"Death on Gokumon Island"

Death on Gokumon Island by Seishi Yokomizo, was originally published in Japan in 1948. The action of the novel takes place in 1946, during the painful era just after World War II. At the beginning of the novel, private detective Kosuke Kindaichi, very recently discharged from military service, has traveled to a small island to bring to a family the news of the death of their son Chimata, formerly his comrade.

 

Kosuke was with Chimata when he died of malaria; they were on a troop ship taking them home from the war. Chimata's last words were:

“I don’t want to die. I… I… don’t want to die. I have to get home. My three sisters will be murdered. But… but… I’m done for. Kindaichi-san, please… please go to Gokumon Island in my place. You know that letter of introduction I gave you?… Kindaichi-san, I didn’t mention it until now, but I’ve known for a long time who you were… The Honjin murder case… I read about it in the newspaper… Gokumon Island… please go there. In my place. My three sisters… My cousin… my cousin—” (Death on Gokumon Island p. 28). 

And these last words set the stage for the series of murders just as the dying man had predicted. Almost immediately after Kosuke arrives and delivers the tragic news and the final letter, the predicted murders begin. They are very ritualized, including visual references to famous haiku poems, to Noh drama, and to similar cultural norms. The arrangement of the bodies of the three sisters reflect these references, meaning they are strange and rather grisly. The sisters had been very silly teenagers, dressed in elaborate and elegant kimonos and always giggling, even at inappropriate times; this makes their deaths even more grisly.

The setting of this novel dominates the impression it makes. Gokumon Island life is very old-fashioned, with a hierarchy of power held by the owners of fishing rights. The homes and the temple are furnished in a traditional manner, some of the people continue to wear Japanese rather than western clothing, they use old-fashioned artifacts, and their relationships are essentially feudal. Reading this can be challenging, but it's very fascinating.

The war has impoverished everyone, as well as having taken away most of the young men for service; their slow return from the many war locations -- or their families' constant search for information about them -- is a recurring theme of the novel, and very tragic. Rice and other food is scarce. For example, when Kosuke arrives, he says “I hope it’s not too much trouble to you. I’ve brought a little rice with me, but—” and the reply is “No, no. Don’t worry about that at all. However poor we islanders may be, we can always find enough to feed one extra mouth." (p. 16). In a later scene, an intruder steals half a pot of rice from the temple kitchen -- and this is seen as significant! (p. 90)

Nevertheless, there was food for the detective during his investigation; for example, "Breakfast at the temple was a simple affair. Steamed rice with barley, miso soup and a couple of slices of pickled daikon radish." (p. 106). Such simple food was essential; for example, a band of robbers had taken from the wealthy house: "a cooking pot, a bag of rice, a jar of miso paste, several daikon radishes, dried fish, a cooking knife, a rice bowl and a pair of chopsticks." (p. 198). 

The plot is very convoluted, and detective Kosuke's eventual unravelling of who is responsible for the murders is ingenious and surprising. At times it's hard to follow, but the author provides occasional summaries of what's known, which are helpful to the reader. I have read one other novel in the series, The Inugami Curse, reviewed here: A New-Old Mystery Novel from Japan.

Seishi Yokomizo (1902–81) was a famous and much-loved Japanese mystery writer, and Detective Kosuke Kindaichi -- who appears in many of the author's other novels -- has been in a variety of TV shows in Japan, and even in video games. The novels are currently being republished: this is a recent edition.

Review © 2023 mae sander.