Book Review: The Meiji Guillotine Murders (1979/2024) by Futaro Yamada and translated by Bryan Karetnyk

I received a review copy of this book from Pushkin Press via Edelweiss for which my thanks.

Set in the Meiji era (1868–1912), the period commencing from the end of the Tokugawa Shogunate, The Meiji Guillotine Murders by Futaro Yamada, originally published in 1979 and in this translation by Brayan Karetnyk by Pushkin in 2024 was quite different in its structure and in its mystery or mysteries compared to some of the other classic Japanese detective fiction I’ve read so far, and while initially confusing and somewhat slow to start, not only became absorbing but as other reviewers too have pointed out took me entirely by surprise in its final chapter. This seems from what I can see on Goodreads, the first of this set of mysteries translated into English.

In the initial chapters which set the scene for what’s to follow, we are given a sense of the Meiji period where Japan was at a crossroads of sorts with some powerful factions and groups in favour of modernisation (read: Westernisation) while others, particularly from the samurai class were strong advocates of traditionalism. In this there were newer govenment structures, among them a constabulary or police force, the rasotsu, its officials openly engaging in petty bribery and only out to line their own pockets (a small group of whom we are introduced to as the story opens). There is also the Imperial Prosecuting Office, intensely traditional including in their dress, and intent on checking corruption in all quarters besides solving the crimes they are charged with investigating, trying their utmost to ensure justice.

 And Chief Inspector Kawaji Toshiyoshi (a historical figure credited with establishing Japan’s modern police force) and his colleague, the fictional Chief Inspector Keishiro Kazuki of this Imperial Prosecuting Office are the characters we primarily follow as they decide to engage in friendly competition in the cases that come their way. Kazuki has just imported a guillotine from France (at official request), part of testing out new methods of execution and with it has also come the beautiful (blond and blue eyed) Esmeralda a member of the family that made the guillotine, whom Kazuki is involved with though he is engaged to be married to O-Nui, the daughter of Naotsugu Manabe, an official in the Ministry of War. As Kawaji and Kazuki are faced with each strange murder, Esmerelda also plays another role. Apparently trained as a miko, she can summon the spirits of the dead. In each instance she calls on the deceased to relate what befell them, usually as confirmation of what Kawaji and Kazuki have found and supplying the missing details. We follow the two inspectors and the rasotsu who now assist them as they face various baffling cases which they must get to the bottom of.

The Meiji Guillotine Murders is a book strongly rooted in history. The historical figures, incidents and developments referred to are all ones that lived or took place in the Meiji period as are the details (I looked some though not all up on Google later) and these are interwoven with fictional characters and incidents to give us a thoroughly interesting read. Apart from specific personages and occurrences, one also gets a good sense of the period itself: social structures, simmering tensions between traditionalists and modernisers, the developments that were coming in (from technology being imported to English education, books being translated and the presence of foreign doctors practicing Western medicine), politics, and culture.

The book as I mentioned does take some time to get started as it were, and the initial couple of chapters do leave one wondering what’s happening and what direction things are going to take (no body is immediately found and we seem only to be witnessing executions in the prison). As Kawaji and Kazuki start to get their cases though, we settle more into the structure. Each case is resolved before we move onto the next, the solution not something to be worked out but enjoyed and Esmerelda’s summoning of the victim’s spirit not only adds an element of the mystical and occult but also functions as the denouement in each case. But don’t let the episodic nature of things dampen your enthusiasm at all, for right at the end comes the biggest surprise of all when everything that we’ve read ties up in a way one wouldn’t have ever imagined.

There is of course some graphic detail (not going overboard or gratuitous in any way), for there are executions using the guillotine throughout as well as the murders themselves. So we encounter severed heads and legs and various other not very pleasant things but if one doesn’t dwell on them too much or start reading those sentences too intently, one should be alright. I can be very squeamish about all this but I managed fairly ok. (This did leave me wondering why this is labelled a cosy, though).

This isn’t a book to be picked up if one wants a traditionally structured mystery but for a book rich in historical detail and also fascinating in the mystery/mysteries and ideas that it deals with and definitely one which will leave you gobsmacked at the end, this one is certainly recommended.  

(Book details: Pushkin Press, 2024, pp. 320; release date: 4 June 2024; edition read: Kindle ARC)