# Mystery Fans! Dopers In Japan! Help with the (fictional) manhunt! **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [June 2, 2004, 5:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mystery-fans-dopers-in-japan-help-with-the-fictional-manhunt/248284 "2004-06-02T17:29:37Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 6\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bosda_di_chi_of_tricor/32/16845_2.png) [@Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bosda_Di_Chi_of_Tricor)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2004, 5:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mystery-fans-dopers-in-japan-help-with-the-fictional-manhunt/248284/1 "2004-06-02T17:29:37Z")
Japans answer to Sherlock Holmes seems to be _Zenigata Heiji_, a fictional Samurai detective created by Kodo Nomura. Almost 400 short stories about him were written. And I can’t find even _one_ in English! ☹ I searched on Amazon, but no luck. My library doesn’t list him in their online collection. And I don’t have a single title. Mystery Dopers–there _must_ be an English translation, and I suspect somebody here will have read it. Japan-Based Dopers— does Kodanashi (sp?) Bilingual books publish a collection? Help please. ---
**Author:** ![Hamlet](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hamlet/32/2818_2.png) [@Hamlet](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hamlet)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2004, 9:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mystery-fans-dopers-in-japan-help-with-the-fictional-manhunt/248284/2 "2004-06-02T21:12:59Z")
If I were you, I’d head to [his museum](http://www.town.shiwa.iwate.jp/comfort/tourism.html). Unfortunately, I too could not find any stories in the English language. But look on the bright side. You could buy up the rights to reproduce the books in English, introduce the character to Americans, and make a few million dollars. Opportunity is knocking… ---
**Author:** ![Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bosda_di_chi_of_tricor/32/16845_2.png) [@Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bosda_Di_Chi_of_Tricor)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2004, 11:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mystery-fans-dopers-in-japan-help-with-the-fictional-manhunt/248284/3 "2004-06-02T23:06:07Z")
Alas, Oh Prince Of Denmark, I am a State Employee, & therefore stony broke. No investment scratch. Anybody else? ---
**Author:** ![Lamia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/8e7dd6/32.png) [@Lamia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lamia)\ **Post date:** [June 3, 2004, 2:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mystery-fans-dopers-in-japan-help-with-the-fictional-manhunt/248284/4 "2004-06-03T02:21:09Z")
I’m afraid I can’t be of much help, all I can say is that I’ve never noticed such books in the English section of any bookstores here. They may exist, but I wouldn’t be so sure there is an English translation available. I don’t think many Japanese books have been translated into English, and most that have seem to be non-fiction. But I hope someone else may be able to point you in the right direction. ---
**Author:** ![MisterThyristor](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ecccb3/32.png) [@MisterThyristor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MisterThyristor)\ **Post date:** [June 3, 2004, 3:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mystery-fans-dopers-in-japan-help-with-the-fictional-manhunt/248284/5 "2004-06-03T03:09:33Z")
> [@Bosda Di'Chi of Tricor](#): > > Japans answer to Sherlock Holmes seems to be _Zenigata Heiji_, a fictional Samurai detective created by Kodo Nomura. Almost 400 short stories about him were written. > > And I can’t find even _one_ in English! ☹ > > I searched on Amazon, but no luck. > > My library doesn’t list him in their online collection. > > And I don’t have a single title. > > Mystery Dopers–there _must_ be an English translation, and I suspect somebody here will have read it. > > Japan-Based Dopers— does Kodanashi (sp?) Bilingual books publish a collection? > > Help please. It’s doubtful that an English edition exists, unless it’s a personal translation. WorldCat indexes the collections of thousands of libraries. It lists 104 books by Kodo Nomura, and every one is in Japanese. ---
**Author:** ![dangergene](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e99b99/32.png) [@dangergene](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dangergene)\ **Post date:** [June 3, 2004, 6:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mystery-fans-dopers-in-japan-help-with-the-fictional-manhunt/248284/6 "2004-06-03T06:22:58Z")
**Viz** did a nice translation of the Battle Royal novel, maybe you could write to them and suggest this? It sound great! alternately, approach Dark Horse, (and or Studio Proteus) or ugh… Tokyopop (I have my reasons![/homersimpson] ) Alternately, who publishes the Japanese versions? Kodansha (I thank that’s who you meant **Bosda** ) do some very good English editions of Japanese fiction, I own several volumes myself. But I must agree, given the wealth of Japanese novels available, there seems to be less English versions of Japanese literature than there are Japanese versions of English texts (this is based on what I’ve seen in Kinokuniyas here and in Tokyo, however, I’m willing, hoping even, to be wrong)