East Wind Coming

by Yuichi Hirayama

  Bibliography

  1 Goodman, Charles; “The Dental Holmes,” Profile by Gaslight, Edited by Edgar W. Smith, Simon and Schuster, New York, 1944.

  2. Kurokawa, Hiroomi, Ezura, Akira; “Dental Examination at Geriatric Welfare and Health Care Institutes in Niigata Prefecture,” Shigaku, 87(1): 64-70, 1999.

  3. Sewill, Henry; Dental Surgery: Including Special Anatomy and Pathology, London, Bailliere, Tindall & Cox, 1901.

  4. Smale, Morton & Colyer, J.F.; Diseases and Injuries of the Teeth, Including Pathology and Treatment, London, Longmans, Green, and Co., 1893.

  5. Meredith, L. R.; The Teeth and How to Save Them, London, William Tegg, 1872.

  6. “Hospital Reports,” The British Journal of Dental Association, p396-97, Vol.31, I, 1888.

  7. Sheiham, Aubrey; “Periodontal Disease and Oral Cleanliness in Tobacco Smokers,” J. Perriodontol.Vol.42, No.5, p259-63, May, 1971.

  8. Bergstrom, Jan, Eliasson, Soren, Preber, Hans: “Cigarette Smoking and Periodontal Bone Loss,” J. Periodontal, Vol.62, No.4, p242-246, April 1991.

  9. Hanioka, Takashi, Shizukuishi, Satoshi: “Shishubyou Kanja to Kitsuen Shukan,” (Periodontitis Patients and Smoking Habits) The Journal of the Japan Dental Association, Vol.49, No.6, p17-29, 1996. (in Japanese)

  10. Rosenbaum, Charles H.: “Did you treat a drug addict today?” Int Dent. J Vol.31, No.4, p307-11, 1981.

  11. Lee, C.Y.S., Mohammadi, H., Dixon, R.:”Medical and Dental Implications of Cocaine Abuse” J Oral Maxillofac Surg., Vol.49, p290-93, 1991.

  (The Shoso-in Bulletin vol.10, 2000)

  Chinese Works in the History of Sherlockian Pastiches

  It is said the Sherlock Holmes stories, which anyone would have read in the childhood, have inspired the largest amount of parodies or pastiches in western literature. Several of them have been translated into Japanese, and even Japanese writers, for example, Yamada Futarou, Shibata Renzaburou, Hoshi Shin-ichi and many others have written their own parodies or pastiches of the Master. That phenomenon would tell how attractive Sherlock Holmes is, and how many Sherlockians there are in the world.

  What is the first Sherlockian parody in the world? The first story from the Canon, A Study in Scarlet, was published in 1887, but it was not so popular and so no one would have been interested in creating a parody. The boom of Sherlock Holmes came after the publication of the series of short stories in The Strand in 1891. Several months later, in November of that year, “My Evening with Sherlock Holmes” was published in The Speaker under an anonymous name. It is said that this is the first Sherlockian parody. This short story makes fun of Holmes’ observations and detections about his client at the first acquaintance. The first American parody was John Kendrick Bangs’ fun novel, The Pursuit of the House-Boat, published in 1897. Later published parodies were also parodies for fun or a joke.

  The French writer Maurice Leblanc choose Herlock Sholmes as a counter part of Arsene Lupin in “Too Late, Herlock Sholmes” (1907) and Arsene Lupin VS Herlock Sholmes (1908). This story and novel is not for just laughs. As Lupin stories, they are serious works. However, from the point of view of Sherlockian parody, Holmes’ name was changed, and he was treated as a dull detective to show Lupin to advantage. It is not possible to call these stories pastiches.

  The first pastiche of the Sherlock Holmes stories was, perhaps, not until 1920. In this year of the origin of Sherlockiana, Vincent Starrett published “The Unique Hamlet” privately.

  However, it was not republished commercially until the anthology The Misadventures of Sherlock Holmes in 1944. Meanwhile, August Derleth started to write the Solar Pons series in 1929. His intention was that since the original Canon was not published anymore, he would write the new Canon instead of Conan Doyle. Though the names of the characters and the times are different from the Canon, it is the successor of the Canon in spirit. But since the names are changed, strictly speaking, it is not a pastiche.

  There is a curious short story called “The Man Who Was Wanted.” This manuscript was found in Doyle’s library after his death, and it was believed to be an unpublished new Sherlock Holmes story. This story was first published in The Cosmopolitan Magazine in 1948. However, after detailed investigation, this manuscript was found to be written by an architect named Arthur Whitaker in 1910. Doyle had bought it as an idea for the Canon at ten guineas, and left it in his papers. In terms of the year of writing, it is the earliest pastiche. Whitaker wanted it to be published with himself as a co-author with Doyle, and he would not have any intention to write a pastiche when he created it.

  The first introduction of Sherlock Holmes in China was in, “Ying Baotan Kan Daomiyue An (A British Detective’s Stolen Treaty Case)”, in Shiwu Bao August 1 - September 21, 1894 (The Naval Treaty). After that, Holmes stories were translated one after another in China. The Japanese mystery writer Edogawa Rampo wrote “It is common knowledge that Chinese mysteries are backward compared to those in Japanese, but it was unexpected for me to see that at least in the translation of Holmes, they were ahead of us.” However, the first Japanese translation was “Kojiki Doraku” (Nihonjin, January 3 - February 18, 1894, The Man with the Twisted Lip), which was actually slightly earlier than that of Chinese. In any case, in the amount of translations of Holmes and other Doyle works in the 1900s and 1910s, Chinese works were not inferior to Japanese ones, and in addition, works which were still not translated into Japanese were already introduced to China.

  In 1916, all 44 Holmes stories published until that time were published as the collected edition that surprised Edogawa Rampo. In Japan, the first collected edition of Sherlock Holmes was not published until Kaizo-sha’s Collected Works of Doyle.

  According to Nakamura Tadayuki, “After all, Sherlock Holmes had overwhelming popularity. ...... Speaking frankly, it is said that any books whose title included his name, were best sellers.” This means there were good amounts of parodies and pastiches in China. According to Tarumoto Teruo’s study, there were more than twenty parodies or pastiches, most of which were published between the 1900s and 1910s. The oldest one would be, “Xieluoke Laiyou Shanghai Diyi’an-Lengxue (Sherlock Holmes’ First Adventure in Shanghai) by Chen Jinghan, Shi Bao, 1904.12.18.”

  It is unfortunate that I have not seen this work, but judging from its title it is easy to guess that it is not a real work of Doyle. I’ve read some of these Chinese works, but most of them were along the lines of Chinese traditional crime novels, and there is no logical detection of crime or criminals. The preface of one of them reveals its story and criminal. In another story, a criminal appeared at the end of story without any connection with the story, and is arrested. Even in the real Holmes’ translations, the titles revealed their contents. It is no way that is Chinese peculiar way.

  Most Chinese parodies are easy to identify as fake works, but there is one that seemed a real Holmes story, but was not:

  “Yan Xu (The False Bridegroom” by Hu Jichen, Chun Sheng vol.5, 1916.6.1”

  This seems to be a translation of “A Case of Identity” written by Conan Doyle. However, there is a preface that states, “This story is based on a western story, but I added some different parts.” “A Case of Identity” continues for pages, but then Mary goes on summer holiday, and a murder case makes Holmes visit Scotland. In the end, this murder case is solved without any relationship to the main story. The story then returned to IDEN itself again, and it is also solved independently of the other storyline. So we can say that the translator inserted a new murder case pastiche into the middle of IDEN. Even in a story which is believed to be a Doyle story, there is the possibility of a parody. We need to make certain it is a Doyle work by actually reading it.

  I’ll give you another example:

  Shenqian Yin (Deep and Shallow Impression) by “Watson”, published by Xiaoshuolin Zong Faxingxuo, Shanghai, 1906

  Tarumoto discussed the details about this
story. He said,

  “It is a well done pastiche. The mistaken murder of twins, and simultaneously occurring case of theft are very interesting. The most important evidence is only the footprints, which might be too weak, but the author dropped an advance hint on this matter. More than anything else, the author used the formulas of the Sherlock Holmes stories very well.”

  As an introduction to the story, he wrote an observation about Watson. Holmes watched Watson return to their rooms at Baker Street, with a refreshed mood and water drops on his hat, and pointed out that Watson had been for a walk very early in the morning. A beautiful and attractive lady then appeared. He investigated the case in great detail at the scene of the murder. Holmes adopted a disguise. There is an action scene at the end of story. Most of a Holmes story’s typical points are included. The author of this pastiche must have had distinguished skill.

  As you can see, Shenqian Yin uses supreme logic and story construction which was exceptional for a Chinese pastiche of the Canon at that time. At that time in England, after the success of Sherlock Holmes, the “Rivals of Holmes” new short serial detective stories were flourishing. For example, Austin Freeman’s “Dr. Thorndyke” series, Baroness Orzy’s “The Old Man in the Corner” and others. Compared to them, Shenqian Yin is not inferior. However, if it was to be so distinguished, I could not stop suspecting there was an original western story and he simply changed the name of the detective to Holmes. I asked active Sherlockians in Japan, the USA and Britain about the story of Shenqian Yin, but all of them answered that they had not read such a story before.

  At the beginning of Shenqian Yin are the words “Huasheng biji”, which means “written by Watson”. There might be such other examples, but this is the forerunner of Nicholas Meyer’s The Seven Percent Solution (1974), a pastiche written seventy years later. As you know, after Meyer’s work, this style became popular for Sherlockian pastiches.

  In conclusion, Shenqian Yin is the best of the Sherlockian pastiches written in China, when pastiches were still not popular, and if it is an original, it anticipated future western Sherlockian pastiches. It holds a place of special importance in Sherlockian pastiche history.

  Bibliography

  1 Nakamura Tadayuki, “Shinmatsu Tanteishousetsu Shikou (1)”, Shinmatsu Shousetsu Kenkyu No.2, P122, 1978.

  2 Edogawa Rampo, “Sherlock Holmes Zenshu” Kaigai Tantei Shousetsu sakka to Sakuhin 2, p114, Kodansha, 1989.

  3 Tarumoto Teruo, Shinmatsu Shousetsuronshu, Horitsubunkasha, 1992, and personal communications.

  (Shinmatsu Shousetsu Kara No.61, April 1, 2001 (in Japanese) & The Shoso-in Bulletin vol.11, 2001)

  My First Meeting with Sherlock Holmes

  As a member of a non-English-speaking culture, it was inevitable that I would read the Holmesian Canon in translated editions. However, this means that I can enjoy reading many different translations and adaptations. Even faithful translations have a different flavor and atmosphere; in addition, reading children’s adaptations was great fun for me when I was a small child. This is a kind of fun that is denied to English and American Sherlockians or children, who are able to enjoy the stories in their native tongue.

  I was eight years old when I found the thick volumes of children’s adaptations of the Sherlock Holmes series, with their colorful dust jackets, at my elementary school’s library. There were also other mystery adaptations - for example, the Arsène Lupin series and “Boy Detectives” series written by Edogawa Rampo, a famous Japanese mystery writer (whose name is a tribute to Edgar Allan Poe). All the boys in my class enjoyed reading the “Boy Detectives” series, but half of them liked Holmes, and the other half were devotees of Lupin. To me, although I do not why, the most attractive volumes were the Sherlock Holmes series.

  The Japanese adaptations of the Sherlock Holmes stories were done by several writers, and there were three or four editions of Sherlock Holmes for children. The series most favored by children was written by Yamanaka Minetarou. Yamanaka was already a veteran writer of many bestsellers when he adapted the Sherlock Holmes series. His greatest success was Tekichu Oudan Sanbyakuri [Crossing the Enemy Camp], published in 1931. It is a documentary story of a cavalry scout team of the Japanese army during the Russo-Japanese War. Another of Yamanaka’s book is Ajia no Akebono [Dawn of Asia], published in 1932. It is a spy novel featuring Japanese officer Hongo Yoshiaki. Japanese science fiction writer Yokota Junya claimed that he did not find the “007” series interesting at all, simply because he had read the superior Ajia no Akebono when he was a child.

  It is said that almost all Japanese children of my father’s generation read Yamanaka’s books. He was an army officer in his youth, and retired from the army to support Sun Yat-sen, the father of the Chinese Republic, as a general staff officer during the Second and Third Revolutions. He also acted on behalf of a peace movement during the Sino-Japanese War, as he was a military academy schoolmate of Tojo Hideki, the Japanese prime minister and army minister, and Anan Korechika, the last army minister. Yamanaka is also said to have been a speechwriter for Prime Minister Tojo.

  Yamanaka changed many lines of the Canon to make them easier for Japanese children to understand. So many changes were made that some Sherlockians believe he destroyed the Canon. For example, Sherlock Holmes, in this book, is a cheerful person with a good appetite, and some of the stories were written by Violet Hunter or even Mary Watson! Of course, many children have also read other author’s versions, and so they know such liberties were characteristic of Yamanaka’s version. Thus, they simply read to enjoy his vivid expression. For example, here is the opening of “Six Napoleons.”

  “The Great Detective Holmes!”

  It is a great joy for me that all of you read the detective stories of Holmes. I am so happy!

  However, I, Watson, was married to my lovely Mary, and went to practice medicine. I left Holmes after having lived with him for years. From the first day of my practice, I was surprised that there were so many patients.

  “Oh my Mary, what’s going on?”I asked my wife.

  “Of course, we must be thankful to Mr. Holmes.”

  “I see. He has become famous, and everyone also knows me, too. That’s the reason for my many patients?”

  “It must be. Otherwise there would not be so many patients at our door.”

  “OK, but it is I who make Holmes famous. And readers of Holmes stories would also think Dr. Watson’s treatment is good.”

  “You advertised yourself by writing Mr.Holmes’ record?”

  “Wait, wait! Not at all! Don’t you believe me, Mary?” Just after one week after our marriage, we were verging on a quarrel. “All right. I declare not to write Holmes’s record, forever. Never again!”

  Who could tell that this is “Six Napoleons”? After that scene, many readers demand that Watson write new stories, and Mary proposes that she and her husband write the next story together. In the Yamanaka version, “Six Napoleons” is written by Mary and John Watson. Such adaptations were much more effective than any television programs or films of the Canon I have ever seen.

  Children were crazy about Yamanaka’s Holmes, even while understanding it was not a faithful translation. Without Yamanaka’s adaptations, I would not be a Sherlockian, nor would I be interested in Sherlock Holmes and Conan Doyle. Even now, his books are in my bookcase, and I read them again and again. It brings back good childhood memories, and I still enjoy his exciting adaptations.

  I am sorry his versions are no longer available and are not in school libraries. Nowadays, only a few Sherlock Holmes books are displayed at the bookshop’s children’s corner. These faithful but boring adaptations are still popular for children, but now these books are read because they must be. The students are not enthusiastic readers, as I was.

  In my opinion, an enjoyable adaptation is essential for a first meeting with Sherlock Holmes for small children in non-E
uropean cultures. This might be one reason there are so many Sherlockians in Japan and why the Japan Sherlock Holmes Club is the largest Sherlockian society in the world. I wish every child could have read Yamanaka’s books, but unfortunately they are too expensive at antique bookshops now.

  It’s my dream to publish Yamanaka’s adaptations for my own children someday. It might be too late - they are already six and four years old - but I believe if they read Yamanaka’s adaptations, they will be good Sherlockians, too.

  (The Baker Street Journal, Vo.51, No.3, Autumn 2001)

  The Idle Killers of the K.K.K.

  “The Adventure of The Five Orange Pips” is a story of the assassination of two generations. It is not clear why the Openshaw family were targeted by the K.K.K., an American secret racial association, but it is assumed that Elias Openshaw had some criminal evidence against members of the K.K.K., of which he was also a member, and other important members tried to stop him from talking. This would be an urgent matter, and K.K.K. members would have been worried about it every night. However, the assassins they sent were too idle and acted mysteriously. It is incomprehensible why they sent such incapable assassins abroad, and did not choose better ones.

  Elias Openshaw “emigrated to America when he was a young man and became a planter in Florida, where he was reported to have done very well. At the time of the war he fought in Jackson’s army, and afterwards under Hood, where he rose to be a colonel. When Lee laid down his arms my uncle returned to his plantation, where he remained for three or four years. About 1869 or 1870 he came back to Europe and took a small estate in Sussex, near Horsham.” It was in 1878 when his nephew John Openshaw first met Elias, and they lived together. On March 10, 1883, Elias received a letter from Pondicherry, India which contained five orange pips and the words “K.K.K.” Elias died on May 2, 1883, in a little green-scummed pool.