The Scarlet Camellia

The year of Tenpo 5, at the midnight of a New Year's Day, a dormitory of Musashiya Kihei at the edge of Honjyo Shirakawa River was burned by a suspected case of arson, and three dead bodies were found. Based on the testimonies of employees that these bodies were recognized as a master Kihei, his wife Osano, and his daughter Oshino. Suffered by leukemia, Kihei had but a few days to live, and Oshino devoted herself to look after her father. But Osono did not care at all and she lived a debauched life. Late in autumn that year, notorious men died mysteriously one after another. Each of them was killed at a stroke with an ornamental hairpin, and a flower of Camellia was left at each scene. The murderer is supposed to be a young, beautiful and mysterious woman. Yoriki and Aoki, detectives of Hachobori are desperately scanning, and finally they reach an unexpected suspect. (Shochiku)