The criminal history of a misjudgment
Reading Note: Tokyo Zodiac Murders
Tokyo Zodiac Murders is an elegant, classical whodunit.
Don't let the title fool you. The plot of this novel has no similarity to the U.S. West Coast “Zodiac” murders that took place in the second half of the 20th century.
FOREWORD
Kazumi Ishioka introduces the infamous "Tokyo Zodiac Murders" case from 1936, describing it as one of history's most peculiar and elusive mysteries. He notes that the case remained unsolved for over forty years despite the release of precise records. Ishioka invites the reader to try solving the puzzle themselves, assuring them that all necessary clues are included in the book.
PROLOGUE: Azoth
This section is presented as the last will and testament of Heikichi Umezawa, dated February 21st, 1936. He describes being possessed by a devil and suffering physical and mental torment. He details his obsession with creating the perfect woman, whom he calls Azoth, by combining the perfect body parts (head, breasts, abdomen, hips, thighs, legs) from six virgins corresponding to different zodiac signs. He identifies his daughters and nieces as the potential virgins whose parts he will use. He outlines his alchemical plan to achieve this, believing Azoth will be a goddess and save the Japanese Empire. He discusses his past, his introduction to astrology, his artistic influences (like Gustave Moreau), his failed relationships, his infatuation with a mannequin named Tokie, and his complex family dynamics, including his difficult relationship with his second wife Masako and her daughters who want to develop the family property. He also details his studio's modifications and his work on the "Twelve Signs of the Zodiac" painting series. Finally, he discusses the geographical and mystical center of Japan, linking it to the placement of Azoth.
ACT ONE: The Unsolved Mystery, Forty Years On
SCENE 1: Footprints in the Snow: Kazumi Ishioka presents Heikichi Umezawa's note to his friend, the astrologer Kiyoshi Mitarai. They discuss Heikichi's flawed understanding of alchemy but solid knowledge of astrology. Ishioka explains the background of the Tokyo Zodiac Murders, emphasizing its bizarre nature and the fact it remained unsolved for over 40 years. He outlines the three cases involved: Heikichi's murder, Kazue Kanemoto's murder, and the Azoth multiple murders. He details Heikichi's murder scene: found dead in his locked studio on Feb 26th, 1936, during a record snowfall, with his head crushed. Footprints of a man and woman were found leading away from the studio in the snow. Sleeping pills were found in Heikichi's stomach. The mystery of the locked room and the footprints is highlighted.
SCENE 2: The Twelfth Painting: The discussion continues, focusing on the impossibility of escape from the locked studio, ruling out secret passages or climbing. Key details noted are the movable bed, Heikichi's partially cut beard with no scissors found, and the resemblance between Heikichi and his brother Yoshio. The theory that the victim might have been Yoshio is considered but largely dismissed due to Yoshio's confirmed alibi. The investigation into the mysterious model (potentially the woman whose footprints were found) is discussed; despite extensive searches, no model fitting the description or timeframe was found. The police theory that the Umezawa women might have killed Heikichi by hoisting his bed to the skylight and accidentally dropping him is introduced, explaining the clustered footprints near the window.
SCENE 3: A Vase and a Mirror: The conversation shifts to the murder of Kazue Kanemoto, Heikichi's stepdaughter, found beaten to death in her Kaminoge house about a month after Heikichi. The murder weapon appeared to be a glass vase, which was wiped clean of blood but left at the scene. Kazue was raped after death, and the semen belonged to a man with blood type O. Heitaro Tomita, who had type O blood, had a solid alibi. The possibility that Kazue's murder was an unrelated burglary is considered, but the neatness (wiping the vase, dressing the victim) contradicts a simple burglary. The fact she was attacked from behind while likely facing her dresser mirror suggests she knew her attacker and didn't perceive a threat. The theory that the killer might have been a woman arises but is complicated by the evidence of rape. The alibis of other family members for Kazue's murder are reviewed; most are weak, relying on family testimony, except for Heitaro's. The idea that Kazue's house might have been used for the Azoth creation is mentioned but deemed unlikely by Ishioka.
SCENE 4: Poisoned Fruit Juice: Ishioka describes the Azoth murders. After Kazue's funeral, Masako and the six remaining young Umezawa women traveled to Mount Yahiko shrine. The girls stayed on at an Iwamuro hot spring while Masako visited her parents. The girls disappeared and were later found dead in different locations, each missing a body part as described in Heikichi's note. Masako was arrested for Heikichi's murder, partly based on finding rope and arsenic at the Umezawa house, though her alibi for the Azoth murders seemed strong. The girls were killed with arsenious acid in fruit juice, likely all at once. Different metal elements, corresponding to Heikichi's note, were placed in their mouths after death. The difficulty in obtaining these chemicals is noted. The discovery of the bodies is detailed: Tomoko found first (not buried), then Akiko, Tokiko (headless), Yukiko, Nobuyo, and finally Reiko, nearly a year later. The varying burial depths are presented as another puzzle.
SCENE 5: Latitude and Longitude: Kiyoshi explains his calculations regarding the geographical center of Japan based on Heikichi's note and the locations where the bodies were found. He averages the longitudes and latitudes of the six burial mines, finding the average longitude matches Heikichi's specified 138° 48’ E axis. He plots four points on this axis (Mount Yahiko, the average latitude of the mines, and two calculated center points based on different southern border interpretations) and finds the intervals between them relate to Heikichi's mysterious numbers 4, 6, and 3. He concludes the spot where Azoth should be is likely in the mountains near Toka town, Niigata Prefecture. Ishioka reveals that others had reached this same conclusion, and despite extensive searching, Azoth was never found there. Ishioka then shares insights from other mystery novels connecting longitude 139° E (close to Heikichi's line) to ancient Japanese history, Empress Himiko, and significant historical events, suggesting Heikichi's geographical theories might not be entirely random. The concept of Japanese ley lines is introduced.
ENTR’ACTE: A Police Confession
This section is the written confession of retired policeman Bunjiro Takegoshi. He recounts his unwilling involvement in the Umezawa case. One evening in 1936, walking home in Kaminoge, he encounters a woman feigning illness (whom he later realizes was not Kazue Kanemoto). He helps her home and, feeling overwhelmed, has sex with her in the dark. Two days later, he reads that Kazue Kanemoto, the woman whose house it was, has been murdered, with the time of death overlapping his visit. He discovers the rapist's blood type matches his (Type O). He then receives an anonymous letter claiming to be from a secret agency, accusing him of Kazue's murder but offering pardon if he disposes of six bodies (supposedly Chinese spies) found in Kazue's storeroom. Fearing exposure and wrongful conviction, he agrees. He borrows a car from a shady contractor, takes a week off work under false pretenses, and transports the mutilated bodies in two trips, burying them according to the letter's detailed instructions and maps across Honshu. He later realizes he was tricked into disposing of the Umezawa girls' bodies for a maniacal killer following Heikichi's plan. He expresses immense guilt and fear that haunted him throughout his police career, especially as his son and son-in-law also became policemen. After retiring, he attempted to investigate the case himself, interviewing surviving related individuals like Ayako Umezawa, Yasue Tomita, and others connected to Heikichi (Murakami, Ogata, Ishibashi, Tokuda, Abe, Yamada), but found no solid leads. He identifies Tamio Yasukawa, the mannequin craftsman, as a potential suspect he regrets not investigating further. He ends the confession expressing his inability to solve the mystery and his wish for someone else to uncover the truth.
ACT TWO: More Speculation
SCENE 1: A Little Magic: Kiyoshi and Ishioka discuss Takegoshi's confession. Kiyoshi expresses doubts about the police theory implicating the Umezawa women in Heikichi's murder, finding the "bed hoisting" scenario impractical and questioning why they'd stage a locked-room mystery if they were guilty. Ishioka proposes his theory that Heikichi faked his own death, killed a double, and orchestrated the subsequent murders, potentially using Kazue to entrap Takegoshi. Kiyoshi refutes this, pointing out flaws like the difficulty of hiding a double and Kazue being killed before the other girls. Ishioka insists the locked room is key and believes Heikichi survived through "magic".
SCENE 2: A Rude Visit: Ishioka continues to believe Heikichi faked his death. Kiyoshi mocks Ishioka's admiration for Sherlock Holmes, criticizing inconsistencies and improbabilities in the stories, contrasting Holmes' methods unfavorably with astrology and modern science. Their argument is interrupted by the arrival of Fumihiko Takegoshi, Bunjiro's son and also a policeman. Takegoshi Jr is arrogant and demands his father's note back, dismissing Kiyoshi's abilities. Kiyoshi baits him, claiming he will solve the case within a week to prove Bunjiro's innocence. After Takegoshi Jr leaves, Kiyoshi, feeling a sudden insight, decides they must go to Kyoto immediately to find Tamio Yasukawa. They plan to stay with Kiyoshi's friend Emoto. On the bullet train, they discuss the backgrounds of Heikichi's first wife Tae (originally from Kyoto, suffered hardships, dreamed of opening a handbag boutique in Sagano) and Yoshio's wife Ayako. Kiyoshi reflects philosophically on the universe and humanity's pettiness.
ENTR’ACTE: Bacteria in the Bullet Train
Kiyoshi and Ishioka discuss Takegoshi Jr's visit on the bullet train to Kyoto. Kiyoshi theorizes that Mrs. Iida likely confessed her visit to her husband, who then informed Takegoshi Jr, possibly hoping Kiyoshi's success could benefit her husband's police career. They contrast Takegoshi Jr's arrogance with his father's apparent character. They further review Tae Fujieda's (Heikichi's first wife) background, her unhappy life, her inheritance which she largely gave away, and her unfulfilled dream of opening a handbag shop in Rakushisha, Kyoto. Kiyoshi then muses about astronomy, mentioning Jupiter's visibility and the vastness of the universe compared to human struggles, likening people to bacteria living out petty battles.
ACT THREE: In Pursuit of Azoth
SCENE 1: Moves on the Chessboard: Kiyoshi and Ishioka arrive in Kyoto and are met by Kiyoshi's friend, Emoto. The next day, they search for Tamio Yasukawa's address in the Tominokoji/Rokkaku area. They learn from a neighbor that Yasukawa moved out long ago. They track down the building manager, Mr. Okawa, at his bar in Kita-shirakawa. Kiyoshi subtly implies they are from a security agency to encourage cooperation, and Okawa promises to find Yasukawa's new address by 5 p.m.. While waiting, Kiyoshi expresses his hunch that the complex case hinges on a simple, overlooked link.
SCENE 2: A Profanity: After getting Yasukawa's new address in Neyagawa (near Osaka) from Okawa, Kiyoshi and Ishioka take a train there. They find the apartment block but learn from the manager that Tamio Yasukawa recently died. They discover Yasukawa lived with his daughter and her family (the Katos). Feeling demoralized and that pursuing the dead man's history is profane, they leave. However, the manager gives them the name of the moving company the Katos used, Neyagawa Freight. They find the company office closed but note the phone number to call the next morning.
SCENE 3: Crossing the Moon: Kiyoshi calls Neyagawa Freight and gets the general location of Mrs. Kato (Yasukawa's daughter) in Higashi-yodogawa, Osaka. They find her apartment, but she angrily refuses to talk about the case, having been bothered by inquiries for years. Dejected, Kiyoshi suggests Ishioka go sightseeing in Arashiyama while he tries to think. Ishioka visits Arashiyama, enjoys the cherry blossoms, sees a maiko, crosses the Togetsu-kyo bridge ("crossing over the moon"), rides a tram, and eventually ends up back in Shijo-Kawaramachi before returning to Emoto's. Kiyoshi returns later, looking dazed and uncommunicative.
SCENE 4: The Riverbank: Emoto takes Kiyoshi (still preoccupied and silent) and Ishioka for a drive and lunch in Ohara, north of Kyoto. Ishioka spends the next day wandering Kyoto alone, reflecting on the case and the lives ruined by it. Driven by the need for information, he decides to return to Osaka to try talking to Mrs. Kato again. He finds her near the Yodo River. This time, she talks, describing her father Yasukawa's difficult life after the war: injured, poor, alcoholic, gambler, abusive, and prone to hallucinations, including seeing acquaintances like Heikichi Umezawa who were supposedly dead. She dismisses these sightings as unreliable. She mentions her father's only close friend was Shusai Yoshida, a Chinese-style fortune-teller and doll-maker, whom Yasukawa admired and followed to Kyoto. She gives Ishioka Yoshida's approximate address near Karasuma Garage in Kyoto. Ishioka feels energized by this new lead. He finds Yoshida's house that night but Yoshida is out.
SCENE 5: The Doll-maker: Ishioka returns to Shusai Yoshida's house the next morning but learns Yoshida is in Nagoya and won't be back until evening. After waiting anxiously, Ishioka finally meets Yoshida late that afternoon. Yoshida, a polite, knowledgeable man around sixty with expertise in doll-making and fortune-telling, discusses the case. He believes there's only a 40% chance Heikichi survived but thinks Azoth was likely created, given a creator's drive. He explains the deep, almost taboo significance of doll-making in Japanese tradition, relating it to Umezawa's obsession but condemning his methods. He confirms Yasukawa fanatically believed Umezawa was alive and that Azoth existed as a specific female mannequin displayed in the Meiji-Mura theme park's post office exhibit. Yoshida reveals he worked on the Meiji-Mura mannequins and confirms the mysterious appearance of this female mannequin, though he dismisses Yasukawa's Azoth theory as fantasy. He recounts Yasukawa's mental decline and his delusion that Yoshida's friend, Hachiro Umeda (who works at Meiji-Mura), was actually Heikichi Umezawa. Ishioka becomes suspicious of Yoshida, noting his charisma, knowledge (like knowing Heikichi was left-handed), and potential age match.
SCENE 6: The Mannequin: Ishioka drives to the Meiji-Mura theme park the next day (Wednesday, April 11th). He explores the park, reflecting on architecture and literature, before finding the Uji-Yamada post office exhibit. He locates the mysterious female mannequin in a dark corner. Observing it closely, he finds it looks artificial and dusty, doubting it could be Azoth, but is interrupted before he can examine it further. He then finds Hachiro Umeda, the attendant dressed as a Meiji-era policeman. Umeda is cheerful and confirms Yasukawa mistook him for Heikichi Umezawa but laughs it off. He provides his own history (born in Takamatsu, worked various jobs including a mannequin factory, met Yoshida through a doll-making club) which seems to rule him out as Umezawa. Ishioka learns from the park director that the female mannequin was simply brought in from a Meitetsu department store at the last minute. Feeling his lead has dissolved, Ishioka drives back to Kyoto, his suspicion now firmly fixed on Shusai Yoshida. Kiyoshi is not back at Emoto's when Ishioka returns late.
SCENE 7: The Philosopher’s Walk: Thursday, April 12th, the deadline day. Ishioka wakes early to find Kiyoshi still missing and his futon unslept in. Worried, he waits anxiously. Kiyoshi finally calls, sounding weak and possibly dying, asking Ishioka to meet him at the Philosopher's Walk in Kyoto and bring food. Ishioka rushes there and finds Kiyoshi looking disheveled and starved on a bench. After eating ravenously, Kiyoshi launches into a seemingly delirious rant about being deceived, digging like a mole, and needing inspiration. Ishioka fears Kiyoshi has had a breakdown. He recounts his findings about Yoshida and Umeda, but Kiyoshi seems uninterested. They go to a nearby coffee shop. While Ishioka gets change, including a torn bill repaired with transparent tape, Kiyoshi examines the bill. He suddenly has a breakthrough, screams, runs maniacally, then calms down, declaring he's solved the case, comparing it to finding glasses already on his head and a ridiculously simple magic trick involving the taped bill. He declares he knows the killer and rushes off to meet them, telling Ishioka to wait at Emoto's. Ishioka is left bewildered and doubtful but decides to trust Kiyoshi and wait.
ENTR’ACTE: Message from the Author
The author, Soji Shimada, directly addresses the reader, stating that all necessary clues to solve the mystery, including a crucial hint, have already been provided. He challenges the reader to solve the case before the final chapters reveal the solution.
ACT FOUR: The Storm
SCENE 1: The Teahouse: Ishioka waits anxiously at Emoto's apartment. Kiyoshi calls, summoning Ishioka to a teahouse in Arashiyama, saying he's with a "very big star" Ishioka must meet. Ishioka arrives during a brewing storm. He finds Kiyoshi with an elegant, modest woman around fifty. After a tense silence broken by thunder, Kiyoshi introduces the woman, Taeko Sudo, as the culprit of the Tokyo Zodiac Murders. Ishioka is stunned. As the storm rages, Taeko calmly admits she expected someone like Kiyoshi to eventually find her. She and Kiyoshi have a brief, respectful exchange; Kiyoshi informs her he must report her the next day but won't stop her if she chooses to flee. Taeko gives Kiyoshi a small red and white silk sachet as a gift before departing slowly into the rain.
SCENE 2: The Roll of the Dice: Back at Emoto's, Kiyoshi calls Mrs. Iida, confirming the case is solved and asking her and her brother (or husband) to come to his office the next day with Bunjiro's note. Kiyoshi and Ishioka prepare to leave Kyoto, saying goodbye to Emoto. On the bullet train, Ishioka presses Kiyoshi for details. Kiyoshi reveals the key was the "transparent tape" analogy for how the bodies were rearranged, and that Taeko Sudo's address was implicitly known from the existing information. He confirms Azoth wasn't real but a magical illusion created by the arrangement of bodies. He hints Taeko Sudo is actually sixty-six years old, implying she was one of the Umezawa girls presumed dead. He refuses to elaborate further, telling Ishioka to wait until the next day. Kiyoshi examines the sachet Taeko gave him; two dice fall out.
ENTR’ACTE: Another Message from the Author
The author again interrupts, confirming Kiyoshi wasn't exaggerating and that the reader had enough information to identify the murderer by the time Kiyoshi and Ishioka reached Kyoto station. He provides further hints by posing two direct questions: "Who is Taeko Sudo?" (stating her identity was already revealed) and "How did she accomplish her murderous plan?" (asking if the reader determined the "magic" used).
ACT 5: Magic in the Mists of Time
SCENE 1: The Invisible Killer: Friday the 13th. Ishioka arrives early at Kiyoshi's office. Mrs. Iida arrives with her husband (a policeman), as her brother Fumihiko couldn't make it. Kiyoshi begins his explanation, first revealing the killer's current identity: Taeko Sudo, owner of the handbag boutique "Megumi" in Sagano, Kyoto. He explains the case remained unsolved because the killer made herself "invisible" through a form of "magic" related to the victims' arrangement. He reviews the perplexing details of Heikichi's locked-room murder and the contradictory shoe prints, analyzing the six possible scenarios and concluding the most likely (though seemingly flawed) was #5: the model (Taeko/Tokiko) faked both sets of prints. He details how Tokiko likely killed her father, cut his beard partially, staged the scene, locked the door from the outside using string, faked the two sets of footprints using her own and her father's shoes, hid overnight, and then returned the next morning to "discover" the body, replacing the shoes and securing the padlock during the ensuing chaos. He then explains Kazue's murder: Tokiko killed Kazue first, then impersonated her to seduce Bunjiro Takegoshi, planted his semen on Kazue's body, and staged the scene to look like a burglary/sexual assault to ensure Takegoshi would be blackmailed and the police wouldn't investigate the house too closely (where the other bodies were hidden).
SCENE 2: The Vanishing Point: Kiyoshi reveals the core trick: the "Azoth murders" involved only five bodies, not six. He explains the "fraudulent bill" analogy: Tokiko cut up the five victims (Tomoko, Akiko, Yukiko, Reiko, Nobuyo) and rearranged their parts to create the illusion of six corpses, each missing a different section corresponding to Heikichi's note. He shows diagrams illustrating how the upper part of one victim was combined with the lower part of another. This explains why only five bodies needed cutting, not six, and why Azoth was never found—she was the "vanishing point" of the illusion. The purpose of burying the bodies in six different locations was to prevent investigators from comparing all the parts simultaneously and discovering the trick. Kiyoshi identifies the killer as Tokiko Umezawa, who faked her own death, arranging for the headless corpse (actually Yukiko's) to be misidentified as hers.
SCENE 3: The Basic Structure: Ishioka and the Iidas ask follow-up questions. Kiyoshi explains the varying burial depths were calculated to delay discovery of the later bodies (which were more decomposed and harder to identify) until after the first, more identifiable bodies had likely been cremated. Tokiko specifically arranged for Tomoko's mostly intact body to be found first and easily identified. The headless body (Yukiko's) was misidentified as Tokiko's due to the faked birthmark described in the note and the disfigured ballet dancer's feet, confirmed by Tokiko's mother Tae. Masako was prevented from identifying bodies that would reveal the deception (like the one with Yukiko's actual head, or the one with the birthmark) because she was imprisoned. Ayako was similarly hampered by the delayed discovery and decomposition of her daughters' remains. The fact all victims (except Tokiko) were blood type A aided the deception, though modern forensics would likely uncover it. Kiyoshi explains Tokiko's motive stemmed from deep resentment over her mother Tae's mistreatment and poverty compared to the Umezawas' luxury, fueled by witnessing Masako disrespect Tae's keepsake sachet. He deduced Tokiko would be in Sagano, Kyoto, fulfilling Tae's dream of opening a boutique there. Kiyoshi reveals Tokiko fled to Manchuria after the murders. He dismisses questions about how Tokiko got the poisons as mere "decoration," emphasizing the importance of grasping the "basic structure" of the crime. He believes Tokiko acted alone, without Tae's involvement. After the explanation, Kiyoshi ceremonially burns Bunjiro Takegoshi's confession note.
SCENE 4: A Knock on the Door: Ishioka reads in the newspaper that Taeko Sudo (Tokiko) committed suicide by arsenic poisoning shortly after the police likely visited her following Iida's report. The news reports credit the police's "constant effort" for solving the case, with no mention of Kiyoshi. Ishioka is frustrated by this lack of recognition, but Kiyoshi claims he prefers his quiet life and doesn't want fame. Ishioka proposes writing a novel about the case to give Kiyoshi credit. Kiyoshi reluctantly agrees, provided his name is changed. Months later, Takegoshi Jr visits, apologizes for his past rudeness, thanks Kiyoshi on behalf of his father, and gives Kiyoshi a copy of a letter Taeko/Tokiko had apparently written to him before her death.
EPILOGUE: The Voice of Azoth
This is the final letter written by Tokiko Umezawa (as Taeko Sudo) to Kiyoshi before her suicide. She thanks him for his gentleness and for finding her, fulfilling a strange hope she'd held while living anxiously in Kyoto. She confesses fully, detailing her motives rooted in the cruelty she suffered from Masako and her daughters, contrasting with her own mother Tae's poverty and sadness. She explains how the sachet incident solidified her resolve for revenge. She recounts stealing arsenic from the hospital where she secretly worked. She details killing her father (hitting him with a weighted box, then smothering him when he didn't die instantly), faking the locked room and shoe prints during the unexpected snowstorm, hiding in the woods overnight, and writing the fake note in Heikichi's style. She describes killing Kazue, impersonating her to seduce and frame Takegoshi, and poisoning the other five girls with fruit juice at Kazue's house. She details cutting up the bodies and disposing of their bags in the Tama River. She explains faking her own birthmark to ensure misidentification of Yukiko's body. She recounts fleeing to Manchuria, the hardships there, returning after the war to find her mother near death, and realizing her revenge brought no happiness. She opened the boutique in Sagano to fulfill Tae's dream. She confesses she stayed there partly as a "bet" with fate, hoping the man smart enough to solve her crime and find her would be someone she could love, but acknowledges she lost this bet as time ran out. She accepts her death peacefully.
Jay
26 April 2025
