into the pristine snow outside the house. The murder seems impossible, but amateur detective Kosuke Kindaichi is determined to get to the bottom of it.

As special guest for this book club, we are delighted to welcome On Nomoto, grandson of Seishi Yokomizo, and Daniel Seton, Pushkin Press editor, who will join us for the discussion.

Seishi Yokomizo (1902-1981) was one of Japan’s most famous and best-loved mystery writers. He was born in Kobe and spent his childhood reading detective stories, before beginning to write stories of his own, the first of which was published in 1921. He went on to become an extremely prolific and popular author, best known for his Kosuke Kindaichi series, which ran to 77 books, many of which were adapted for stage and television in Japan. The Honjin Murders is the first Kosuke Kindaichi story, and regarded as one of Japan’s great mystery novels. It won the first Mystery Writers of Japan Award in 1948 but has never been translated into English, until now.

If you have any questions, please call the Japan Society office on 020 3075 1996 or email events@japansociety.org.uk.