‘Someone in this room – yes, this room – was working with the Yakuza and keeping Professor Moriarty informed. Let us look at the possibilities.’
There was a breathless silence in the room.
‘I was never comfortable with Miss Nohara, since I have always had a particular view on the ability of women to keep secrets. I suspected that she was a possibility because she had access to Mr Oshima’s correspondence. Further, she had been the person to give us the initial information about the arrangements of the saiko-komon of the Sumiyoshi-kai and Inagawa-kai with the Shanghai Triad and of the commencement of the Europe project. It seemed probable that she was the weak link. But I had nothing definitive.’
Miss Nohara did not respond, continuing to look down demurely.
‘Then I considered Mr Yoshida – how could this deterioration of the Diplomatic Services have happened without the knowledge of its head? Was it possible that he had deliberately looked the other way?’
Yoshida-san’s face was red with embarrassment and shame. He too did not respond.
‘However, I had no proof. Further, I also discovered that except for a couple, most ambassadors were not involved. He had spoken to me once with great feeling about the damage that could be done to Japan’s image if the suspicions were brought to light. This seemed to rule out Mr Yoshida, though more evidence was needed to establish his lack of involvement.’
Sherlock Holmes turned to Oshima-san and smiled grimly. The tension in the room was acute.
‘Mr Oshima. What a delicate position to be in! To be aware of your nation’s greatest secrets and often being unable to act. To watch events, to conjecture and to consider how events, a world away, might impact your nation. I do not envy you.’
The emperor gasped. ‘Oshima-san! Impossible!’
Oshima-san’s face was ashen. ‘You have made a mistake. I must protest! I am a loyal servant of the Emperor!’ he said in a hoarse voice.
‘Of course you are, Mr Oshima,’ responded Holmes in a soothing voice. ‘I never accused you of anything. I merely said that your position was delicate. In my considered opinion, you are one of Japan’s greatest patriots.’
Holmes sat down. ‘One of you, Mr Otawa, Mr Sugiyama and Mr Sasaki – one of you is in the pay of the Yakuza. And I know who it is. I can review the case for and against each of you, but I do not see the point. Let us not waste time. We have none. A confession may be best.’
Sugiyama-san shot out of his chair and, before any of us could act, swiftly positioned himself behind Miss Nohara. He took out a revolver, pressing it to her head, while pulling her hair back violently.
‘Hand over the papers to Masako, or I shall kill her without hesitation!’ he barked at Holmes, completely transformed from the mild-mannered, urbane diplomat he had been seconds ago.
‘What is the meaning of this outrage? How dare you enter this room with a gun?’ shouted the emperor.
His guards leapt forward, standing in front of him with their swords out. The others in the room sank back in their chairs, shocked. Holmes was quite unperturbed, as was Miss Nohara. I was considerably dismayed by the unexpected turn of events.
‘I will shoot her if anyone moves! Believe me!’ shouted Sugiyama-san, holding Miss Nohara’s neck firmly.
Holmes handed over the sheaf of sheet music to Miss Nohara.
‘Stand up!’ cried Sugiyama-san.
Dragging Miss Nohara roughly, Sugiyama-san took her to the fireplace.
‘Throw them in! Now!’
Miss Nohara threw the sheaf of papers into the fire. They crackled and sputtered and were burned to ashes in less than a minute. With them went the complete list of diplomats and the proofs of their complicity. We watched in silence and horror as the product of years of painstaking intelligence was destroyed.
‘Your work is gone, Holmes-san. I am sorry.’
‘You will not be able to escape, Sugiyama-san,’ said Oshimasan, quietly. ‘It is best you surrender. There is no escape. None.’
‘That we shall see. We are now everywhere, including this very palace!’
‘I knew it was you, Mr Sugiyama,’ said Sherlock Holmes in an even voice. ‘I was suspicious of you when we met for the first time, then as we travelled by train to Vladivostok though I knew nothing at that point. It was all too easy and perfect.’
Sugiyama-san laughed. ‘It really does not matter, Holmessan. Our plans are in place. You will not be able to interfere. The Yakuza will soon take over Japan. The world will bow in acknowledgment of our superiority and be guided by our glorious nation. We are opposed to the Restoration! The purity of the Japanese race must be preserved at all costs and foreigners with their corrupting ideas cannot be allowed to roam about unchecked. As we speak, my colleagues are entering the Imperial Palace and will be here in precisely two minutes.’
‘This from a distinguished ambassador to Switzerland,’ remarked Holmes, amused. ‘I would have expected you to have developed a liberal perspective on many matters.’
‘My long sojourns in Europe taught me one thing, Holmessan – Japan is superior. In all ways. Europe is decadent and their people impressionable and easy to control. But their pretentions are corrupting. The Restoration will corrode the glory of Japan and that cannot be permitted to happen. Do you think Japanese diplomats acting in concert with the Yakuza are driven solely by money? No! Many strongly oppose the Restoration and are prepared to do whatever is necessary to subvert it and restore Japan to its pure state. I, like many other diplomats, belong to an ancient Samurai family and cannot tolerate the slow erosion of Japan’s position of preeminence!’
‘Tell me, was it you who informed Professor Moriarty about me?’
‘Of course. He knew about you having escaped death by the time we reached Moscow.’
‘And the assassination of the guard on the Trans-Siberian?’
‘It was I, of course.’
‘The murder of the agent at Vladivostok?’
‘The work of my agent.’
‘The accident at Gare du Nord, Paris?’
‘Of course!’
‘The runaway carriage in Madrid? The boat incident at Rotterdam?’
‘Really, Holmes-san! You already know the answers. Why do you ask such questions?’
‘What can you tell me about the meeting with Professor Moriarty at the Louvre?’
‘Precisely as you guessed. The professor wanted to verify your identity with his own eyes. You tried your best with a good disguise, but he knew immediately.’
‘But why all this?’
‘To lure you into our trap and to keep you close. Professor Moriarty was clear that the only man who could come in the way of his plans for the domination of Europe was you. It was better for us to have you under constant observation, feed you incorrect information and get an idea from you about how the Japanese government was responding. We were successful to a very large extent.’
‘The demise of the Japanese ambassador to France, Mr Takenaka?’
‘A simple matter of the introduction of shellfish poison in his soup, Mr Holmes. A painful attack of respiratory paralysis preceded his regrettable death. He was altogether a nuisance and we did not appreciate his sending back Takada-san to Tokyo.’
‘The accidental death of Mr Kasama in Shanghai?’
‘You correctly deduced the hand of Miss Bryant, our singularly efficient Shanghai operative. And, of course, we followed you from the moment you embarked on the North Star – you were attacked in Angkor Wat. Of course, I am aware that our agents mistook some other gentleman for you till Bombay and you therefore missed death in Alexandria. You are a very lucky man, Mr Holmes. But not anymore. And now, enough talk. My friends from the Yakuza should be here any moment.’
‘They will not be coming, Sugiyama-san,’ Miss Nohara spoke for the first time. She was smiling.
‘You are not the only person with deep contacts in the Yakuza. You have been under observation for a very long time now and your views against the emperor and his vis
ion of the Restoration are well known in the leadership ranks of the Yakuza. I may not belong to the Yakuza, but Honda-san and I did whatever was necessary to convince those who you thought were your friends that a militant Yakuza operation in the Imperial Palace of the Emperor, with the possible objective of capturing or assassinating him would turn public opinion very strongly against them. This afternoon, when you were informed of this emergency meeting, you visited them and asked them to take positions, since you guessed Holmes-san would inform the emperor and you needed to seize the opportunity, rather than wait for the two Yakuza assassins to arrive on the North Star. They assured you they would and promptly informed Honda-san. None are in position. You have made a very bad miscalculation. Please surrender. There are three revolvers pointed at you now. And oh yes, the bullets in your revolver are harmless. We replaced them in the afternoon while you were at lunch.’
Sugiyama-san’s face lost colour and his hand faltered. ‘A lie!’ he snarled. He pointed his revolver at Miss Nohara and fired. Nothing happened. He fired again and again.
The revolver fell from his trembling hand and clattered on the floor.
Within seconds, Sherlock Holmes, Sasaki-san and I had overpowered Sugiyama-san, held him down and tied him up. The emperor’s bodyguards quickly escorted him out of the room, while Oshima-san and the others watched, almost paralyzed with shock.
‘And Mr Sugiyama, the papers that you burnt were useless. They were a copy of a genuine musical score Leider De Onne Worter, Songs without Words, by one of my favourite composers, Mendelssohn. The original papers with the musical scores had already reached the emperor’s office this morning through the good offices of Miss Nohara. They are being decrypted as we speak. You don’t think I would be so foolish as to have only one copy? I made two more copies – one for my personal records and the other to be kept with my brother Mycroft, with specific instructions on what to do if he did not hear from me within a specified time.’
In the days that followed, Sherlock Holmes and I were treated with great honour and accorded the most gracious hospitality by the emperor. One lavish banquet was followed by another and a fascinating kabuki performance, Yoshitsune Senbon Zakura (Yoshitsune and the Thousand Cherry Trees) was succeeded by another splendid performance on the huge kodo drums. Emperor Meiji showed us his bonsai collection and also took us inside rooms that contained the greatest treasures of ancient Japan, not accessible to the general public. He was clearly a connoisseur of the arts; paintings, calligraphy, sculpture, music – he was interested in everything and had an opinion on it all. He showed us his private collection of the paintings of the great artist Hokusai, noted for the use of Prussian Blue. In another room were fascinating examples of the ukiyo-e art from the Edo era.
The emperor regretted his lack of knowledge of the English language, but knew a great deal of English history. He asked us many questions on the attitudes, work habits, food habits and languages of Europe. He spoke of transforming Japan and making it a world economic power one day. ‘Sometimes too much history is not so good, Holmes-san,’ he once mused. ‘When we are too proud of our past, we do not think of our future.’ His sagacity shone through in those simple words.
The emperor had earlier composed a much-admired Waka poem on friendship, which he wrote out in his own hand and presented to Sherlock Holmes. The palace-authorized official translation (not a very good one) runs thus:
To be friends
To show each another
Your faults
Is the true spirit
Of friendship
‘What next, Holmes, or should I say Holmes-san?’ I asked, resting at our lodgings a few days later, waiting for confirmation of our return journey on the North Star, which had docked in Yokohama; the two arriving Yakuza members had been immediately arrested to their surprise and discomfiture.
Holmes spent several minutes playing an extremely mournful Indian score on his violin. The wailing assailed my eardrums and I saw visions of Mr Binayak Sen, the chortling Indian guru in Calcutta.
‘The detention of Mr Sugiyama does not necessarily solve the issue. After his debriefing, I am certain he will be asked to commit suicide as an honourable means of closure. I fully expect that the emperor will follow my advice and send special envoys to seek out audiences with the heads of state of all European nations, with a personal letter from him expressing his deep mortification that elements in his kingdom actively conspired in illegal activities carried out in their territories. He will present the names of their officials as well, with the relevant proof needed to effect arrests.
‘But, as usual, we shall have to live with the spectre of Professor Moriarty’s presence in Europe. Yes, the Shanghai Triad’s European operations will be rooted out and many criminals will be arrested. I am quite sure that there will be no evidence linking Professor Moriarty to any of this. He is ahead of us in these matters, Watson, and we should respect him for that. He will view it as just another temporary inconvenience that I have created for him and will already be working out his next stratagem with renewed vigour.’
The large and cheerful Jiro Hamada entered with an excellent selection of sashimi and hot sake. He had recovered from the attempted poisoning and was his usual hearty self. He left the room and returned in a few minutes with a koto.
‘I present you with this, Holmes-san. You take back to England as memory of Japan and of me, your tomodachi – your friend.’
Sherlock Holmes was never a man to display emotion, but he held Hamada’s hand warmly. He accepted the koto with gratitude, holding the instrument respectfully and with care. Then he made an attempt to play it and produced a tune tolerably well.
‘Now, Watson, my dear fellow, do me a favour and write out an urgent wire to be dispatched in the morning.’
‘Yes, Holmes, what shall I say?’
‘Say this: Safe in Japan with Sherlock Holmes. Will return together on the next available voyage of the North Star.
‘Address it to Mrs Mary Watson. You know where the telegram is to be delivered.’
Epilogue
The Sensei in our village school said I was a fool because my
head was filled with useless facts. I know yours is filled
with the desire to know more. You wish to live
forever and be an eternal student. How wonderful!
I pray that your wish is granted.
Clara Bryant was detained in Shanghai. She was tried for multiple murders, found guilty and sentenced to death. She was subsequently executed.
Hiroshi Sugiyama, the suave ambassador of Japan to Switzerland, who had been found to be part of the nexus between the Diplomatic Services and the Yakuza, was persuaded to commit suicide by jumping off a bridge near Sagami Bay near the Buddha of Kamakura. This was found to be a better solution than subjecting him to a trial, which would have caused other sensitive matters to come to light.
Shamsher Singh, the fascinating aide to the maharajah of Patiala, kept up a lively correspondence with us. He was in touch with Holmes when the scandal pertaining to the proposed marriage of the maharajah with the daughter of his Irish horse-master broke out.
Sherlock Holmes was accorded the highest civilian award of Japan, the Red Ribbon, and I too was given an award, the Green Ribbon, which I believe I did not deserve at all. We were also made honorary citizens of Japan.
Yoshida-san resigned, accepting moral responsibility for having allowed the rot in the Diplomatic Services to reach such depths.
Sasaki-san became a votary for the increased use of science in intelligence gathering. He convened a meeting of the Intelligence chiefs of several countries to exchange ideas and planted the seed for the establishment of an International Police Bureau. On Holmes’s suggestion, he sent an invitation to the Indian scientist Jagdish Chandra Bose to visit Tokyo; we have no idea whether he accepted.
Oshima-san retired three months after we left Japan. He was replaced by Masako Nohara. No one could find reason to object to the appointment of a wom
an of such sterling merit to the position of the director of Intelligence Research. I understand that she commissioned a portrait of Sherlock Holmes and had it hung in a prominent spot in the office to serve as a permanent reminder of the man.
Kasama-san and Takenaka-san were posthumously honoured for their services to Japan.
In the expected purge, all 138 Japanese diplomats who had become pawns of the Yakuza were withdrawn from the Japanese Diplomatic Services and arrested for various crimes, including sedition. While some committed suicide through the complex ritual of disembowelment called seppuku, others were sentenced to life in prison and a very small number were executed (Takada-san, for example).
The Yakuza withdrew its personnel from Europe and terminated the arrangement with the Shanghai Green Gang Triad. I would imagine that the individuals involved were forced to undergo yet another ubitsume ceremony – or two.
Sherlock Holmes did write a monograph called The Classical Music of India and thereafter another, The Japanese Koto – pentatonic musical possibilities for the Western String Ensemble, both of which were received with critical acclaim by scholars across the world. He is applying finishing touches to another monograph, The Flora of the Malay Peninsula, and is spending time at the British Library researching some aspects of the rule of the Khmer King Jayavarman VII, who was the force behind Angkor Wat, the grand symbol of Cambodia. He has hinted at many more monographs to come, but I have chosen to ignore his threat.
Holmes has considered discontinuing the use of cocaine after the heartfelt pleas of Oshima-san. Holmes and the Indian scientist, Jagdish Chandra Bose, have maintained a vigorous personal correspondence. He has, to my consternation, also become a passionate votary of a vegetarian diet and spoken – persuasively, I understand – at the Royal Society.
Sherlock Holmes In Japan Page 23
