Kosuke Kindaichi (金田一 耕助, Kindaichi Kōsuke) is a fictional Japanese detective created by Seishi Yokomizo, a renowned mystery novelist. His first case, The Honjin Murders, is a novel of a locked room murder in an old family house, which many people regard as one of the best Japanese detective novels, was published in 1946. Kindaichi went on to feature in another 76 novels, selling more than 55 million books and appearing in numerous film, television and stage adaptations.[1]
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.
Televisionedit
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)
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 Kogoro Akechi. Tomohisa Yamashita played Kindaichi, whilst Hideaki Itô was Akechi.[4][5]
Manga and animeedit
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 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.