Yukito Ayatsuji

**Yukito Ayatsuji** (綾辻(あやつじ) 行人(ゆきと), *Ayatsuji Yukito*), real name **Naoyuki Uchida** (内田(うちだ) 直行(なおゆき), *Uchida Naoyuki*), is a Japanese author of mystery fiction. He is regarded as the first writer of *shinhonkaku* detective fiction with his 1987 work *The Decagon House Murders*.

## Biography

During the summer vacation of his sixth year of elementary school, he wrote ten short mystery stories as part of his initial study on *Boy Detective Club* by Ranpo Edogawa.

After graduating from Kyoto Prefectural Katsura High School in 1979, he entered the Faculty of Education at Kyoto University. He was a member of the Kyoto University Mystery Club. Among his classmates in the club was Fuyumi Ono, whom he would later marry, as well as Takemaru Abiko and Rintarou Norizuki, who would later also become authors. In the winter of his fourth year of university, he entered the Ranpo Edogawa Prize with a prototype work for what would later become *The Decagon House Murders*, and was selected in the first round.

In 1982, he entered the graduate course at the same university, majoring in deviant behavior theory. In 1986, he married Fuyumi Ono, and the following year, while still a student at the university, he made his debut as a writer with *The Decagon House Murders*. The editorial department of Kodansha Novels called it a *shinhonkaku* mystery. He completed his master's degree in two years and went on to study for a doctorate for three years, but then took a leave of absence for three years and withdrew with credits without writing a doctoral thesis. In March of 1992, he became a full-time writer, and in the same year, he won the Mystery Writers of Japan Award in the novel category for *The Clock House Murders*.

As of February 2012, the total number of copies of his representative work, the *House Series*, has exceeded 4.09 million.

## Works

### House Series

The Decagon House MurdersThe Water Mill House MurdersThe Labyrinth House MurdersThe Doll House MurdersThe Clock House MurdersThe Black Cat House MurdersThe Dark House Murders (Part One)The Dark House Murders (Part Two)The Surprise House Murders (Mystery Land)The Surprise House Murders (Kodansha Novels)The Strange Mask House Murders
Kondasha Bunko Reprint Covers:

The Decagon House MurdersThe Decagon House Murders <Revised Edition>The Water Mill House MurdersThe Water Mill House Murders <Revised Edition>The Labyrinth House MurdersThe Labyrinth House Murders <Revised Edition>The Doll House MurdersThe Doll House Murders <Revised Edition>The Clock House MurdersThe Clock House Murders <Revised Edition> (Part One)The Clock House Murders <Revised Edition> (Part Two)The Black Cat House MurdersThe Black Cat House Murders <Revised Edition>The Dark House Murders (Part 1)The Dark House Murders (Part 2)The Dark House Murders (Part 3)The Dark House Murders (Part 4)The Surprise House MurdersThe Strange Mask House Murders (Part One)The Strange Mask House Murders (Part Two)
Miscellaneous Reprint Covers:

The Decagon House Murders (YA!ENTERTAINMENT)The Decagon House Murders (Collector's Edition)The Water Mill House Murders (YA!ENTERTAINMENT)The Clock House Murders (Futaba Bunko)

### Whisper Series

The Scarlet WhisperThe Dark WhisperThe Twilight Whisper
Shodensha Bunko Reprint Covers:

The Scarlet WhisperThe Dark WhisperThe Twilight Whisper
Shodensha Bunko Reprint Covers:

The Scarlet WhisperThe Dark WhisperThe Twilight Whisper
Shodensha Bunko Revised Edition Reprint Covers:

The Scarlet WhisperThe Dark WhisperThe Twilight Whisper

### Murder Equation Series

Murder Equation: The Severed Corpse ProblemMurder Equation Ⅱ: The Meifuusou Case
Kobunsha Bunko Reprint Covers:

Murder Equation: The Severed Corpse ProblemMurder Equation Ⅱ: The Meifuusou Case
Kodansha Bunko Reprint Covers:

Murder Equation: The Severed Corpse ProblemMurder Equation Ⅱ: The Meifuusou Case

### Homicidal Maniac​ Series

Homicidal Maniac​: Awakening PartHomicidal Maniac​ Ⅱ: Counterattack Part
Futaba Novels Reprint Covers:

Homicidal Maniac​: Awakening PartHomicidal Maniac​ Ⅱ: Counterattack Part
Shinchosha Bunko Reprint Covers:

Homicidal Maniac​: Awakening PartHomicidal Maniac​ Ⅱ: Counterattack Part
Kadokawa Bunko Reprint Covers:

Homicidal Maniac​: Awakening PartHomicidal Maniac​ Ⅱ: Counterattack Part

### Midorooka Series

The Strange Tale of MidorookaThe Strange Tale of Midorooka ContinuationThe Strange Tale of Midorooka Succession
MF Bunko Da Vinci Reprint Covers:

The Strange Tale of MidorookaThe Strange Tale of Midorooka Continuation
Kadokawa Bunko Reprint Covers:

The Strange Tale of MidorookaThe Strange Tale of Midorooka ContinuationThe Strange Tale of Midorooka Succession

### Another Series

AnotherAnother Episode SAnother 2001
1st Reprint Covers:

Another (Part One)Another (Part Two)Another Episode S
2nd Reprint Covers:

Another (Part One)Another (Part Two)Another Episode S

### Other Novels

The Kirigoetei Murder CaseThe Final Memory
1st Reprint Covers:

The Kirigoetei Murder CaseThe Final Memory
2nd Reprint Covers:

The Kirigoetei Murder CaseThe Final Memory
3rd Reprint Covers:

The Kirigoetei Murder Case (Part One)The Kirigoetei Murder Case (Part Two)The Final Memory (Digital Edition)

### Short Story Collections

The Tale of the EyeballFreaksModern Era Mystery World 6: Yukito Ayatsuji CollectionDondon Bridge is Falling DownNot Human
1st Reprint Covers:

The Tale of the EyeballFreaksDondon Bridge is Falling DownNot Human
2nd Reprint Covers:

The Tale of the EyeballFreaksDondon Bridge is Falling Down
3rd Reprint Covers:

The Tale of the EyeballDondon Bridge is Falling Down
4th Reprint Covers:

The Tale of the Eyeball

## External Links

* Ayatsuji's English Wikipedia page
* Ayatsuji's Japanese Wikipedia page

## Trivia

* The first name of Ayatsuji's pen name, Yukito, means "passer-by", while his surname is written with the characters for "design" and "crossing".
* Ayatsuji's real first name, Naoyuki, means "non-stop", while his surname, Uchida, is written with the characters for "inside" and "field".
* Ayatsuji has a character named after him in the spin-off novel of the *shounen* manga series *Bungou Stray Dogs*, an ability user whose power is called **Another**.

## References

1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 The Decagon House Murders (in Japanese). Published by Kodansha.
2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 The Water Mill House Murders (in Japanese). Published by Kodansha.
3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 The Labyrinth House Murders (in Japanese). Published by Kodansha.
4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 The Doll House Murders (in Japanese). Published by Kodansha.
5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 The Clock House Murders (in Japanese). Published by Kodansha.
6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 The Black Cat House Murders (in Japanese). Published by Kodansha.
7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 The Dark House Murders (Part One) (in Japanese). Published by Kodansha.
8. ↑ 8.0 8.1 8.2 The Dark House Murders (Part Two) (in Japanese). Published by Kodansha.
9. ↑ 9.0 9.1 9.2 The Surprise House Murders (in Japanese). Published by Kodansha.
10. ↑ 10.0 10.1 10.2 The Strange Mask House Murders (in Japanese). Published by Kodansha.
11. ↑ 11.0 11.1 11.2 Scarlet Whisper (in Japanese). Published by Shodensha.
12. ↑ 12.0 12.1 12.2 Dark Whisper (in Japanese). Published by Shodensha.
13. ↑ 13.0 13.1 13.2 Twilight Whisper (in Japanese). Published by Shodensha.
14. ↑ 14.0 14.1 14.2 Murder Equation: The Severed Corpse Problem (in Japanese). Published by Shinchosha.
15. ↑ 15.0 15.1 15.2 Murder Equation Ⅱ: The Meifuusou Case (in Japanese). Published by Shinchosha.
16. ↑ 16.0 16.1 16.2 Homicidal Maniac​: Awakening Part (in Japanese). Published by Futabasha.
17. ↑ 17.0 17.1 17.2 Homicidal Maniac​ Ⅱ: Counterattack Part (in Japanese). Published by Futabasha.
18. ↑ 18.0 18.1 18.2 The Strange Tale of Midorooka (in Japanese). Published by Media Factory.
19. ↑ 19.0 19.1 19.2 The Strange Tale of Midorooka Continuation (in Japanese). Published by Media Factory.
20. ↑ 20.0 20.1 20.2 The Strange Tale of Midorooka Continually (in Japanese). Published by Futabasha.
21. ↑ 21.0 21.1 21.2 Another (in Japanese). Published by Kadokawa Shoten.
22. ↑ 22.0 22.1 22.2 Another Episode S (in Japanese). Published by Kadokawa Shoten.
23. ↑ 23.0 23.1 23.2 Another 2001 (in Japanese). Published by Kadokawa.
24. ↑ 24.0 24.1 24.2 The Kirigoetei Murder Case (in Japanese). Published by Shinchosha.
25. ↑ 25.0 25.1 25.2 The Final Memory (in Japanese). Published by Kadokawa Shoten.
26. ↑ 26.0 26.1 26.2 The Beautiful Tale of the Eyeball (in Japanese). Published by Shueisha.
27. ↑ 27.0 27.1 27.2 Freaks (in Japanese). Published by Kobunsha.
28. ↑ 28.0 28.1 28.2 Modern Era Mystery World 6: Yukito Ayatsuji Collection (in Japanese). Published by Librio Shuppan.
29. ↑ 29.0 29.1 29.2 Dondon Bridge is Falling Down (in Japanese). Published by Kodansha.
30. ↑ 30.0 30.1 30.2 Not Human: Yukito Ayatsuji Short Story Collection (in Japanese). Published by Kodansha.