Maud Bellamy might have known their scheme. She said, “Bring them to justice, Mr. Holmes. You have my sympathy and my help, whoever they may be.” And as for her attitude, “[it] seemed to me that she glanced defiantly at her father and brother as she spoke.”
On that morning, Murdoch insisted upon some algebraic demonstration before breakfast, to inhibit anyone going to the tide pool to watch the crime. It also establishes his alibi.
Tom and William brought Cyanea capillata in a bucket near the tide pool, and hid themselves there.
McPherson came there alone. He took off his shirt, and sat down on his heels to unlace his canvas shoes. They threw the jellyfish at McPherson. It hit his back, and fell down into the tide pool. McPherson put on his overcoat and ran away. Tom and William also left quickly.
Holmes and Stackhurst found McPherson and came to the tide pool. Cyanea capillata was already in the pool, and the Bellamys were gone, too. They could find nothing. Murdoch appeared, and Holmes asked him notify the police. Murdoch left for the village to call a policeman. After that, he visited Bellamy’s house to tell of their success. He was promised the marriage to Maud, and a job at the company of her father. It was the reason he answered, “I had intended to do so” when he was told by Stackhurst, “You will kindly make fresh arrangements for your future as speedily as you can,”
However, as Holmes said, “On the morning of the crime he can surely prove an alibi. He had been with his scholars till the last moment, and within a few minutes of McPherson’s appearance he came upon us from behind. Then bear in mind the absolute impossibility that he could single-handed have inflicted this outrage upon a man quite as strong as himself,” Murdoch heard that the police intended to arrest him. He was a prudent criminal. If not for Holmes, he would have been arrested by Inspector Bardle of the Sussex Constabulary. He hurt himself with Cyanea capillata when Stackhurst came to the tide pool. He cried out in order to to be discovered by Stackhurst. He left Cyanea capillata in the pool as evidence of the accidents. It made him look completely innocent.
Although our plot proves Sherlock Holmes’ misdetection, all the evidence but the death of McPherson’s dog supports it. We could not find out why this dog was killed. It might be an accident, but as Hedgpeth wrote, it is unlikely that an Airedale terrier with so much hair could not protect itself from an attack by a jellyfish. It might have been poisoned by the murderer, as he said. But we could not find any reason why Murdoch or the Bellamys did it. We hope further study will answer this question.
Bibliography
1 Bengis, Nathan, Sherlock Stays after School; Illustrious Client’s Second Case-Book New York: Magico Magazine, 1984
2 Baring-Gould, William S., the Annotated Sherlock Holmes New York: Clarkson N. Potter, reprinted in 1978
3 The Red Circle Gazette No.25 Niigata: The Red Circle of Niigata, 1989
4 Doyle, Sir Arthur Conan, The Complete Sherlock Holmes Short Stories London: John Murray, reprinted in 1971
(The Nezire Zanmai vol.2, 1992)
The Master and “Baritsu”
The largest problem concerning Japanese Sherlockiana is the meaning of “Baritsu.” This Japanese style of wrestling saved the Master’s life from Professor Moriarty in “The Empty House.”
Baritsu is widely accepted as a sort of Judo among Eastern and Western Sherlockians, but it was not called by its right name “Judo” or “Jujutsu.” Therefore, it has caused some arguments.
Count Makino, who was a member of The Baritsu Chapter, wrote a paper on this problem which was read by his grandson, Yoshida Ken-ichi at the first meeting of the society on October 11, 1948. In his opinion, Baritsu is “Bujutsu,” the martial art of the Samurai. Bujutsu includes Jujutsu, Kenjutsu (Japanese fencing), horseback riding, castle designing and all other skills for war. It is difficult for Western people to pronounce “Bujutsu” correctly.
Ralph Judson believed that it was Mr. Barton-Wright’s “Baritsu.” Both Count Makino and Judson thought that, when Watson (or Doyle) wrote EMPT, although Holmes told him “Judo” or “Jujutsu” he used the wrong word. “Bujutsu” is a vague concept, and “Baritsu” did not appear until 1899.
On the other hand, there is a unique paper on this problem. Iijima Akira thought Baritsu is not Judo, but Sumo. Sumo is traditional Japanese wrestling. In 1991, Sumo wrestlers visited London and wrestled at the Royal Albert Hall. There is a TV program on Sumo in the UK, so Sumo is becoming popular in Holmes’ homeland. Iijima believes that according to the description given by Holmes, the skill he used was not that of Judo, but that of Sumo, which is all about pushing out.
His theory is attractive, but unlikely. There are not that many people who do Sumo even in Japan. Judo is much more popular than Sumo among amateur sportsmen.
I agree with other scholars who think Baritsu was Judo. Kano Jigoro, Father of Judo, founded Kodokan in 1882. Jujutsu had been one of the martial arts, but Kano improved it to the point of being a modern sport for not only Samurais, but also children and elders, and named it “Judo.” Judson says, “It takes roughly seven years to become proficient in this art and reach instinctive actions and reactions to every kind of attack, it is likely that he started his training around 1883-1884.” If Judson is right, and Holmes was trained in Judo, he must have been one of the earliest students of Kodokan. Saigo Shiro, who was the model for the movie “Sugata Sanshiro” directed by Kurosawa Akira, received the black belt in 1883. As he studied Jujutsu before he entered Kodokan in 1882, he needed only one year to receive the black belt. In 1990, a man of seventy-nine joined Kodokan, and attended practice every morning. One year later, he passed the examination for the black belt. It is not impossible for a talented person to get a black belt in a short period of time.
I think, however, Sherlock Holmes did not need a black belt to fight with Professor Moriarty. Professor was an old scholar whose friends were books. He made evil schemes but did not conduct them by himself. He was a man of brains, not of hands and feet.
If Sherlock Holmes had a black belt, he would not have made such a scene in “The Reigate Squires.”
His words were cut short by a sudden scream of ‘Help! Help! Murder!’ With a thrill I recognized the voice as that of my friend. I rushed madly from the room on to the landing. The cries, which had sunk down into a hoarse, inarticulate shouting, came from the room which we had first visited. I dashed in, and on into the dressing-room beyond. The two Cunninghams were bending over the prostrate figure of Sherlock Holmes, the younger clutching his throat with both hands, while the elder seemed to be twisting one of his wrists. In an instant the three of us had torn them away from him, and Holmes staggered to his feet, very pale and evidently greatly exhausted.
This is recorded in “The Reigate Squires” which took place in 1887, according to a chronology of Baring-Gould. It is easy for a trained Judo wrestler to throw two men in a second. It can be concluded from this passage that Holmes did not know Judo in 1887, or if he did, he was only a beginner.
It was 1889-1891 when Kano Jigoro visited Europe to study education. Most of the time he stayed in Germany, but he also visited Britain. I think Holmes met Kano at that time in Europe or in Britain, and learned the elementary skills of Judo. Watson had already left Baker Street because of his marriage in 1889. The good doctor might have not known about his friend’s new sport.
The first foreign student of Kodokan was Captain H. M. Hughes of Britain, who started his training on August 14, 1893. I believe Captain Hughes was the Master in the Great Hiatus. Holmes found himself in need of more training in Judo at Reichenbach, and visited Tokyo to get his black belt. After that, he visited Tibet by an eastern route.
Kano Jigoro wrestled with a Russian officer on a ship on the way to Japan. The officer was much taller than Kano, so he tried to restrain him with his arms. Kano rolled his back and moved left and right so as not to be caught. The officer got irritated and step
ped forward. At that moment, Kano grasped him and threw him down. It was a combination of “Koshinage” and “Seoinage.” I think the fatal match of Holmes and Moriarty had a resemblance to this match. Holmes could not bring down Moriarty (he could not take “Ippon”), but Moriarty “with a horrible scream kicked madly for a few seconds and clawed the air with both his hand. But for all his efforts he could not get his balance, and over he went.”
My conclusion is: The Master was not always a master. He might have been a beginner.
Bibliography
1 The Mystery Writer’s Club of Japan Monthly Bulletin. No.1-50. Tokyo: Kashiwa Shobo, 1990.
2 Judson, Ralph. “The Mystery of Baritsu: A Sidelight upon Sherlock Holmes’s Accomplishments.” BSJ Christmas Annual, No.3 (1958) 10-16.
3 Iijima, Akira. “The Study of Baritsu.” Sherlock Holmes Kiyo, Tokyo: Vol.1, No.2, 1990.
4 “Minami Shigeo.” SERAI, No.21 (1991) 11.
5 Baring-Gould, William S. The Annotated Sherlock Holmes. New York: Clarkson N. Potter, 1967.
6 Oimastu, Shin-ichi. Judo Hyakunen. Tokyo: Jijitsushin-sha, 1976.
7 Togawa, Yukio. Shosetsu Kano Jigoro. Tokyo: Yomiuri-shinbunsha, 1991.
(The Shoso-in Bulletin vol.3, 1993)
The Hound Commentary in Japan
The Hound of the Baskervilles, one of the most important adventures of Sherlock Holmes, is also popular in Japan. According to Nakanishi, HOUN took first place in the best canonical stories contest of The Japan Sherlock Holmes Club. One hundred and fifty-seven members voted, and HOUN scored 384 points; REDH, 278; and SPEC, 208. The REDH’s score was more than hundred points lower than that of HOUN. When asked to state why they considered HOUN the best, members mentioned its fine descriptions of the supernatural and nature.
It is safe to say that HOUN is one of the most loved stories in Japan. I would like to introduce summaries of monographs regarding HOUN written in Japan, and add some of my opinions to them. It will probably help your understanding of current studies on HOUN in Japan.
A HOUN bibliography in Japan
According to Arai’s study, HOUN was translated for the first time in 1916, by Kato Choucho, and was published by Tengendo. It was named Meiken Monogatari (A tale of a good dog). I have no idea why the translator used such mismatched name, because I myself have never even seen this book.
In 1923, Nobuhara Ken translated HOUN under the title Ma no Inu (The Monster Hound), and it was published by Hakubunkan. Nobuhara is the first one to translate all the adventures of Sherlock Holmes in Japan. Even now, his works are the most popular version of the Canon for Japanese Sherlockians.
Nobuhara continued to retranslate the Canon all his life. He published Baskerville no Inu in 1929, and participated as one of the translators of All Works of Conan Doyle published in 1931-33. He translated the entire Canon and several of Doyle’s other works. His Canon was again published in 1952 by Getsuyo-shobo, but there were too many misprints. He published it again through Shincho-sha in 1953. This edition is being published even today with slight alternations, and most Japanese Sherlockians have these books on their book shelves.
Children’s HOUN in Japan
Most Japanese meet Sherlock Holmes while they are in elementary school. All school libraries have children’s adaptations of Sherlock Holmes and Arsène Lupin stories. There, we meet for the first time, detective and suspense stories.
There are many translators for such adaptations. Most of them translate the Canon as correctly as they can, but such a translation is often too difficult for children in the Far East. They have never seen hansom cabs or gaslight. One of the most memorable adaptations is that of Yamanaka Minetaro (1885-1966). He adapted all the Canon and they were welcomed by children. His works are not faithful to the original Canon, but he knew how to let children enjoy the stories. Recently, some Sherlockians claim that such adaptations do not help to know the real image of Sherlock Holmes, but it is true that Yamanaka’s works presented the joys of detection and Sherlockiana to many people. Most Japanese read faithful translations in their junior high school years, so I think there is not much to fear. It is the way I first experienced Holmes, too.
Fifty years ago, Yamanaka was one of the most famous juvenile story writers in Japan. He finished the military academy of Japan first in his class, and entered the military college. He met Chinese students at the academy, dropped out of college to go to China, and participated in the Third Revolution. In the end, he became the chief of staff of Sun Wen (1866-1925), the founder of the China national party. Later, he returned to Japan because of confrontations with other staff members, and started his career as a novelist.4 One of the most famous of his works is Crossing the Enemy Camp (1930). It is a documentary novel about Japanese soldiers who investigated Russia. He also wrote the Hongo Yoshiaki series, which are spy adventure novels. He was a Sapper or a Japanese Ian Fleming.
When World War II ended, he could not write military novels any more, and started to translate the Canon for children.
His adaptation of The Hound of the Baskervilles for children was published in 1955, as Yako Kaiju. It means “a monster glimmering in night.” It is of course, the hound owned by Stapleton. He also changed several points which were difficult for children.
For example, Sir Henry Baskerville lived in Scotland, instead of Canada, and the follower at Oxford Street used a blue automobile taxi. In his other adaptations, most of the characters used cars, instead of horse carriages. But we cannot blame Yamanaka. The Sherlock Holmes of Basil Rathbone took cars and airplanes and even fought Nazi spies.
Sir Henry Baskerville telephoned Holmes to say that the post office master of Grimpen handed Sir Henry’s telegram to Barrymore.
Dr. Mortimer told Watson that his spaniel was stolen by a hound. He explained that his kennel was broken into by the hound, and his spaniel disappeared. Large footprints of the hound were left there. In the original, his puppy went to the moor and disappeared, but in this adaptation, the hound attacked Dr. Mortimer’s kennel. The spaniel was named “Moon.” I wonder how Yamanaka found such a name.
Beryl Stapleton lost her handkerchief at a fish market at an intersection in the village, and Cartwright took it to Holmes. Holmes found that this handkerchief had the same perfume as that of the letter of warning.
In the end, the hound attacked Sir Henry on the way home from Stapleton’s house. Holmes, Watson and Cartwright (Inspector Lestrade does not appear in this adaptation.) fired upon the hound. Although four bullets hit it, the hound did not die. It ran away and they followed it into the moor. The hound attacked Stapleton. Holmes shot it but was too late. Both Stapleton and the hound died. Stapleton had a black shoe in his hand. It was the stolen shoe of Sir Henry.
As the above shows, Yamanaka’s adaptation is much clearer than the original story. In the original, Stapleton disappears and his death in the moor is suggested. For children, it is vague and leaves them frustrated. Yamanaka says in his preface, the original story is too complex for Japanese children today. His works are precious for small readers reading the Canon for the first time. There are many boys and girls who have never read Christie’s or Hammett’s works because there are no children’s adaptations of Christie or Hammett, but all of them know about Sherlock Holmes. I consider Yamanaka’s contribution to Japanese Sherlockiana to be very large.
The Legend
It would be a poor expert who could not give the date of a document within a decade or so. You may possibly have read my little monograph upon the subject. I put that at 1730.”
“The exact date is 1742.” Dr. Mortimer drew it from his breast-pocket.
Sherlock Holmes might have felt some uneasiness when Dr. Mortimer told him the exact date of the document. His words “poor expert” shows that he had confidence in giving the exact date of the document. He referred to his monograph with complete self-confidence, but actually he w
as on the borderline of being a poor expert himself.
It is known that the original legend which Conan Doyle heard from Robinson is that of Sir Richard Cabell. “He was a gentleman of evil repute and on the night of his death, black hounds breathing fire and smoke raced over Dartmoor and howled around his manor house.”
In British legends, there are many such evil animals connected with the death of aristocrats. Foxes, white owls and white birds are seen before deaths in these families. It is interesting that in all other legends, animals prophesy death, but are never the cause of death itself. While on the contrary, the hound of the Baskervilles causes the death of Sir Hugo.
Legends of black hounds are common in Britain. They can be found in Norfolk, Ireland, Somerset, Scotland and Devon. These black hounds are a kind of devil, and cause death to those who gaze upon them.
Our legend has these two elements. This hound was a messenger from hell. Sir Charles believed that it prophesied the death of Baskervilles. The hound also killed those who watched it like in other black hound legends. For example, the friends of Sir Hugo. With only a glance, they lost their life.
But the hound also punished an evil man, Sir Hugo. I cannot understand why it appeared and revenged the girl’s death. Was it a coincidence that the hound attacked Sir Hugo? Was it a miracle? I cannot tell whether it came from hell or heaven.
His findings about the man with bushy black beard
Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson watched as “a bushy black beard and a pair of piercing eyes turned upon us through the side window of the cab.”
He was Stapleton in disguise, and Holmes mentioned that “--in all probability it was a false one. A clever man upon so delicate an errand has no use for a beard save to conceal his features.”
An experienced detective could reach such a conclusion, but only some hours later, Holmes asked Dr. Mortimer the following question.
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