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In 1994, Natsuhiko Kyogoku published his first novel, Ubume no Natsu (The Summer of the Ubume). The critical trick used in the novel seriously damaged the trust relationship between mystery novel authors and readers, bringing a heated discussion in the field of Japanese mystery novels at that time. Natsuhiko Kyogoku consciously presented the existing rules of mystery novels in his piece, then questioned and overturned the rules by his role design and plot arrangement; it can be said that he wrote this novel in an “anti-mystery” approach. Nevertheless, after his second novel Mouryou no Hako (The Mouryou’s Box) was published, the Kyogokudo series, which includes the two novels, were categorized in the subgenre of “Honkaku mystery.” The study aimed to explore the reasons why Natsuhiko Kyogoku’s novels invested in anti-mystery features were still categorized in the genre of Honkaku mystery. Changes to the notion of what constitutes Honkaku mystery were compiled in the study to observe how Natsuhiko Kyogoku wrote his work by changing the existing rules of mystery novels. The study further discussed how Natsuhiko Kyogoku used the Kyogokudo series to respond to Honkaku mystery.
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