The Inugami Curse

Author: Seishi Yokomizo
Publisher: Pushkin Press 2020
(Original Japanese Publication: 1972)

Seishi Yokomizo (1902 - 1981) was a Japanese mystery novelist. He reminds me of “Deeman Ananda” from Sri Lanka. I read Deeman Ananda's books when I was still in school. (I bought my first Deeman Ananda book from a small store at Borella junction for 75 cents, and this store no longer exists.) Deeman Ananda has written a series of books with Inspector Dickie Weerakoon in a major role. Similarly, Yokomizo wrote seventy-seven books featuring the private investigator Kosuke Kindaichi.

The comparison ends there. Yokomizo is in a different class. His favorite writer was Sherlock Holmes, but his style resembles Agatha Christie more closely. However, this story has a clear Japanese style that is distinct from any Western mystery writing style that I know of. This is a story that could only happen (or be imagined to happen) in Japan in the middle of the last century.

The wealthy head of the Inugami clan, Sahei Inugami, leaves a will that can only be read in the presence of all his grandsons. One of his grandsons, Kiyo Inugami, hasn’t returned from the war in Burma. His mother is eager to find Kiyo so they can discover the contents of Sahei’s will. An assistant to the family lawyer, Tayoichiro Wakabayashi, contacts Kosuke Kindaichi for an urgent meeting. While waiting for Wakabayashi, Kindaichi observes an extraordinarily beautiful woman rowing a boat on the nearby lake suddenly in danger of drowning due to a leak in her boat. Kindaichi acts quickly and rows a boat to rescue the woman. Upon returning, he discovers Wakabayashi dead in the bathroom.

The chaos ensuing from the reading of the will after Kiyo’s return, and the involvement of the extraordinarily beautiful woman whom Kindaichi saved at the lake, Tamayo Nonomiya, make her a prime suspect in the unfolding story.

I enjoyed the story and believe it surpasses all the Agatha Christie novels I've read. A Japanese movie based on this story was released in 1976 titled "The Inugami Family."