Chrysanthemum キク（菊）

英語の後に日本語が続きます。

I found these chrysanthemums at a bus stop. There were only two but their bright contrast between the red ray florets and the yellow disk florets caught my eye. 

   

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, the flowers are special in a different way, i.e., always reminding me of "The Inugami Clan," a murder mystery book by Seishi Yokomizo (1902-1981), one of the most famous crime authors in Japan who created the private detective character Kosuke Kindaichi.

You may wonder how chrysanthemums, such beautiful flowers, are related to a crime novel. That's because they play a key role in "The Inugami Clan" as one of the three sacred treasures for 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 you can easily guess, the family members are killed one after another over this heirship and the head of a victim is replaced with the head of a chrysanthemum doll... AHHH😱

I read almost all the books by Seishi Yokomizo when I was a kid. (I was a bit different from other kids.) Yokomizo respected Ellery Queen and Agatha Christie, but liked John Dickson Carr the most. If you like reading crime books, you can guess what Yokomizo's stories are like.

Chrysanthemums are 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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キクです。バス停で見つけました。菊というと和風かつ天皇と皇室を表す由緒正しい印象ですが、私にとって菊は何といっても「犬神家の一族」の佐武の菊人形生首です😱

横溝正史の本はほぼすべて読んでいます。しかも子供の時に｡｡｡ 大人になって横溝氏がディクスン・カーのファンだったと聞いてなるほど、と納得しました。両方ともおどろおどろしい｡｡｡ 江戸川乱歩には全く興味なく、おどろおどろしい横溝正史作品と、心理の綾を見事に描くアガサ・クリスティー作品に夢中な子供でした。

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