In the same year, being inspired by Sherlock Holmes, he started to write 'Hanshichi Torimonocho,' the first detective novel in Japan, which was filled with the atmosphere of Edo and gained long-lasting popularity.
同年、シャーロック・ホームズに影響を受け、日本最初の岡っ引捕り物小説「半七捕物帳」の執筆を開始、江戸情緒溢れる描写で長く人気を得た。