Hettsui Kawagishi Onjo Banya Natsu Hatsutsuki No Ame (Cosmic Jidai Bunko)

[Machine Translation] Nose Denshichiro was a bannerman who served as Oku-sukebushi in Edo Castle. Because of his kindness, he was excluded from the competition for promotion within the castle, and because of this, he was also alienated from his family even within his own mansion, leaving him with no place to stay. He was about to leave everything behind and retire, when he hears from a childhood friend who is the town's landlord that he is in need of a scribe to take care of his own affairs. Denshichiro thought he would be able to live a carefree life on the city streets, but the "jiban" (watchman) was brought in one after another with troublesome matters from the town. From protecting a drunken child, to investigating the behavior of his son, to searching for his missing father, to even killing a man.... Denshichiro, who hides his true identity but for some reason is relied upon by everyone, solves these problems with his wisdom and compassion. This is the first volume of the masterpiece detective story of the "Onjo-Banya," as it is called, located on the banks of the Hettu River.

*Rated 18-and-over.

能勢伝七郎は、江戸城内で奥祐筆を務めた旗本。優しさゆえ城内の出世競争から降り、それがため屋敷内でも家人から疎外されて身の置き所がなかった。一切を打ち捨てて隠居したいと思っていた折、町名主を務める幼馴染みから自身番の書役を探しているという話を聞き、家督を倅・伝之助に譲って日本橋難波町の番屋に勤めることになる。市井でのんびり暮らせると思っていた伝七郎だが、自身番には町の厄介事が次々に持ち込まれる。酔っ払いの子どもの保護から、年頃の息子の素行調査、行方不明の父親探し、そして殺しまで...。素性は隠してもなぜか皆に頼りにされる伝七郎が、知恵と情けで解決する。へっつい河岸にある、人呼んで「恩情番屋」の傑作捕物帳、第一弾。