Translated by Bryan Karetnyk
It’s 1869 and Japan has entered the Meiji era. The Tokugawa shogunate has fallen and the Emperor Meiji has been restored to the throne. After centuries of isolation, Japan is finally opening up to foreign trade and undergoing social, industrial and military reform. In Tokyo, a group of corrupt rasotsu (policemen) have found ways to exploit this period of change and upheaval for their own gain. With the arrival of two Chief Inspectors from the Imperial Prosecuting Office, Kawaji and Kazuki, it seems that the rasotsu will be forced to mend their ways – although the two men have other things to occupy their time as well as dealing with corruption.
With a number of bizarre murders taking place around Tokyo, Kazuki and Kawaji (based on a real person who is considered the founder of Japan’s modern police system) engage in a friendly competition to see who can solve the crimes first. A separate chapter is devoted to each case, which at first seem to be unrelated, making the book feel almost like a collection of short stories. There are five cases for the two detectives to solve, with the help of Esmeralda, a young Frenchwoman from a family of executioners whom Kazuki has brought to Japan along with that most deadly of French weapons: the guillotine. Despite the title, the guillotine is not necessarily used to carry out all of the murders in the book, but it represents the changes that Japan is experiencing as the country becomes exposed to modern, western influence. It also provides a reason for Esmeralda’s presence in Tokyo, which is important as she has a significant role to play in the solving of the mysteries.
The Meiji Guillotine Murders was first published in 1979 and is one of several Japanese crime novels that have recently been made available in English by Pushkin Press. However, although I’ve loved some of the others, I didn’t enjoy this one quite as much. Bryan Karetnyk’s translation is clear and readable (I’m already familiar with his work through some of his other translated novels), but I had problems with other aspects of the book. I struggled with the number of characters, particularly as so few of them have clearly defined personalities and with more and more of them being introduced with each new case the detectives investigate. My lack of engagement with the characters made it difficult for me to concentrate on following the plot, which is important as all of the separate cases are quite complex and you do need to be paying attention! I persevered and was rewarded with the final section of the book where, after some surprising twists and turns, everything is tied together perfectly.
I did like the historical setting of the book and felt I was learning a lot about Japan during the Meiji era. At times it seemed more like historical fiction than a murder mystery, which was fine with me, but I think someone picking the book up expecting a more traditional crime novel may be surprised by the amount of historical detail. It’s an interesting, unusual book, and although I’m not sure whether I would read any more by Yamada, I do hope more of them are translated into English for those readers who loved this one. I’m enjoying discovering Japanese crime authors through Pushkin and so far my favourites have been Seishi Yokomizo and Akimitsu Takagi.
Thanks to Pushkin Vertigo for providing a copy of this book for review via NetGalley.
This is book 7/20 of my 20 Books of Summer 2024.
Book 24/50 for the Historical Fiction Reading Challenge 2024
She Reads Novels 
I agree with you that this was fascinating primarily from the historical point of view, but a bit hard going as a crime novel.
It wasn’t really what I expected, but I did enjoy all the historical detail.
I love historical crime fiction that has a lot of detail but I think that the complexity of all the characters and plots would put me off this one. I am fascinated by Japan though as it’s a country that I know very little about.
Yes, it’s not an easy book to follow, with all those characters and complex storylines. The Japanese setting is fascinating, though!
I’m glad you listed your favorite Japanese authors at the end of your post! I want to try some of these Japanese mysteries because they sound like a lot of fun, but I won’t start with this one.
I think Seishi Yokomizo would probably be a good author to start with. I’ve enjoyed all five of the books I’ve read by him.
I have really struggled with Japanese crime in the past (especially the more Golden-Age-type Japanese crime novels) so I think they’re probably just not for me, but if I ever do check any more out, I’ll prioritise the ones you mention at the end here.
I’ve had mixed experiences with the Japanese crime authors I’ve tried – I find that some of them put too much emphasis on intricate puzzle-solving at the expense of characterisation. Yokomizo and Takagi are definitely the best I’ve found so far.
The problems you’ve mentioned are ones I’ve found with other Japanese mysteries from this time period.
I’ve only found two Japanese mystery authors that I really like – Yokomizo and Takagi. The others are too concerned with complex plots rather than characters and motives.
That’s what I encountered, too.
I’ve not read any Japanese crime but my colleague who is a lecturer in Japanese history has complained to me about the improbability of the plots. I don’t know if that’s the case here.
Based on the Japanese crime I’ve read so far, the plots do tend to be quite bizarre and the authors usually seem more concerned with complex puzzle-solving rather than believability. I quite enjoy them, but I suppose they’re not for everyone!
Definitely a fascinating period of Japanese history… and I am *always* looking for different eras/places to read in…. [muses]
I had read very little about Japan until I started reading these reissues of Japanese crime classics from Pushkin. I’m learning a lot!
I think I enjoyed this slightly more than you did, particularly the historical detail and characters. The structure did take some getting used to, but as you said, the ending really makes this book.
I was disappointed that I didn’t enjoy this book more. I struggled to stay interested at times, but the ending made it all worthwhile!