The Casebook of Kuginuki Tōkichi

Late Edo. In Hatchōbori, a police boss known as the Nail-Puller sits and works iron nail-pullers in his sleeve while his thoughts turn. With his man Kanben Kanji he follows a mark left by a sword stroke shaped like the character no, a spear festival that ends in bloodshed, a chest of tea from Uji, a head-doll with a grudge, a hundred ryo that cannot be spent.

Twelve stories from Hayashi Fubo's first detective series, first published in 1925-26, told in the voice of a storyteller who is never quite done with his asides. Here in a new complete English translation by Valentin Saric, with endnotes on the Edo background.