Network
Story
The early days of the Meiji era was a period of massive change as the Westernisation movement livened up society. During that time, there were a high incidence of bizarre cases. The special investigator Yuki Shinjuro, who has a good standing with the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department, returns to Japan after his travels abroad and is outspoken about the truth of these cases. Izumiyama Toranosuke, who learned swordsmanship from Katsu Kaishu, loves making deductions about difficult cases. He is always treated disparagingly and cries to have the brains and eyes of Kaishu whom he admires. One day, A masquerade ball bringing together important government officials is held at the residence of Kano Gohei, a wealthy merchant with political ties. However, Gohei and his wife Atsuko are murdered by someone right in front of everyone during the event. As the prime minister and ambassadors of foreign countries have been dragged into the incident, it could become an international issue with one wrong move. Shinjuro is thus singled out. He begins to investigate with his self-styled partner Toranosuke. Shinjuro, Toranosuke and Kaishu draw all sorts of people to them including Kaishu’s gutsy wife Tami who was formerly a geisha; Rie, Gohei’s daughter who is in love with Shinjuro; Hananoya Inga, a writer of fiction of a style combining a facetious tone with elaborate structure; and the great police superintendent Hayami Seigen who considers Shinjuro a nuisance. As their case-solving progresses, the anxiety as well as love and hate that people have towards the new Meiji era manifests itself. Shinjuro, Rie and Toranosuke tangle with many important people of the period such as Saigo Takamori and Okubo Toshimichi through these cases, and grow up.