Chrysanthemums are special in Japan. The Imperial Seal of Japan is called the Chrysanthemum Seal and used by the Emperor of Japan and members of the Imperial Family. But for me, chrysanthemums are special in a different way, i.e., they always remind me of "The Inugami Clan" by Seishi Yokomizo (1902-1981), one of the most famous crime authors in Japan who created the private detective character Kosuke Kindaichi.
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| Chrysanthemum 菊 |
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| Chrysanthemum is sacred in Japan 菊は高貴？ |
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| In my neighborhood 近所の菊 |
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| In my neighborhood 近所の菊 |
You may wonder how these beautiful pink and yellow flowers are related to a crime novel. That's because chrysanthemum plays a key role in "The Inugami Clan," a murder mystery book by Seishi Yokomizo, as one of the three sacred treasures of the clan, i.e., a golden chrysanthemum, a golden axe, and a golden koto or Japanese harp made by Sahee Inugami, the super-rich head of the family. These golden treasures were proof of heirship, and of course, the family members were killed one after another over this heirship and the head of a victim was replaced with the head of a chrysanthemum doll... AHHH😱
I read all the books by Seishi Yokomizo when I was small. (I was different from others....) Yokomizo respected Ellery Queen and Agatha Christie, but liked John Dickson Carr the most. If you like reading crime books, you can guess how Yokomizo's stories are like....
Chrysanthemums are very pretty, colorful flowers, having nothing to do with bloody murders. Maybe it's time for me to change this terrible perception of chrysanthemums...
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