was a Japanese writer, credited with popularizing detective fiction in Japan. Matsumoto's works broke new ground by incorporating elements of human psychology and ordinary life. His works often reflect a wider social context and postwar nihilism that expanded the scope and further darkened the atmosphere of the genre. His exposé of corruption among police officials and criminals was a new addition to the field. The subject of investigation was not just the crime but also the society affected. Although Matsumoto was a self-educated prolific author, his first book was not printed until he was in his forties. In the following 40 years, he published more than 450 works. Matsumoto's work included historical novels and non-fiction, but it was his mystery and detective fiction that solidified his reputation as a writer internationally. Credited with popularizing the genre among readers in his country, Matsumoto became Japan's best-selling and highest earning author in the 1960s. His most acclaimed detective novels, including Ten to sen (1958; Points and Lines, 1970); Suna no utsuwa (1961; Inspector Imanishi Investigates, 1989) and Kiri no hata (1961; Pro Bono, 2012), have been translated into a number of languages, including English. He received the Akutagawa Prize in 1952, the Kikuchi Kan Prize in 1970, and the Mystery Writers of Japan Award in 1957. He served as president of the Mystery Writers of Japan from 1963 to 1971. Matsumoto also collaborated with film director Yoshitarō Nomura on adaptations of eight of his novels to film, including Castle of Sand. Early life Matsumoto was born in the city of Kokura, now Kokura Kita ward, Kitakyushu, Fukuoka prefecture, Kyushu, in 1909. His real name was Kiyoharu Matsumoto before he adopted the pen name Seichō Matsumoto; "Seichō" is the Sino-Japanese reading of the characters of his given name. He was an only child. After graduating from elementary school, Seichō was hired at a utility company. As an adult he designed layouts for the Asahi Shimbun in Kyushu. His work in the advertising department was interrupted by serving in World War II as a medical corpsman. He spent much of the war in Korea before resuming work at the Asahi Shimbun after the war. He transferred to the Tokyo office in 1950. Although Matsumoto attended neither secondary school nor university, he was well-educated. As a rebellious teenager, he read banned revolutionary texts as part of a political protest, which enraged Seichō's father, causing him