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Takekuni Kitayama

きたやま たけくに

Kitayama Takekuni

Profile

Gender
Male
Born
1979-08-09 （Morioka, Iwate, Japan）
Nationality
Japan
Languages
Japanese
Residence History
Morioka, Iwate, Japan (birthplace) → Osaka Prefecture (university) → Tokyo (resident, since around 2008)

Career

Occupations
Novelist, Mystery writer
Active Years
2002-
Influenced By
Edogawa Rampo, Haruki Murakami, Kaoru Kitamura, Yukito Ayatsuji, Soji Shimada

Education

University in Osaka Prefecture
Degree: 学士
Year of Graduation: 2002
Country: Japan
Graduated from a high school in Iwate Prefecture and later from a university in Osaka Prefecture.

Awards

Mephisto Prize
2002
Work: The 'Clock Castle' Murder Case
Organization: Mephisto editorial department
Result: Winner

Awards & Nominations

Works

Major Works

The 'Clock Castle' Murder Case

2002 Mystery novel

Kitayama's debut novel. A locked-room mystery set in a castle that heavily employs physical tricks.

physical trickerylocked-roomclassical mystery
Translations
  • Chinese (Simplified): 'Zhongcheng' Murder Case

The 'Ruri Castle' Murder Case

2002 Mystery novel

A work in the 'Castle' series. An example of honkaku mystery using physical tricks and confined settings.

castletrickclosed setting
Translations
  • Chinese (Simplified): 'Liuli Castle' Murder Case

The 'Alice Miller Castle' Murder Case

2003 Mystery novel

Another entry in the 'Castle' series. Mysteries unfold within Kitayama's distinctive world.

classical mysterydistinctive worldbuilding

The Boy Censor

2007 Mystery

A mystery featuring youth protagonists and millennial/apocalyptic imagery woven into its ensemble.

apocalyptic imageryyoung protagonistsclassical mystery elements

Why We Stole the Constellations

2011 Short story collection / Mystery

A collection of short stories. One of the stories, 'Koi-boroi', was adapted into a TV drama.

short storieseveryday mysteriesadapted to screen
Adaptations
  • [TV drama] 'Koi-boroi' (from 'Why We Stole the Constellations') (2017)

The Little Mermaid: Detective Grimm's Manuscript

2013 Mystery

Kitayama's first hardcover. A novel that fuses a fantastical world with mystery elements.

fantasydetective fictionclassical mystery elements
Translations
  • Korean: 'The Little Mermaid' (translation)

Orgolienne

2014 Mystery

A key work related to the 'Boy Censor' series; it has appeared in several best-of lists.

series entryplaced in rankings

The Moonlight Mansion Murder Case

2022 Mystery

A more recent novel which has been featured in various mystery rankings.

classical mysteryapocalyptic imagery

Bibliography

  • The 'Clock Castle' Murder Case
  • The 'Ruri Castle' Murder Case
  • The 'Alice Miller Castle' Murder Case
  • The 'Guillotine Castle' Murder Case
  • The Boy Censor
  • Orgolienne
  • The Regret of Nekoyanagi Juichigen: The Impossible Crime Constant
  • Why We Stole the Constellations
  • The Little Mermaid: Detective Grimm's Manuscript
  • Millennium Library
  • The Moonlight Mansion Murder Case

Adaptations

  • TV drama 'Koi-boroi' (from 'Why We Stole the Constellations')
  • 'Piano Sonata for the Upside-Down Girl' → 'Tales of the Unusual' (2019 TV special)
  • Meitantei Otono Jun no Jikenbo (manga adaptation)

Translations of Works

  • 'The Clock Castle Murder Case' — Chinese (Simplified): 'Zhongcheng' Murder Case
  • 'The Clock Castle Murder Case' — Korean: '클락성 살인사건'
  • 'The Little Mermaid: Detective Grimm's Manuscript' — Korean: '인어공주'
  • Castle series (multiple volumes) — Chinese (Traditional) / Taiwan editions

Style & Themes

Literary Style
A style leaning toward new-honkaku classical mysteryStrong emphasis on physical-trick-based puzzlesDense apocalyptic / fantastical imagery
Recurring Motifs
castles and closed settingsphysical/mechanical tricksfin de siècle / apocalyptic motifsattenuated human character (puppet-like figures)

Legacy

Takekuni Kitayama is known as a new-generation honkaku mystery writer with a specialty in physical tricks. His 'Castle' series and short-story collections have earned recognition; adaptations and translations have expanded his readership domestically and abroad.

Archives

  • National Diet Library (authority file)
  • VIAF / ISNI and other authority records

In Popular Culture

  • Adaptations to TV and manga; participation in game novelizations and scenario cooperation

Quotes

  • If you overdo it, it's impossible. If you hold back, it's boring. That is the physical trick.
    Source: Takekuni Kitayama, 'The Range of Physical Tricks', in Honkaku Mystery World 2008 (ed. Soji Shimada) (2007)

Trivia

  • Blood type: O.
  • Zodiac sign: Leo.
  • Official website: blog 'Shūmatsu Kansokusho' (trickhazard.blog87.fc2.com).
  • Debuted in 2002 after winning the 24th Mephisto Prize.
  • Sometimes nicknamed 'Physics Kitayama' for his strong focus on physical tricks.