Edogawa Ranpo

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Tarō Hirai (平井 太郎, Hirai Tarō, October 21, 1894 – July 28, 1965), better known by the

In the 1950s, he and a bilingual translator collaborated for five years on a translation of Edogawa's works into English, published as Japanese Tales of Mystery and Imagination by Tuttle. Since the translator could speak but not read Japanese, and Edogawa could read but not write English, the translation was done aurally, with Edogawa reading each sentence aloud, then checking the written English.[3]

Another of his interests, especially during the late 1940s and 1950s, was bringing attention to the work of his dear friend Jun'ichi Iwata (1900–1945), an anthropologist who had spent many years researching the history of homosexuality in Japan. During the 1930s, Edogawa and Iwata had engaged in a light-hearted competition to see who could find the most books about erotic desire between men. Edogawa dedicated himself to finding books published in the West and Iwata dedicated himself to finding books having to do with Japan. Iwata died in 1945, with only part of his work published, so Edogawa worked to have the remaining work on queer historiography published.^[13]

In the postwar period, a large number of Edogawa's books were made into films. The interest in using Edogawa's literature as a departure point for creating films has continued well after his death. Edogawa, who had a variety of health issues, including

The Edogawa Rampo Prize (江戸川乱歩賞 Edogawa Ranpo Shō?), named after Edogawa Rampo, is a Japanese literary award which has been presented every year by the Mystery Writers of Japan since 1955. The winner is given a prize of ¥10 million with publication rights by Kodansha.^[14]

Works in English translation

Books

• Edogawa Rampo (1956), Japanese Tales of Mystery and Imagination, translated by James B. Harris. 14th ed. Rutland, VT: Charles E. Tuttle Company.
  ISBN 978-0-8048-0319-9
  .
• Edogawa Ranpo (1988), The Boy Detectives Club, translated by Gavin Frew. Tokyo: Kodansha.
  ISBN 978-4-0618-6037-7
  .
• Edogawa Rampo (2006), The Black Lizard and Beast in the Shadows, translated by Ian Hughes. Fukuoka: Kurodahan Press.
  ISBN 978-4-902075-21-2
  .
• Edogawa Rampo (2008), The Edogawa Rampo Reader, translated by Seth Jacobowitz. Fukuoka: Kurodahan Press.
  ISBN 978-4-902075-25-0
  . Contains many of Rampo's early short stories and essays.
• Edogawa Rampo (2009), Moju: The Blind Beast, translated by Anthony Whyte. Shinbaku Books.
  ISBN 978-1840683004
  .
• Edogawa Rampo (2012), The Fiend with Twenty Faces, translated by Dan Luffey. Fukuoka: Kurodahan Press.
  ISBN 978-4-902075-36-6
  .
• Edogawa Ranpo (2013), Strange Tale of Panorama Island, translated by Elaine Kazu Gerbert. Honolulu: University of Hawaiʻi Press.
  ISBN 978-0824837037
  .
• Edogawa Rampo (2014), The Early Cases of Akechi Kogoro, translated by William Varteresian. Fukuoka: Kurodahan Press.
  ISBN 978-4-902075-62-5
  .
• Edogawa Rampo (2019), Gold Mask, translated by William Varteresian. Fukuoka: Kurodahan Press.
  ISBN 978-4909473066
  .

• Edogawa Ranpo (2008), "The Two-Sen Copper Coin," translated by
  ISBN 978-0-8248-3242-1
  . pp. 270–89.
• Edogawa Ranpo (2008), "The Man Traveling with the Brocade Portrait," translated by Michael Tangeman, Modanizumu: Modernist Fiction from Japan, 1913–1938, ed. William Tyler. Honolulu: University of Hawai'i Press.
  ISBN 978-0-8248-3242-1
  . pp. 376–393.
• Edogawa Ranpo (2008), "The Caterpillar," translated by Michael Tangeman, Modanizumu: Modernist Fiction from Japan, 1913–1938, ed. William Tyler. Honolulu: University of Hawai'i Press.
  ISBN 978-0-8248-3242-1
  . pp. 406–422.

• Short stories
  • "The Case of the Murder on D. Hill" (D坂の殺人事件, D-zaka no satsujin jiken, January 1925)
  • "The Psychological Test" (心理試験, Shinri Shiken, February 1925)
  • "The Black Hand Gang" (黒手組, Kurote-gumi, March 1925)
  • "The Ghost" (幽霊, Yūrei, May 1925)
  • "The Stalker in the Attic" (屋根裏の散歩者, Yaneura no Sanposha, August 1925)
  • "Who" (何者, Nanimono, November 1929)
  • "The Murder Weapon" (兇器, Kyōki, June 1954)
  • "Moon and Gloves" (月と手袋, Tsuki to Tebukuro, April 1955)
• Novels
  • The Dwarf (一寸法師, Issun-bōshi, 1926)
  • The Spider-Man (蜘蛛男, Kumo-Otoko, 1929)
  • The Edge of Curiosity-Hunting (猟奇の果, Ryōki no Hate, 1930)
  • The Conjurer (魔術師, Majutsu-shi, 1930)
  • The Vampire (吸血鬼, Kyūketsuki, 1930) First appearance of Kobayashi
  • The Golden Mask (黄金仮面, Ōgon-kamen, 1930)
  • The Black Lizard (黒蜥蜴, Kuro-tokage, 1934) Made into a film by Kinji Fukasaku in 1968
  • The Human Leopard (人間豹, Ningen-Hyō, 1934)
  • The Devil's Crest (悪魔の紋章, Akuma no Monshō, 1937)
  • Dark Star (暗黒星, Ankoku-sei, 1939)
  • Hell's Clown (地獄の道化師, Jigoku no Dōkeshi, 1939)
  • Monster's Trick (化人幻戯, Kenin Gengi, 1954)
  • Shadow-Man (影男, Kage-otoko, 1955)
• Juvenile novels
  • The Fiend with Twenty Faces (怪人二十面相, Kaijin ni-jū Mensō, 1936)
  • The Boy Detectives Club (少年探偵団, Shōnen Tantei-dan, 1937)

Standalone mystery novels and novellas

• Available in English translation
  • Strange Tale of Panorama Island (パノラマ島奇談, Panorama-tō Kidan, 1926)
  • Beast in the Shadows (陰獣, Injū, 1928)
  • The Demon of the Lonely Isle (孤島の鬼, Kotō no Oni, 1929-30)
  • Moju: The Blind Beast (盲獣, Mōjū, 1931)
• Novels and novellas which have not been translated into English
  • Incident at the Lakeside Inn (湖畔亭事件, Kohan-tei Jiken, 1926)
  • Struggle in the Dark (闇に蠢く, Yami ni Ugomeku, 1926-27)
  • The White-Haired Demon (白髪鬼, Hakuhatsu-ki, 1931-32)
  • A Glimpse Into Hell (地獄風景, Jigoku Fūkei, 1931-32)
  • The King of Terror (恐怖王, Kyōfu Ō, 1931-32)
  • Phantom Bug (妖虫, Yōchū, 1933-34)^[15]
  • The Great Dark Room (大暗室, Dai Anshitsu, 1936)
  • Ghost Tower (幽霊塔, Yūrei tō, 1936) Based on the adaptation of the
    Ruikō Kuroiwa
    (黒岩涙香).
  • A Dream of Greatness (偉大なる夢, Idainaru Yume, 1943)
  • Crossroads (十字路, Jūjiro, 1955)
  • Petenshi to Kūki Otoko (ぺてん師と空気男, 1959)

Short stories

• Available in English translation
  • "The Two-Sen Copper Coin" (二銭銅貨, Ni-sen Dōka, April 1923)
  • "Two Crippled Men" (二癈人, Ni Haijin, June 1924)
  • "The Twins" (双生児, Sōseiji, October 1924)
  • "The Red Chamber" (赤い部屋, Akai heya, April 1925)
  • "The Daydream" (白昼夢, Hakuchūmu, July 1925)
  • "Double Role" (一人二役, Hitori Futayaku, September 1925)
  • "The Human Chair" (人間椅子, Ningen Isu, October 1925)
  • "The Dancing Dwarf" (踊る一寸法師, Odoru Issun-bōshi, January 1926)
  • "Poison Weeds" (毒草, Dokusō, January 1926)
  • "The Masquerade Ball" (覆面の舞踏者, Fukumen no Butōsha, January–February 1926)
  • "The Martian Canals" (火星の運河, Kasei no Unga, April 1926)
  • "The Appearance of Osei" (お勢登場, Osei Tōjō, July 1926)
  • "The Hell of Mirrors" (鏡地獄, Kagami-jigoku, October 1926)
  • "The Caterpillar" (芋虫, Imomushi, January 1929)
  • "The Traveler with the Pasted Rag Picture" aka "The Man Traveling with the Brocade Portrait" (押絵と旅する男, Oshie to Tabi-suru Otoko, August 1929)
  • "Doctor Mera's Mysterious Crimes" (目羅博士の不思議な犯罪, Mera Hakase no Fushigi na Hanzai, April 1931)
  • "The Cliff" (断崖, Dangai, March 1950)
  • "The Air Raid Shelter" (防空壕, Bōkūgō, July 1955)
• Short stories which have not been translated into English
  • "One Ticket" (一枚の切符, Ichi-mai no Kippu, July 1923)
  • "A Frightful Mistake" (恐ろしき錯誤, Osoroshiki Sakugo, November 1923)
  • "The Diary" (日記帳, Nikkichō, March 1925)
  • "The Abacus Tells a Story of Love" (算盤が恋を語る話, Soroban ga Koi o Kataru Hanashi, March 1925)
  • "The Robbery" (盗難, Tōnan, May 1925)
  • "The Ring" (指環, Yubiwa, July 1925)
  • "The Sleepwalker's Death" (夢遊病者の死, Muyūbyōsha no Shi, July 1925)
  • "The Actor of a Hundred Faces" (百面相役者, Hyaku-mensō Yakusha, July 1925)
  • "Doubts" (疑惑, Giwaku, September–October 1925)
  • "Kiss" (接吻, Seppun, December 1925)
  • "Scattering Ashes" (灰神楽, Haikagura, March 1926)
  • "Monogram" (モノグラム, Monoguramu, July 1926)
  • "A Brute's Love" (人でなしの恋, Hitodenashi no Koi, October 1926)
  • "The Rocking-Horse's Canter" (木馬は廻る, Mokuba wa Mawaru, October 1926)
  • "Insect" (虫, Mushi, Jun-July 1929)
  • "Demon" (鬼, Oni, November 1931-February 1932)
  • "Matchlock" (火縄銃, Hinawajū, April 1932)
  • "Pomegranate" (石榴, Zakuro, September 1934)
  • Horikoshi Sōsa Ikkachō-dono (堀越捜査一課長殿, April 1956)
  • "The Wife-Broken Man" (妻に失恋した男, Tsuma ni Shitsuren-shita Otoko, October–November 1957)
  • "Finger" (指, Yubi) January 1960

Adaptations of Western mystery novels

• The Demon in Green (緑衣の鬼, Ryokui no Oni, 1936) Adaptation of The Red Redmaynes by Eden Phillpotts
• The Phantom's Tower (幽鬼の塔, Yūki no Tō, 1936) Adaptation of
  The Hanged Man of Saint-Pholien by Georges Simenon
• Terror in the Triangle-Hall (三角館の恐怖, Sankaku-kan no kyōfu, 1951) Adaptation of Murder among the Angells by Roger Scarlett

Essays

• "The Horrors of Film" (1925)
• "Spectral Voices" (1926)
• "Confessions of Rampo" (1926)
• "The Phantom Lord" (1935)
• "A Fascination with Lenses" (1936)
• "My Love for the Printed Word" (1936)
• "Fingerprint Novels of the Meiji Era" (1950)
• "Dickens vs. Poe" (1951)
• "A Desire for Transformation" (1953)
• "An Eccentric Idea" (1954)

These ten essays are included in The Edogawa Rampo Reader.

In popular culture

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• Director
  Roman porno
  series in 1976.
• The manga group CLAMP used Edogawa as one of the inspirations for the series Man of Many Faces (1990–1991).^[16]
• Kyūsaku Shimada
  .
• In 1994, a film entitled Rampo inspired by Ranpo's works was released in Japan (The film was retitled The Mystery of Rampo for its American release). Ranpo himself is the lead character of the film and is portrayed by actor Naoto Takenaka.
• The 1999 film Gemini by Shinya Tsukamoto is based on an Edogawa Ranpo story.
• Some of Ranpo's stories were later turned into short films in the 2005 compilation Rampo Noir, starring the well-known actor Tadanobu Asano.
• Barbet Schroeder's 2008 film Inju: The Beast in the Shadow is an adaptation of Ranpo's 1928 short story.
• The horror manga artist Suehiro Maruo has adapted two of Ranpo's stories: The Strange Tale of the Panorama Island (2008)^[17] and "The Caterpillar" (2009).^[18]
• In 2009 the Japanese Google homepage displayed a logo commemorating his birthday on October 21.^[19]
• The manga and anime series
  Detective Conan
  (Meitantei Conan) has the main character's alias as 'Edogawa Conan', created from Sir Arthur Conan Doyle and Edogawa Ranpo's names. The detective that he lives with is called Mouri Kogoro, and Conan is part of a children's detective group called the Detective Boys (Shonen Tantei Dan); all apparent homages to the late Ranpo.
• The video game Persona 5 has a detective character named Goro Akechi, which is a reference to Ranpo's character Akechi Kogoro.
• The anime and manga Bungo Stray Dogs has a character named Edogawa Ranpo, who is incredibly talented at solving crimes the police have trouble with and other mysteries. He claims to have a skill called "Super Deduction", but in reality, he is one of the few members of the Armed Detective Agency not to have a special ability.
• The last two episodes (10 and 11) of the 2013 Fuji Television (フジテレビ) series, Biblia Koshodō no Jiken Techō (ビブリア古書堂の事件手帖 Antiquarian Bookseller Biblia's Case Files), are constructed around two Edogawa Ranpo works, Boys Detective Club and The Man Traveling with the Brocade Portrait (translated as "The Traveler with the Pasted Rag Picture").
• The online game Bungou to Alchemist featured Ranpo as one of the writers the player can get. In the game, he is portrayed as an eccentric man who hates mainstream things and enjoys creating new tricks, non-malicious pranks, and ways to defeat the enemy.
• The 2015 anime Rampo Kitan: Game of Laplace was inspired by the works of Edogawa and commemorates the 50th anniversary of his death.
• The 2016 anime Trickster takes Ranpo's characters and sets them in the 2030s. An unusual twist is that Kobayashi is not a boy detective, but instead a character with a supernatural power that keeps him from being killed or dying - but that also keeps him isolated and longing for death.
• The Japanese heavy metal band Ningen Isu is named after the short story of the same name.^[20]
• Several of his works have been adapted or expanded upon by manga artist Junji Ito, including "The Human Chair" and "An Unearthly Love".
• The 2021 video game Lost Judgment features the character of Kyoko Amasawa, a teen girl detective and mystery enthusiast who names Edogawa as her favorite author. She also has a 'detective dog' named Ranpo, after the author. In the game, Ranpo is an intelligent Shiba Inu who finds clues by smell.^[21]
• The Japanese Vocaloid producer teniwoha references Ranpo and attributes the line “someday, even artificial flowers will bear fruit”/ otherwise translated as “even artificial flowers can bear the sweetest of fruit” to him in their song “villain”, which discusses transitioning and gender dysphoria. ^[22]

See also

• Japanese literature
• Japanese detective fiction
• Japanese horror
• Mystery Writers of Japan
• Edogawa Rampo Prize
• Detective Conan

References

Secondary sources

• Leigh Blackmore "Edogawa Rampo and The Red Chamber". Essay (liner notes) in Edogawa Rampo, The Red Chamber, vinyl LP, Cadabra Records (2022).
• ISBN 978-0-8166-6970-7
  .
• Jacobowitz, Seth (2008), Introduction to The Edogawa Rampo Reader. Fukuoka: Kurodahan Press.
  ISBN 978-4-902075-25-0
  .
• Kawana, Sari (2008), Murder Most Modern: Detective Fiction and Japanese Culture. Minneapolis: University of Minnesota Press.
  ISBN 978-0-8166-5025-5
  .
• Silver, Mark (2008), Purloined Letters: Cultural Borrowing and Japanese Crime Literature, 1868-1937. Honolulu: University of Hawai'i Press.
  ISBN 978-0-8248-3188-2
  .

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Edogawa Ranpo.

Japanese Wikisource has original text related to this article:

Edogawa Ranpo

• Edogawa Ranpo at The Encyclopedia of Science Fiction
• Edogawa Rampo at the Internet Speculative Fiction Database