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ProQuest Information and Learning 300 North Zeeb Road, Ann Arbor, Ml 48106-1346 USA 800-521-0600 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. THE EARLY FICTION OF MATSUMOTO SEICHO: DETECTIVE FICTION AS SOCIAL CRITIQUE DISSERTATION Presented in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree Doctor of Philosophy in the Graduate School of the The Ohio State University By Michael S. Tangeman, M.A. ***** The Ohio State University 2002 Dissertation Committee: Approved by Dr. William J. Tyler, Adviser Dr. Richard Torrance JcMl Dr. Mark Bender / Adviser department of East/Asian Languages and Literatures Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. UMI Number: 3059338 __ _ (g) UMI UMI Microform 3059338 Copyright 2002 by ProQuest Information and Learning Company. All rights reserved. This microform edition is protected against unauthorized copying under Title 17, United States Code. ProQuest Information and Learning Company 300 North Zeeb Road P.O. Box 1346 Ann Arbor, Ml 48106-1346 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. ABSTRACT In a prolific four-decade career that spanned from 1951 to 1992, Matsumoto Seicho (1909-1992), a writer known for his detective fiction, produced over 600 novels, short stories and essays that chronicle the struggles of the Japanese working- and middle class. This study focuses on the first decade of his career as the critical period during which he develops his political agenda, his narrative technique and important motifs that figure prominently in not only the period fiction of his earliest works, but also the realistic mysteries that were highly influential in the development of Japanese detective fiction. Seicho’s detective fiction breaks from its prewar predecessors by emphasizing realistic character motivation and plot devices, or torikkii. It becomes a platform for him to express his anti-establishment political ideas that are critical of the bureaucracy, the military, large corporations and research universities. In short. Seicho attacks the exploitation of the '‘little guy,'” especially by institutional bureaucracies. One of his most common narrative techniques to accomplish this objective is the creation of a "model ‘salary-man’ detective” who embodies middle-class values such as humility, intelligence and persistence. Among the motifs that regularly appear in Seicho’s work are domestic and international travel, interest in local culture, and a fascination with Japanese literature and history. ii Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. This dissertation consists of five chapters. Chapter 1 provides an introduction to the study and a brief biography on Seicho. Chapter 2 analyzes three of his most important early works, "Saigo satsu" (“Saigo currency." 1951). “Aru Kokura nikki den" (“A legend of The Kokura diaries" 1952) and “Harikomi" (“Stakeout," 1955). Chapter UJ treats Seichd’s landmark detective novel Ten to sen (Points and lines. 1957). Chapter 4 discusses another famous detective novel, Suna no utuswa ( Vessel o f sand. 1960). although it is less successful as a mystery than Ten to sen.. Chapter 5 contextualizes the first decade of his career by comparing three representative non-fiction essays and a mystery from 1960-1992 with Seicho's fiction from 1951-1960. In the three essays - “Ishida kenji no kaishi" (“The strange death of prosecutor Ishida." 1964), “Manshu bo judai jiken" (“A major incident in Manchuria." 1965) and "Kobayashi Takiji no shi" ("The death of Kobayashi Takiji." 1966) - exemplify Seicho's combination of historical fact and techniques of detective fiction narration to create reportage. The mystery novella - "Giwaku" (“Suspicion." 1982) demonstrates the consistency of Seicho*s approach to detective fiction. HI Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. For Jill iv Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. ACKNOWLEDGMENTS I wish to thank my adviser William Tyler for his careful readings of numerous drafts and his valuable suggestions. His seminars on Japanese Modernism introduced me to a wonderful range of authors and works. Many thanks go to Richard Torrance for suggesting Seicho's work as a potential dissertation topic, and for conducting multiple seminars on Japanese detective fiction. His thoughtful analyses of popular genres will continue to influence my scholarship. Without Mark Bender’s cooperation, this project would have come to naught. You have my gratitude. Finally, I want to remember the friendship and guidance of Stephen Filler and Lee Cohen. Their emotional support during a difficult time helped me finish. v Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. VITA May 10, 1969........................................................................... Bom - Columbus, Ohio 1991 ..........................................................................................B.A. East Asian Studies, Denison University 1991 - 1993............................................................................. English Teacher OSET Program: Saitama. Japan 1994 - 1995.............................................................................. Interpreter, Ikeda Interior Systems Sidney, Ohio 1995 - 2001 .............................................................................. Graduate Teaching Assistant The Ohio State University 2001 - Present ......................................................................... Instructor, Japanese Denison University FIELDS OF STUDY Major Field: East Asian Languages and Literatures Specialization: Modem Japanese Literature vi Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. NOTE ON STYLE All Japanese names are presented in the Japanese order (surname followed by given name. I have followed the citation format outlined in the Chicago Manual of Style (14th Edition). Book titles appear in italics. Periodical titles appear in plain text. Notes appear after the final chapter and before the bibliography. In the notes, Matsumoto Seicho zenshu is abbreviated MSZ. The 1971 edition is used in this study. vii Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. TABLE OF CONTENTS Page A bstract................................................................................................................................. ii D edication ............................................................................................................................ iv Acknowledgments ............................................................................................................... v V ita ........................................................................................................................................ vi Note on Style ...................................................................................................................... vii Chapters: 1. Introduction and Biography ......................................................................... I 2. Seicho’s Early Short Fiction......................................................................... 23 3. Ten to s e n ......................................................................................................... 61 4. Suna no ntsuwa ............................................................................................... 112 5. Seicho After 1960: Fiction and Essays ........................................................... 172 N otes...................................................................................................................................... 209 Bibliography......................................................................................................................... 213 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. CHAPTER 1 INTRODUCTION AND BIOGRAPHY Matsumoto Seicho (1909-1992) remains one of Japan’s best-selling authors. His popular fiction in a variety of genres - mysteries, historical fiction and period fiction - achieved remarkable sales figures throughout much of his forty-year writing

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