East Wind Coming

by Yuichi Hirayama

  Just on the left side of the entrance, there was a large decorative writing table belonging to Dr. Watson. There was also the good doctor’s hat and twin elephant dolls, a souvenir from India,. In front of the fire, we found a round table and two chairs for Holmes and Watson. They sat down there and argued their cases. On the table, there was a copy of The Times and Holmes’ pipe. Next to the fire, near the window, Holmes’ chemical experiment table was full of bottles of medicines. I wondered how Holmes experimented there with an oil lamp. It was dangerous and might lead to an explosion if the materials were handled carelessly.

  On the other side, there was a small table for Holmes. I was surprised to see that it was too small for him. A book was open on the table, and I found a drawing of “Cyanea Capillata” there. Last time I saw it, it was open to another page. It might be a small improvement.

  The fireplace was a simple one. I could not find a curved poker, however, Holmes’ unanswered correspondence was transfixed by a jack-knife into his wooden mantelpiece. There was also a photo of Irene (?), a Persian slipper without tobacco, pipes, a magnifying glass, a bull’s-eye lantern and a tobacco jug. Holmes’ violin was left between the mantelpiece and chemical experiment desk. This must be the worst place for a violin, one of the most delicate musical instruments.

  There was a door to Holmes’ bedroom on the west side, between Watson’s desk and Holmes’ desk. This situation resembled that of the Granada’s series, too. But the sitting room in Granada’s series was an “L” shaped one, and its shorter arm was used for a chemical experiment area. This museum’s sitting room was square and much smaller.

  Holmes’ bedroom was small. There was a window and two doors. His simple bed was near the south side wall, and the fireplace was in the corner. Two chests, a mirror and a jar for face washing were at the opposite side of his bed. Many photographs of criminals were hung on walls. However, there were no descriptions of this room in the Canon, so we were not reminded of any cases Watson had written about.

  The large room on the second floor was an exhibition of small items related to the Canon. However, most of them were toys and dolls that you could purchase easily anywhere. The only one which drew my attention was a life size bust of Holmes, in his dressing gown and holding a pipe. There was no description of it. If any reader knows about it, I would like your help.

  The small room on the second floor was a souvenir shop last time, but now there were some books and pictures related to the Canon. However, none of them drew my attention.

  The third floor was closed last time, but this year we could go upstairs. The small room was closed, and the large room was a new souvenir shop. Most of items could be found at other shops, and most of them were a little expensive. I purchased a neck tie with silhouettes of Holmes.

  We were surprised to find more stairs going up. There was a toilet! I have never seen the 221B toilet. I am not convinced that it was in a garret. There must have been difficulty to produce a toilet there. We also found some trunks there.

  Most Sherlockian magazines said that this “notorious” museum was too “commercial.” We felt that its admission price, five pounds each was expensive for that exhibition. That of Madame Tassaud’s was 5.95 pounds, that of Museum of London was three pounds.

  However, this place is convenient for foreign visitors. This time, we were lucky to have plenty of time to visit Manchester, to see another 221B Granada Studio Tour. Its Holmes museum was produced by the Northern Musgraves, and was full of interesting Sherlockian items, but Granada’s 221B was different from its television scenes, and admission was nearly ten pounds. (We needed train tickets, too.) Other exhibitions, for example, Coronation Street, were not familiar to us. If I were just a Sherlockian, I might have hesitated to visit Manchester just for the studio.

  The Sherlock Holmes Pub of Charing Cross had another Holmes’ sitting room. This room was in a corner of its restaurant, and was separated by glass walls. We could not enter this room, and it was too small. Its original exhibition, forty years ago, might have been larger, but now it was just a lumber room. We could see it through a window of a passageway, but if we have supper at this restaurant, we would need more than ten pounds each.

  If we blame this museum for being too “commercial,” we must blame the Granada Studio and Sherlock Holmes Pub, too. I know its owner’s naughty attitude when it was opened might have caused unpleasant experiences for British Sherlockians. However, we overseas visitors have limited time and money to visit England. We want to visit as many as Sherlockian places as we can. We are not satisfied with this museum, but we cannot omit it when we visit London from the Far East.

  (The Shoso-in Bulletin vol.4, 1994)

  Prophecies of Nostradamus and the Canon

  Michael Nostradamus (1503-1566) was born in Provence, France. He studied medicine at the University of Montpelier, where Holmes also studied chemistry during the Great Hiatus.

  He lived in Salon, and published his first almanac, consisting of enigmatic poems of prediction. He continued publishing this series, which is called Centuries. According to Henry C. Roberts, “They were written in “quatrains,” or verses of four lines, with their meaning purposely obscured to prevent his being labeled a magician.” The Centuries referred not to calendar years but to the fact that there was a series of 100 quatrains to each section; thus, a century of quatrains means 100 verses.”

  Nostradamus was welcome in the royal court of France, and Catherine de Medici consulted him with great interest. It is widely known that he predicted the death of Henry II by accident, the life of Napoleon, the fame of Pasteur, and Hitler and World War II.

  I do not know if he was a real prophet or not, but if he was, didn’t he predict one of the most important and famous persons in the world? Yes, his name is Sherlock Holmes, the Master. He is the most well known British man who ever lived, and the Canon is translated into many languages around the world.

  It is not in vain, to search for verses related to the Master. I have found several interesting results. It might be proof that Holmes really existed. (However, this goes without saying for serious Sherlockians.) All the verses in this article are from Henry C. Roberts’ The Complete Prophecies of Nostradamus (1982).

  (1) Scandal in Bohemia

  The first Nostradamus verse about Holmes is about SCAN.

  A king shall be troubled by the answer of a lady,

  Ambassadors shall despise their lives,

  The great one being undecided, shall counterfeit his brothers,

  They shall die by two, anger, hatred, and envy.

  (Centuries 1, 85)

  Roberts states, “Note the mid-twentieth-century abdication of Edward VIII caused by his love affair with Wallis Simpson. Nostradamus also makes his first reference to the assassinations of the Kennedy brothers.”

  His theory might explain the meaning of this verse, however, it is curious that two cases (Edward VIII and Kennedy) are included in one verse. There are some contradictions in his interpretation. It was Edward VIII, who made great trouble, not with Mrs. Simpson, but with the British people. Edward and Mrs. Simpson lived peacefully in France. No one made an attempt on their lives. Did JFK betray his brothers, Robert and Edward? No, they cooperated well. Two of them, John and Robert were killed, but what this verse says is that the other two (brothers) were dead because of “the Great one.” John did not kill Robert and Edward. Edward is still alive.

  Sherlockians would be reminded of SCAN when they read this verse. The first line reads, “A king shall be troubled by the answer of a lady.” It is easy to understand this king is the King of Bohemia, and this lady is Irene Adler who “Threatens to send them the photograph.”

  The second line means these words of the king: “Twice burglars in my pay ransacked her house. Once we diverted her luggage when she travelled. Twice she has been waylaid. There has been no result.” They are clearly
criminal attempts on Irene Adler, by the king’s agents, who were described by Nostradamus as “Ambassadors.” Such illegal behavior might cause her serious injury.

  “The great one” is none other than the Master, Sherlock Holmes. This should be clear to anybody. Holmes, disguised as a Non-conformist clergyman, found out where the photograph was. However, he did not take it back that night. He left it there, and returned to 221B. He wanted to show the king his skill, and postponed his final work. “I shall call with the King tomorrow, and with you, if you care to come with us. We will be shown into the sitting-room to wait for the lady, but it is probable that when she comes she may find neither us nor the photograph. It might be a satisfaction to His Majesty to regain it with his own hands.” It was his fault that he was “undecided.” It caused Sherlock Holmes to “stagger back, white with chagrin and surprise.” His manner caused “counterfeit” victory to the king.

  The largest problem is the last line. Watson said at the beginning of this story, “the late Irene Adler.” It is clear Irene Adler died before July 1891, when SCAN was published in the Strand. One of the two that died is Irene, I believe. The other is her husband, Mr. Godfrey Norton. Is there any connection between her death and her husband’s? It is interesting that Watson called her “the late Irene Adler,” not “the late Irene Norton.” Watson knew the truth of her death, but did not describe it in detail. His expression suggests there were some problems between Mr. and Mrs. Norton, and it is not impossible they led to this tragedy. I believe Godfrey killed Irene, and she killed him, too. The reason would be a problem of the fair sex, and its result was “They shall die by two, anger, hatred, and envy.”

  There are also interesting results from the view point of mystic mathematics. In SCAN, one figure appears frequently. It is “seven.”

  This episode was published in the Strand in July, the 7th month of 1891. Watson put on seven pounds since last meeting Holmes. There were seventeen steps in 221B Baker Street. (In mystic mathematics, seventeen and seven have the same meaning.) The King of Bohemia was “hardly less than six feet six inches in height,” that is, about seven feet high. His name was Wilhelm Gottsreich Sigismond von Ormstein, Grand Duke of Cassel-Felstein, and hereditary King of Bohemia. He had seven names. The crest of the King of Bohemia was a lion with a tail torn into two ends. Total of the ends, head, two hands, two legs and two tails, is seven. The King gave Holmes 700 pounds. Irene returned home at just seven o’clock. Edgar W. Smith thought the King of Bohemia was Edward VII. This verse was chapter 1, number 85. 1+8+5=14. 14 is 7 plus 7.

  In ancient Egypt, they used a kind of divination with three dice. In this type of fortune-telling, “seven” means “embroiled in a scandal.” This meaning coincides with the story and the title of SCAN. There are two scandals in this episode. The first scandal is that the marriage of the King of Bohemia was threatened by Irene Adler. The second scandal is Irene Adler running away with Godfrey Norton. These two explain why the total of Nostradamus’s verse numbers was 14.

  Tarot card fortune-telling says the reverse meaning of “seven” is: “defeat, miss at the last moment, plan breakdowns suddenly, overwhelmed by other, cannot achieve something with responsibility.”

  Readers will be reminded of the last scene of SCAN. “Sherlock Holmes staggered back, white with chagrin and surprise.” Watson says “how the best plans of Mr. Sherlock Holmes were beaten by a woman’s wit.” Just as this card says.

  This is not all the information included in this verse. According to Nakamura Kei-ichi of Hitotsubashi University and Daniel Lege, another calculation reveals definite proof. This verse is chapter 1, number 85, as we saw above. 1=1, 8=8, 1+8=9, root of 1+8 is 3, (5x8)/2=20. This means March 20, 1889, the date of SCAN as proposed by Baring-Gould (1955), Christ and Blakney. It is not a mere coincidence such a date was produced from these numbers.

  If Sherlock Holmes really existed, Nostradamus’ verse must have spoken the truth. Any serious Sherlockian will accept the former, however, I do not know if his other verses on world history are true, especially his claim that the world will collapse in 1999!

  (2) The Speckled Band

  This episode is one of the most important ones in the Canon, and it was not difficult to find a verse on SPEC. Like others, it is not hard to understand.

  By a wild name one shall be called,

  So that three sisters shall have the name of Fate

  Afterword a great people by tongue and deeds shall say,

  He shall have fame and renown more than any other.

  (1-76)

  One of the famous scholars of Nostradamus, Henry C. Roberts claims “Nostradamus very definitely feels that a Messiah will come.” Uchida Hideo, a Japanese scholar of Nostradamus, wrote “Man’s nickname might have its origins in his activities before his birth.” No readers would not find what they want to say, and would not agree with them.

  However, from the Sherlockian point of view, it is clear the man who “by a wild name one shall be called,” is none other than Doctor Grimesby Roylott. He is described thusly: “he shut himself up in his house and seldom came out save to indulge in ferocious quarrels with whoever might cross his path. Violence of temper approaching to mania has been hereditary in the men of the family, and in my stepfather’s case it had, I believe, been intensified by his long residence in the tropics.” And when Dr. Roylott visited Baker Street, the manner he leaves is, “hurling the twisted poker into the fireplace he strode out of the room.” Also, the name “Roylott” resembles “riot”.

  In the second line, “three sisters” means Mrs. Stoner and her twin daughters, Julia and Helen. Dr. Roylott began his evil career tied into their destiny. These three were “the name of Fate.” Watson said that Mrs. Stoner “was killed eight years ago in a railway accident near Crewe.” However, I think Mrs. Stoner was killed by the doctor, making it looked like an accident. “Three sisters” ruled the destiny of the man of “a wild name.” Of course, Julia was killed and Helen was attacked by a poison snake.

  The third and fourth lines should be considered as one. They do not deal with the case itself, but the great reputation mentioned in the fourth line is, of course, that of Sherlock Holmes himself.

  In Conan Doyle’s “The Best of Sherlock Holmes” selection of 1927, SPEC took the first place. He always mentioned it as “the grim snake story.” The eminent mystery writer Edogawa Ranpo also chose it for inclusion in his best ten stories of the Canon. Edogawa examined many mystery anthologies, and found that SPEC ranked sixth in frequency of use. In 1959, the Baker Street Journal published a list of favorites, and the first place story was SPEC. Even in Japan, the third place story of The Japan Sherlock Holmes Club’s “The Best of Sherlock Holmes,” was SPEC. It is true that “Afterword a great people by tongue and deeds shall say, He shall have fame and renown more than any other.”

  In this verse, the figure “three” was mentioned, and this is important. It is interesting that there are many “threes” in SPEC.

  First, this episode occurred “early in April in the year ‘83.” Helen Stoner was “a woman of thirty.” Roylott family’s estate was in three counties, Surrey, Berkshire and Hampshire. Dr. Roylott married Mrs. Stoner, and had three new family members. Three people lived in his house, Roylott, Julia and Helen. Their three bedrooms were in one wing. Julia told Helen “About three in the morning, I heard a low, clear whistle.” Of Roylott’s household income, Holmes said “through the fall in agricultural prices, not more than £750. Each daughter can claim an income of £250, in case of marriage.” When two daughters married, Roylott could receive only one third of his income. Julia died when she was thirty. Three people, Holmes, Watson and Helen examined Stoke-Moran. In this story, three criminal doctor’s names, Roylott, Palmer and Pritchard were mentioned. Roylott committed his crime after three o’clock. Three members of the Roylott’s family died in this story. And three people, Helen, Armitage and Westphail
lived. This story was written on thirty-three pieces of paper.

  “Three” means “Empress” in Tarot card fortune-telling. There were exactly three females in this story. The meaning of this card is “marriage.” Roylott got his fortune through his marriage, and committed murder to prevent the loss of the fortune throught the marriages of two daughters.

  Like SCAN, we can get the date of this adventure from the number of the verse. It is chapter 1, number 76. 1=1, 1+7=8, 7+6+70=83, (7+1)/2=4, 6=6. This means April 6, 1883, the date of SPEC as proposed by Baring-Gould. In addition,

  log761=2.8813847......

  Almost 2.9. Sherlock Holmes was born in 1854, and he was twenty-nine years old in 1883.

  Roberts believed that this verse was one of the vaguest ones, but now it is very clear for us.

  (3) The Five Orange Pips

  Thirty of London shall secretly conspire,

  Against the King, upon the bridge the plot shall be made,

  These satellites shall taste of death,

  A King shall be elected, fair, and born in the Low Countries.

  (4-89)

  Roberts said “The Guy Fawkes gunpowder plot against the British Throne is clearly outlined here.” Guy Fawkes intended to assassinate King James I and members of Parliament with bombs in the Houses of Parliament, on November 5, 1605. This case is now widely known as the “Guy Fawkes Day” festival. However, there are several problems with Roberts’ interpretation.

  In the second line, “upon the bridge the plot shall be made,” but Fawkes and his fellows set up their bomb in the basement of the Houses of Parliament. Roberts may insist that Nostradamus mixed up Westminster Bridge and Westminster Palace. It is true both of them have the same name, and the Palace is at the foot of the Bridge. But “on the bridge” is far different from “in the basement.” I would prefer to read this line as it is, and I think another case occurred on or near a bridge. It is nothing other than the murder case of John Openshaw, in FIVE. “The plot shall be made” means assassins thrust Openshaw over the embankment into the Thames river. “Against the King” is that K.K.K. members committed lynching, which is against the law of Britain. In British court, prosecution is done in the name of the King or Queen. Breaking the law is in opposition to the Crown. In addition, Waterloo Bridge was famous for suicides, like Sakata-yama Mountain, Mihara-yama Mountain or the Takashimadaira housing development in Japan. The K.K.K. members wanted the death of young Openshaw to look like suicide, but at the last moment Openshaw cried out, and the scheme failed. However, the police misunderstood it as an accident.