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Seicho Matsumoto

Seicho Matsumoto

Writing

Biography

Seichō Matsumoto (松本 清張 Matsumoto Seichō, December 21, 1909 – August 4, 1992) was a Japanese writer. Seichō's works created a new tradition of Japanese crime fiction. Dispensing with formulaic plot devices such as puzzles, Seichō incorporated elements of human psychology and ordinary life. In particular, his works often reflect a wider social context and postwar nihilism that expanded the scope and further darkened the atmosphere of the genre. His exposé of corruption among police officials as well as criminals was a new addition to the field. The subject of investigation was not just the crime but also the society in which the crime was committed. From Wikipedia.

Known For

Black Leather Notebook
6.7

Haraguchi Motoko works as a temp at a bank. To pay off debt that she inherited from her parents, she also works as a hostess at a club in Ginza.

Black Leather Notebook

2017
The Wall of the Eye
8.5

In 1990, Hagizaki Tatsuo, the accounting department chief of Ukishima Electric Works, was busy negotiating on getting a loan together with Sekino, the company's general manager. However, just as they were about to get the funds, Sekino was involved in a 200 million yen fraud and he later disappeared with the loan. The company decides to cover up the incident to protect its image, but Hagizaki wants to get to the bottom of the matter with the help of his newspaper reporter friend, Muraki. Hagizaki later notices that the case becomes darker and darker as he continues to investigate. He then meets a beautiful woman, Uezaki Etsuko, whom he believes hold the key to the entire incident.

The Wall of the Eye

2022
Suna no Utsuwa
N/A

Two police investigate the death of a corpse found in a train yard.

Suna no Utsuwa

1977
The Black Leather Notebook
8.0

Ginza is a night town filled with ambition and burning desire… How does a plain bank clerk embezzle an enormous amount of money and jump into the underground world? What is her ultimate goal? Her greatest weapon is a black leather-bound notebook.

The Black Leather Notebook

2004
Vessel of Sand
4.0

Eiryo Waga is well-known musician who has begun a rapid climb to stardom, but he must keep his terrible past a secret. One day someone who knows all about his past confronts him, and Waga kills him in order to protect the fame he has obtained. Unfortunately, as Waga is leaving the scene, he runs into Asami, a budding stage actress. An investigation team is established led by two detectives, but they have difficulty making any headway. Meanwhile, by coincidence Waga bumps into Asami again. She also has her own dark past, and soon they fall in love. But Waga is already engaged to Ayaka whose father is responsible for his rapid ascent to the top of the music world. It looks like Waga’s ambitions are about to confront reality. Based on Seicho Matsumoto’s famous work that was released in 1960-61, this drama illustrates the life of a man burdened with a heavy fate in a contemporary setting.

Vessel of Sand

2004
The Castle of Sand
7.4

Two detectives are tasked to investigate the murder of an old man, found bludgeoned to death in a Tokyo rail yard.

The Castle of Sand

1974
Stakeout
7.0

Two detectives begin a stakeout based on the slim chance of catching a murderer whom they suspect will try to reunite with an old flame.

Stakeout

1958
Evil People
7.0

Toyomi Terajima (Ryoko Yonekura) chose to become a nurse because she had no interest in marriage and wanted an occupation she could do for the rest of her life. Although she doesn't have a lot of aspirations, she does have a vague idea of wanting to work as a nurse overseas, and so she studies English. Outside of that, her life is less than ordinary and she carries out her job as a nurse without any indifference. That is, until one fateful night when she calls on Dr. Toya Shinichi (Takaya Kamikawa), director of the hospital, for help with a patient suffering from a heart attack. It is this chance encounter that brings the two together and sets the wheels in motion.

Evil People

2007
The Animal Trail
6.0

Animal Trail, a natural path made by traffic of wild animals, can sometimes be helpful for people who are totally lost in the wilderness. One day, a woman who is exhausted with her hopeless life unexpectedly meets a gentleman by chance. Out of genuine hope to escape from her misery, she allows her destiny to blindly follow the mysterious instruction given by this stranger. Would this "Animal Trail" ultimately lead her to happiness, or would it lead her to disaster? The life of Tamiko (Yonekura) was miserable, as she had to give up her dream to become a jewelry designer and work for a Japanese style hotel "Hosenkaku" simply to support her physically handicapped husband. One day, Tamiko was approached by a mysterious gentleman Kotaki (Sato) who offers her a unique proposal, "would you be interested in riding a vehicle without a destination?" His words shook Tamiko's desperate soul wanting for a drastic change in her life. In order to free herself from the depressing reality, she cleverly kills her husband by setting her house on fire. Then, through Kotaki's introduction, she becomes acquainted with Kito, a political fixer, and decides to become Kito's mistress. Although she notices that her decision may not be right, she decides to follow her instincts and go for the "animal trail"….

The Animal Trail

2006
The Demon
6.5

When Sokichi stops providing his long-time lover Kikuyo enough money to pay for the care of their three young children, Kikuyo leaves the children with Sokichi - and his very surprised and angry wife Oume - and disappears.

The Demon

1978
Amagi Pass
6.4

Japan in the 1940s. A high school boy went into a magic encounter with Ozuka Hana, a geisha (pub-girl) when he traveled through Amagi Pass. A mysterious murder took place afterwards, an Ozuka was held responsible. 40 years later, the boy, who became a printing shop owner, was visited by a retired policeman who came from Amagi Pass. The truth then started to reveal itself.

Amagi Pass

1983
The Castle of Sand
7.0

On December 11, 1960 an elderly man is found bludgeoned to death near the Kamata Station in Tokyo. Detective Yoshimura Hiroshi is a rookie detective that has only one clue to go on - the name "Kameda." Detective Yoshimura also has a dark side himself from his miserable experience in the war. Now, Detective Yoshimura places himself in the criminal's dark mind to track down the killer. Based on the 1961 novel "Suna no utsuwa" by Seicho Matsumoto it was also made as a feature film The Castle of Sand (1974).

The Castle of Sand

2011
A Trap
7.1

When her only relative, her elder brother is accused of robbing and murdering an old woman loan-shark, pretty, young Kiriko travels from her home in Kyushu to Tokyo to get Japan's top lawyer to defend her brother. Unfortunately her naive idealism is shattered when the lawyer refuses to take the case based on her insufficient funds. What follows is a long determined revenge plot that sees the heroine become a Tokyo bar hostess and worse to punish the lawyer. The plot thickens with another murder mystery and a sleuthing reporter.

A Trap

1965
Matsumoto Seicho's Black Leather Notebook
10.0

Upon finding out about the existence of a huge slush fund, veteran teller Haraguchi Motoko carefully plans for six months and finally succeeds in embezzling 75 million yen, which she uses to open a club in Ginza.

Matsumoto Seicho's Black Leather Notebook

1982
Deep Sea of Tree
6.3

Sachiko lost her parents at an early age and lived together with her only sister Nobuko who worked for a newspaper. Out of the blue, she is told that Nobuko is killed in an accident, but she simply cannot believe it because her sister had told her she was going to an entirely different place. She begins her investigations on her sister’s mysterious death with the help of Nobuko’s colleague and journalist Ryoichi. And when another colleague, Tomoe commits suicide, Sachiko has a gut feeling that a well-known figure is involved in the death of her sister...

Deep Sea of Tree

2016
Kyukei no Koya
N/A

Based on novel 1962 "Kyukei no Koya" by Seicho Matsumoto. A serial murder occurs around the heroine Kumiko because she finds evidence that her father, who should have died, was "alive." Set in 1945, near the end of WW II, Kenichiro Nogami is reported to have died in a Swiss hospital. In fact, he is working behind the scenes to save Japan from destruction. For this cause, Kenichiro Nogami has left behind his wife and nation to work in hiding.

Kyukei no Koya

1978
Beast Alley
7.0

Desperate to escape her grueling life caring for her paralyzed husband, Tamiko murders him and burns down their home to start anew. She is soon entangled in the dark web of an influential, elderly power broker, becoming his mistress and a pawn in his political schemes. As she descends further into a downward spiral of moral decay, Tamiko realizes that the freedom she sought is merely a new form of entrapment.

Beast Alley

1965
Kyukei no Koya
N/A

Set in 1945, near the end of WW II, Kenichiro Nogami is reported to have died in a Swiss hospital. In fact, Kenichiro Nogami is working behind the scenes to save Japan from destruction. For this cause, Kenichiro Nogami has left behind his wife and nation to work in hiding. Meanwhile, a murder takes place and detectives Jiro Suzuki & Shoichi Soeda investigate. Clues lead to Kenichiro Nogami ...

Kyukei no Koya

2010
Points and Lines
6.3

Based on Matsumoto Seicho's classic mystery novel of the same name, the story centers around a group of detectives who are determined to find the truth behind an apparent double suicide.

Points and Lines

1958
The Shadow Within
5.7

When a married man begins an affair with a woman from his past, he comes to suspect her young son intends to murder him.

The Shadow Within

1970