Kosuke Kindaichi (金田一 耕助, Kindaichi Kōsuke) is a fictional detective created by Japanese author Seishi Yokomizo. One of Japan's most famous fictional detectives, Kindaichi appeared in 77 novels and short stories between 1946 and 1980. The series has sold over 55 million books, and has been adapted into numerous films and TV series.
Kindaichi first appeared in the 1946 novel The Honjin Murders, which won the first Mystery Writers of Japan Award in 1948. Author Seishi Yokomizo continued writing novels and short stories featuring Kindaichi up until his death in 1980.
The character is known for his distinctive scruffy hair and clothes, and has been portrayed in films and TV by many well-known Japanese actors, including Kōji Ishizaka. The character's fame in Japan has been compared to globally-recognisable fictional detectives, including Sherlock Holmes and Hercule Poirot.
Contents
Stories featuring Kosuke Kindaichi
The Kosuke Kindaichi series consists of 77 stories, of which 26 are full-length novels, and 51 are short stories or novellas.
Works in translation
Until the 21st century, the Kosuke Kindaichi books had not been translated into English. However, beginning in 2019, British independent publisher Pushkin Press began translating and releasing Yokomizo's stories:
The Honjin Murders, published in 2019
The Inugami Curse, published in 2020
The Village of Eight Graves, published in 2021
Death on Gokumon Island, published in 2022
The Devil's Flute Murders, published in 2023
The Little Sparrow Murders, published in 2024
Murder at the Black Cat Cafe, published in 2025
She Walks at Night, published in 2026
In other media
Film
Seizaburō Kawazu starred as Kindaichi in the 1954 film Yurei otoko, while Ryō Ikebe appeared in 1956's Vampire Moth, and Ken Takakura in 1961's Akuma no temari-uta.
Akira Nakao starred as Kindaichi in Yoichi Takabayashi's 1975 adaptation of The Honjin Murders entitled Death at an Old Mansion, which was entered into the 26th Berlin International Film Festival.
Director Kon Ichikawa made six films about Kindaichi, starring Koji Ishizaka:
The Inugami Family (1976)
Akuma no temari-uta (1977)
Gokumon-to (1977)
Queen Bee (1978)
The House of Hanging on Hospital Slope (1979)
The Inugamis (2006)
Kiyoshi Astumi played the detective in Yatsuhaka-mura (1977), while Toshiyuki Nishida appeared in Devil's Flute (1979). Director Nobuhiko Obayashi made a parody film in 1979 titled The Adventures of Kosuke Kindaichi, starring Ikkô Furuya in the title role. Takeshi Kaga played the character in the 1981 film Akuryoto, whilst 1996's Yatsuhaka-Mura starred Etsushi Toyokawa.
Television
There have been numerous television drama films starring various different actors as Kindaichi:
Takaya Kamikawa in Kindaichi Kōsuke File - Meiro Sou no Sangeki (2002, TV Tokyo) and. Kindaichi Kōsuke File - Gokumon Tou (2003, TV Tokyo)
Goro Inagaki in Inugamike no Ichizoku (2004), Yatsuhakamura (2004), Jōōbachi (2006), Aakuma ga Kitarite Fue o Fuku (2007) and Akuma no Temariuta (2009)
Sosuke Ikematsu in Kindaichi Kosuke Tōjō! (2016)
Hiroki Hasegawa in Gokumon tō (2016)
Hidetaka Yoshiokain Akuma ga Kitarite Fue wo Fuku (2018)
Actor Kazuyuki Furuya played Kindaichi on television for nearly 30 years. In 2013 and 2014 a pair of television films were made pairing Kindaichi with another famous fictional Japanese detective Edogawa Ranpo's Kogoro Akechi. Tomohisa Yamashita played Kindaichi, whilst Hideaki Itô was Akechi.
Manga and anime
A profile of Kosuke appears at the end of the manga Case Closed Volume 6.
Hajime Kindaichi (金田一 一, Kindaichi Hajime), the main character of The Kindaichi Case Files, is depicted as the grandson of Kosuke Kindaichi.
In episode 14 of Lupin the Third Part II, a German count invites the best private detectives from all over the world - including Kindaichi - to the maiden voyage of his blimp in order to catch Lupin III, who is after the count's jewel.
In the Lupin the Third Part IV episode "From Japan With Love", the celebrity detective Akechi Kousuke Holmes is partially named after Kosuke Kindaichi (as well as Kogoro Akechi and Sherlock Holmes).
Video Games
There has been some game adaptations featuring Kosuke Kindaichi:
The Inugami Curse was adapted into a Nintendo DS visual novel by FromSoftware on January 22nd, 2009.
Kindaichi Mystery Series: The Honjin Murders is a visual novel adaption of the novel with the same name on the 23rd of April, 2025 by coly Inc on Steam and the Nintendo Switch.