My research field is modern Japanese literature. I am mainly investigating sources of the fiction of Edogawa Rampo. At first glance, this work may seem quite removed from our program’s theme, “Reconstruction of the Intimate and Public Spheres.”

Born in Meiji 27 (1894) when the Sino-Japanese War was in progress,  Edogawa Rampo’s life extended from the Meiji, to the Taisho and Showa eras — a period in which the customs and mores of the Japanese people went through sweeping changes. Today, more than 40 years since his death in 1970, we find some of the names and terms he created being used even  in descriptions of persons involved in big social events — names such as “kaijin” (mystery man) — as well as names of main and side characters in popular manga and anime creations. Before you know it, you will run into names with a connection to Rampo’s works. It is no exaggeration to say that even persons who have never heard of Rampo or who have absolutely no interest in mystery stories have at one time or another heard one of the names of a character in his works. In other words, Rampo’s work has quietly worked its way into the psyche of the Japanese people.

Rampo is primarily regarded as the “father of the true mystery store in Japan.” I am often asked if I like mystery or detective stories when I tell people I am studying the works of Rampo. Actually, I am not that much of a mystery fan. If I were asked what type of literature I like best, I would say classical poetry such as the Kokin Wakashu or Ise Monogatari.  Moreover, I didn’t particularly like modern literature before I entered college, and I often ask myself why, despite this, I find myself studying the work of Rampo.

It is well known that the pen name Edogawa Rampo was taken from America’s Edgar Allan Poe, and it is presumed that Rampo was heavily influenced by European and American mystery novels. To what extent is this true? Rampo was born in 1894 in Nabari-city in Mie prefecture—a time and a place where many traces of the Edo era could be seen in the folkways of the people.  Actually, traditional Japanese customs, old superstitions and popular beliefs are adopted in his work. When one reads the works of Rampo, it is absolutely necessary to consider the social environment at the time of each of his stories.

One theme I want to pursue in my research on Rampo is the way one can trace the major cultural transformations that have occurred in Japan in his work. It is in this sense that the apparently unrelated study of Rampo as part of modern Japanese literature actually has an “intimate” connection to our program.