
The Samurai Detectives: Volume 1
Shotaro Ikenami(Author)
Penguin Books Ltd (Publisher)
Published on 30. October 2025
Book
Paperback/Softback
272 pages
978-1-4059-7576-6 (ISBN)
Description
Shogun meets Sherlock Holmes! Over 24 million copies have been sold of this beloved samurai adventure
It has been half a year since Akiyama Daijiro became a samurai; half a year since he left his father Kohei - once the most skilled swordsman in the land - to set up his own blade school by the cool of the river. Ever since, amid the swaying bamboo groves, he waits patiently for his first disciple.
But his serenity is soon disrupted by the visit of a mysterious samurai with an unhonourable offer: in exchange for a vast sum of gold, he must attack and injure the daughter of the Shogun's most senior counsellor. Troubled by the proposal, Daijiro, alongside his father and Mifuyu, a female warrior without match, soon set out into the underworld of Edo-era Japan to uncover the conspiracy, before quickly finding themselves embroiled in a series of increasingly perilous adventures . . .
Widely considered to be the greatest work by Shotaro Ikenami, the master of Japanese historical fiction, The Samurai Detectives is a twisting, page-turning portrayal of one of the most intriguing, evocative periods in the history of Japan.
It has been half a year since Akiyama Daijiro became a samurai; half a year since he left his father Kohei - once the most skilled swordsman in the land - to set up his own blade school by the cool of the river. Ever since, amid the swaying bamboo groves, he waits patiently for his first disciple.
But his serenity is soon disrupted by the visit of a mysterious samurai with an unhonourable offer: in exchange for a vast sum of gold, he must attack and injure the daughter of the Shogun's most senior counsellor. Troubled by the proposal, Daijiro, alongside his father and Mifuyu, a female warrior without match, soon set out into the underworld of Edo-era Japan to uncover the conspiracy, before quickly finding themselves embroiled in a series of increasingly perilous adventures . . .
Widely considered to be the greatest work by Shotaro Ikenami, the master of Japanese historical fiction, The Samurai Detectives is a twisting, page-turning portrayal of one of the most intriguing, evocative periods in the history of Japan.
More details
Series
Language
English
Place of publication
London
United Kingdom
Product notice
Paperback (UK-B)
Dimensions
Height: 198 mm
Width: 128 mm
Thickness: 19 mm
Weight
196 gr
ISBN-13
978-1-4059-7576-6 (9781405975766)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Other editions
Additional editions

Shotaro Ikenami
The Samurai Detectives: Volume 1
The classic samurai adventure and multi-million-copy Japanese bestseller
E-Book
10/2025
Penguin Books Ltd
€8.99
Available for download
Persons
Shotaro Ikenami (Author)
Shotaro Ikenami (1923 - 1990) was a bestselling Japanese author famed for his multi-million copy selling series of historical fiction novels. Over his lifetime, he won the Yoshikawa Eiji Literary Award and Naoki Award for popular literature. Over a dozen of his works were adapted for film and television, and his work remains exceptionally popular in Japan.
Yui Kajita (Translator)
Yui Kajita is a translator , illustrator and literary scholar, originally from Kyoto, Japan, and currently based in Germany.
Shotaro Ikenami (1923 - 1990) was a bestselling Japanese author famed for his multi-million copy selling series of historical fiction novels. Over his lifetime, he won the Yoshikawa Eiji Literary Award and Naoki Award for popular literature. Over a dozen of his works were adapted for film and television, and his work remains exceptionally popular in Japan.
Yui Kajita (Translator)
Yui Kajita is a translator , illustrator and literary scholar, originally from Kyoto, Japan, and currently based in Germany.