Zenigata Heiji
Encyclopedia
Edo period
The , or , is a division of Japanese history which was ruled by the shoguns of the Tokugawa family, running from 1603 to 1868. The political entity of this period was the Tokugawa shogunate....
(17th-19th centuries) of Japanese history. He is a policeman (岡っ引き, okappiki) who catches criminals by throwing coins, the zeni
Zeni
Zeni can mean:* The fictional policeman Zenigata Heiji* The fictional money used in Capcom's games, most notably the Breath of Fire series* The fictional money used in the Dragon Ball series.* The fictional money used in the Hunter × Hunter series....
of the title, thus Zenigata Heiji. The hero was created by novelist Kodō Nomura
Kodo Nomura
was the pen-name of Nomura Osakazu, a novelist and music critic in Shōwa period Japan. He also used the pen-name Araebisu for his music criticism. He is famous for his creation of the fictional detective Zenigata Heiji.-Early life:...
(野村胡堂, Nomura Kodō) in 1937. Heiji's beat is Myōjin-shita, "beneath the (Kanda) Myōjin
Kanda Shrine
, is a Shinto shrine located in Chiyoda, Tokyo, Japan. The shrine dates back 1,270 years, but the current structure was rebuilt several times due to fire and earthquakes. It is situated in one of the most expensive estate areas of Tokyo...
shrine."
Situation
The hero, Heiji, lives with his wife Oshizu. His sidekick is Hachigorō (八五郎), also known as Karappachi or just Hachi. He uses deduction, a jutteJitte (weapon)
The , literally meaning "ten-hand" , is a specialized weapon.In Edo period Japan the jutte was a substitute for a badge and represented someone on official business and was carried by all levels of police officers including high ranking samurai police officials and low-rank samurai law enforcement...
, and old-fashioned coins with a hole, called kan'eitsūhō (寛永通宝), as weapons to catch criminals.
Novels
The original series of stories ran from 1937 to 1959. The first story was published in the Japanese magazine Bungei Shunjū Ōru Yomimono-han (all story edition). In all, 383 stories were produced. Many are still in print in Japan today.Historical accuracy
Zenigata Heiji is a fictional story, and is not based on any real individual. It is not made clear in which part of the Edo period the stories are set.The description of the okappiki in Zenigata Heiji differs from reality on several points. Okappiki were unpaid, or received a very small amount of money. Zenigata Heiji is depicted as a full-time policeman with no other job. In reality, this would have been impossible. Further, the "jutte" that Heiji usually carries was only issued to okappiki when the severity of an incident called for it.
In the TV series, Heiji carries his jutte in his belt; however, the jutte was actually carried in a pocket. The style of the jutte is also unrealistic.
Films
Films about Zenigata Heiji include:- 銭形平次捕物控 振袖源太 (1931)
- 七人の花嫁
- 銭形平次捕物控 富籖政談 (1933)
- 銭形平次捕物控 復讐鬼 (1933)
- 銭形平次捕物控 紅蓮地獄 (1934)
- 銭形平次捕物控 濡れた千両箱 (1935)
- 銭形平次捕物控 (1939)
- 銭形平次捕物控第二話 名月神田祭 (1939)
- 銭形平次捕物控 平次の女難 (1939)
- 銭形平次捕物控 南蛮秘法箋 (1940)
- 銭形平次捕物控 平次八百八町 (1949)
- 銭形平次 (1951)
- 銭形平次捕物控 恋文道中 (1951)
- 銭形平次捕物控 地獄の門 (1952)
- 銭形平次捕物控 からくり屋敷 (1953)
- (天晴れ一番手柄 青春銭形平次 ... Seishun Zenigata Heiji) (1953)
- 銭形平次捕物控 金色の狼 (1953)
- Zenigata Heiji: Ghost LordZenigata Heiji: Ghost LordZenigata Heiji: Ghost Lord is a 1954 black and white Japanese film directed by Mitsuo Hirotsu.The film one of many films about fictional character Zenigata Heiji.- Cast :...
(銭形平次捕物控 幽霊大名 Zenigata Heiji Torimono-Hikae: Yūrei Daimyō) (1954) - 銭形平次捕物控 どくろ駕籠 (1955)
- 銭形平次捕物控 死美人風呂 (1956)
- Zenigata Heiji: Human-skin SpiderZenigata Heiji: Human-skin Spideris a 1956 Japanese film directed by Kazuo Mori-External links: http://www.raizofan.net/link4/movie2/zeni2.htm...
(銭形平次捕物控 人肌蜘蛛 Zenigata Heiji Torimono no Hikae: Hitohada Gumo) (1956) - (銭形平次捕物控 まだら蛇 Zenigata Heiji Torimono-Hikae: madara hebi) (1957)
- 銭形平次捕物控 女狐屋敷 (1957)
- 銭形平次捕物控 八人の花嫁 (1958)
- 銭形平次捕物控 鬼火燈籠 (1958)
- 銭形平次捕物控 雪女の足跡 (1958)
- 銭形平次捕物控 美人蜘蛛 (1960)
- 銭形平次捕物控 夜のえんま帖 (1961)
- 銭形平次捕物控 美人鮫 (1961)
- 銭形平次捕物控 (1963)
- 銭形平次 (1967)
TV series
The lyrics of the ending theme of the TV show changed every week depending on the plot line. In the TV series, the closing credits show a coin, based on the kan'eitsūhō coin thrown by Heiji, with Zenigata Heiji written on it.TV serias about Zenigata Heiji include:
- 銭形平次捕物控 Zenigata Heiji Torimono-Hikae (1958–1960) - 103 episodes
- 銭形平次捕物控 Zenigata Heiji Torimono-Hikae (1962–1963) - 48 episodes
- 銭形平次 Zenigata Heiji (1966–1984) - 888 episodes. The longest-running Zenigata Heiji, Hashizō Ōgawa (大川橋蔵 Ōgawa Hashizō) made a total of 888 programmes, with several different co-stars, from 1966 until his death in 1984. Hashizō Ōgawa is recorded in the Guinness Book of Records as the longest running actor in a one-hour long television series for his performance as Heiji. (Hashizō Ōgawa was originally an onnagata, an actor who plays women's parts in kabukiKabukiis classical Japanese dance-drama. Kabuki theatre is known for the stylization of its drama and for the elaborate make-up worn by some of its performers.The individual kanji characters, from left to right, mean sing , dance , and skill...
.) Sanae TsuchidaSanae Tsuchidais a Japanese actress. She was born on July 26, 1949, in Toyonaka, Osaka.In film, Tsuchida had a role in Kore ga Seishun Da! . In another modern role , she appeared in the Norifumi Suzuki film Torakku Yarō: Hōkyō Ichiban Hoshi. The year 1979 saw her in a film based on the television series she had...
was in the cast from 1970 to 1973.
- 銭形平次 Zenigata Heiji (1987) - 26 episodes
- 銭形平次 Zenigata Heiji (1991–1997) Kin'ya KitaōjiKin'ya Kitaojiis a Japanese actor.-Early life:He was born in Kyoto, son of famous jidaigeki film star Ichikawa Utaemon, and graduated from Waseda University School of Letters, Arts and Sciences Ⅱ in Tokyo.-Acting career:...
played Heiji in the 1990s, and in 2005, a new cast features Hiroaki MurakamiHiroaki Murakamiis a Japanese actor. He specializes in jidaigeki roles, and has also taken parts in tokusatsu and modern productions.Born in Rikuzentakata, Iwate Prefecture, he enrolled in Hosei University but withdrew when he successfully auditioned for a part in Kamen Rider. He made his debut as Tsukuba Hiroshi...
in the lead role.
- 銭形平次 Zenigata Heiji (2004–2006)
See also
- JidaigekiJidaigekiis a genre of film, television, and theatre in Japan. The name means "period drama" and is usually the Edo period of Japanese history, from 1603 to 1868. Some, however, are set much earlier—Portrait of Hell, for example, is set during the late Heian period—and the early Meiji era is also a popular...
, Japanese period dramas - :ja:寛永通宝, the Japanese Wikipedia article on kan'eitsūhō gives images of the original coins.
- Japanese mon (currency), the Japanese currency represented by the kan'eitsūhō.