Edogawa Rampo

Edogawa Rampo (1894–1965) was the pen name of Japanese writer Tarō Hirai and is regarded as a founder of modern Japanese crime fiction. He studied economics and later opened a bookshop with friends before becoming known as an author. His pen name is a Japanese transcription of Edgar Allan Poe’s name. Among his best-known stories are “The Caterpillar” and “The Human Chair.” In 1947, Rampo founded the Japanese Mystery Authors’ Association. The Edogawa Rampo Award for Japanese crime fiction has been presented since 1953.