Sabu and Ichi's Detective Stories

The series follows the adventures of Sabu, a young Edo bakufu investigator, aided by the blind master swordsman Ichi. They deal with a wild variety of macabre mysteries and sordid crimes. Sabu is engaged to Midori, the daughter of his boss, who works as a police officer for the Tokugawa shogunate. The situations they deal with often shine a mournful and cynical light on the human condition, but the staunch friendship between Sabu and Ichi helps them cope. The manga gives a strong portrait of life in Tokugawa Edo, enhanced by the artwork which draws on Japanese traditional art.

Note: From 1966-1967, the manga was serialized in Weekly Shonen Sunday. From 1968-1972, the serialization was moved to Big Comic, causing a shift in demographic. Periodic one-shots with the two leads were still published after in different magazines.

• Won the 13th Shogakukan Manga Award for Shonen in 1967