自殺か他殺かSuicide or Murder?

What you'll learn

On a hot afternoon, the young detective Tsubura Shun complains about the heat and wishes for a case to cool his mind. His friend (the narrator) notices his discomfort. Soon, Detective Oda from the Metropolitan Police arrives, bringing news of a suspicious death, which Shun eagerly anticipates as a 'evening shower' that will cool him.

Detective Oda explains the case: the elderly Fujita was found hanging in his room. The only clue is an open Heart Sutra on his desk, suggesting suicide. However, Oda is suspicious because there is no clear motive. The old man had no visitors, and his hired maid heard nothing.

Oda finishes his report, still unconvinced of suicide. Shun asks about the nephew and learns he is missing. Shun then asks to visit the Fujita house immediately. They take a car to the house.

Key vocabulary

Grammar points you'll meet

• ～ては N4Conditional: if... then (often negative consequence)
  「兄さん、こう暑くては、まったく頭がぼんやりするねえ」
• ～からといって N3Even though; just because... doesn't mean
  それかといって、他殺のあとは、無論はっきり分かりませんでした。
• ～はずがない N3It cannot be that...; there is no reason for...
  その晩自殺をするものが、そのような手紙を書くはずがないので、もしや他殺ではあるまいかと、その筋では厳重に取り調べ中である……
• ～ては～ては N2Repeated actions; doing and then doing
  俊夫君はそれから、左右の引き出しの中をさらに繰り返して検べましたが、ついに一枚の紙片を発見するなり、にっこりと笑いました。
• ～うちに N3While; during; before (opportunity)
  たぶん犯人は日のうちにしのび込み、どこか押し入れの中にでも隠れていて、藤田さんを絞殺し、勝手知った仏壇の中から般若心経を取りだして自殺を装わせ、それから、朝まで待っていて、老婆が起きた後に、こっそり家を抜けだしたものだろうと推定したのです

Cultural notes

• 般若心経 (Heart Sutra)A short but highly significant Buddhist sutra, often chanted by Japanese people at funerals or before death. The detective uses the fact that an elderly man with night blindness could not have read this sutra before 'suicide' to prove murder.
• 夕立 (Summer Evening Shower)A sudden, brief rain in late summer that provides relief from heat. In the story, the detective metaphorically 'brings a cool evening shower' by solving the case, linking weather to emotional and intellectual refreshment.
• 高利貸し (Money Lender)Historically, moneylenders in Japan were often seen as greedy and stubborn. The victim's past as a high-interest lender explains his wealth and his difficult personality, which is central to the plot.

Try a comprehension question

Read a sample in Japanese

Topics

Short Storymysterytruthdeductionsuspensefulphilosophicalaozora bunko