ベイカー寮221B／Baker House 221B

Those who join the project of Rikuoh

• Rikuoh

"A Room of Mystery" is a spin off programme of "Sherlock Holmes" and is being broadcast by ETV after the PR programme was broascast on 16 July. It consists of a selected episode from those in the first series and Watson's quiz. The quiz seems to be based on a book "Sherlock Holmes Suiri quiz book"published by Shufu to seikatsu sha last autumn.

And the puppets are now displayed in Yokohama Doll House again from the 24th July to 6th Spetember.

NHK will start broadcasting "A Room of Mystery" every Thursday from 16 July. In the series, John H. Watson is in dark blue uniform of Baker House that seems to be designed same as that of Holmes. I think it's a preparation for the second series. He commentates what reasoning is in the programme consists of his part and a selected episode from the first series.
Let's enjoy it this summer!

Related websites (In Japanese)
http://www.nhk.or.jp/sh15/
http://megalodon.jp/2015-0710-2027-20/www.nhk.or.jp/sh15/　(cache)

The first series of the NHK puppetry "Sherlock Holmes" comes to an end by the leaving of not only Holmes but Ormstein and Moriarty also. And Irene Adler is not among those who see Holmes off. It is so suggestive and the second series will start when they come together again. Needless to say, the episode is based on "The Final Problem" but the discord between Holmes and his brother Mycroft is described as wells as that of Holmes and Moriarty.

In the episodes to be broadcast from July to September, small affairs will be described with the title of "Holmes and Watson A Room of Mystery". I will write about them and how I think about the reasoning of Holmes in the first series in the articles on the puppetry from now on.

After "The Adventure of the Incorrigible Headmaster", Holmes says goodbye to Watson and disappears. The next day Deputy Headmaster Moriarty visits 221B and asks Watson where he is but he answers that he doesn't know about it. After that, Mrs. Hudson appears with Holmes who is disguised as a house painter. He tells Watson that he drifted Sherman's shed, nurse's office whose door is closed, Diogenes Club and Mycroft's private room.

He tries to visit nurse's office to meet Irene Adler again and is carried by Watson making himself seem his dummy. But the door of nurse's office is still closed. Then they visits the room of Charles Augustus Milverton to tell him that he decided to leave the school over their tea made by Agatha. Milverton advises him that it's not the end but the start of another thing.


By the way WHO makes Holmes decide so? It's Mycroft, his brother. He overlooks Wilson Kemp's evil deed again and is tempted by Moriarty to put all the blames on his brother Sherlock. Then Moriarty eats a part of the decoration of Kemp's cake to cover up for Mycroft. Besides he tell Holmes and Watson that he will become a new headmaster and reorganise the school up to his ideal in front of a statue of Headmaster Ormstein though there is real Ormstein in it and hears what he says.

Moriarty's plot comes to light and he goes to an institute in Reihenbach and Ormstein resigns also. Holmes talks with Watson before leaving the school and promises him to meet again. He is seen off by pupils and teachers include Grimesby Roylott who becomes a farmer but Irene Adler is not there. He walks towards the gate where Jefferson Hope stands to meet him.



Both images are from Memorial Book.

This episode is based on "The Adventure of the Mazarin Stone". Holmes investigates who threatens Headmaster Ormstein and finds out that it is Wilson Kemp. However he is falsely accused of conspiracy with Kemp by Deputy Headmaster Moriarty and is forced to escape. What will happen next?



Some scenes in it are based on those in Japanese traditional theatre or samurai drama. Unbinding of Kemp's bag is alike to obi-hodoki, untying of a woman's obi (sash) by a man to have relations with her. And the words "Kore nite ikkenn rakuchaku" (the case is closed) of Headmaster Ormstein, voiced by Baijaku Nakamura are famous lines by his father Umenosuke Nakamura in samurai drama "Toyama no Kin-san"broadcast in 1970s.


Both images are from Memorial Book.

One day, Headmaster Ormstein visits Holmes who is suspended from attending class and asks him to take back his love letters to Isadora Klein. He says that he is threatened by someone who gets them. Holmes is amazed at his repeated adultery but searches it secretly placing his dummy in 221B to make Lestrade believe that he is in the dorm.

Holmes finds that Isadora hands the letters to a pupil but she doesn't tell him his/her name. Langdale Pike informs him that the headmaster is threatened by one of second graders of Dealer House because answer sheet of mathematics for them is used as threatening letter. Holmes infers it's Wilson Kemp from the fact and calls him to 221B in cooperation with Watson and Lestrade.


Holmes suggests Kemp to tell him the truth but he refuses it flatly and Holmes is taken by Lestrade to Deputy Headmaster Moriarty for he goes out from the house without permission despite being suspended. Then Watson talks with him and make him confess him crime to an ornament in the shape of koala and leaves him alone.

After Kemp confesses that he puts the letters in a belt-shaped bag and ties it to his body, dummy of Holmes stands up and says "Thank you, Kemp" - it is not a dummy but real Holmes. They entrap Kemp and take back the letter of Headmaster Ormstein. The headmaster thanks Homes though Deputy Headmaster Moriarty blames him for doing such a thing during being suspended from school.


However he is called by Moriarty that night. The deputy headmaster predicates that he and Kemp conspire together to threaten the headmaster and shown a cake that proves it. Letters of its decoration say as below.

"Dearest Holmes
Thanks for your endless friendship
Wilson Kemp"

Holmes wakes Watson to say farewell to hm and leaves 221B to hide himself.

One night Mrs. Hudson visits 221B and tells Holmes and Watson that there is a murder in the residence of Mr. Douglas who lives near Beeton School. Holmes goes out with Watson without permission to see the real murder and they steal into there.

There are many policemen inside and outside the residence. And Holmes and Watson are questioned what they are doing by Inspector Macdonald who commands the investigation but saved by Jefferson Hope who appears there. He tells the inspector that they are his colleague.

After that they celebrate the reunion. Hope says that he now studies sculpture while working at an art carrier and is told to remove a picture from Mr. Douglas' study to living room. Besides he says that the picture doesn't match the wall of the room and tells Holmes and Watson other strange points and the personality of Mr. Douglas.

After his leave, Holmes and Watson put false police badges on their uniform and enter the study. Holmes begins checking the dead body despite the fear of Watson. He finds that his wedding band is lost, his face is badly shot with a shotgun and some weight of a dumbbell are pulled out . But they are found out that they are not police staff but pupils and escape.


Holmes tries to pull up something in a pond situates in a garden of the residence with the help of Watson and Deputy Headmaster Moriarty who appears there to take them back. At last he pulls up a jacket with weights and sunk in the pond. Holmes and Watson tell their deputy headmaster that reporting is civic duty and run to the residence.

Though Inspector MacDonald refuses Holmes, Deputy Headmaster Moriarty tells him about his ability and asks him to listen to what his pupil says unexpectedly. Holmes tells the inspector explains strange points of the body and dumbbell showing the jacket held by Watson and finds out that the body in the study if that of criminal and Mr. Douglas is alive.

Then they find the master of the house hides in a space inside the wall of living room that is camouflaged by the picture removed from the study. Holmes hopes to join the investigation but is take back to Baker House with Watson by Moriarty.

The deputy headmaster tells Holmes that his mediation enables him to communicate with Inspector MacDonald and warns him to realise his immatureness. And he also tells him that he will be suspended from attending class for a week and Watson will be suspended also for three days.

The words of Irene Adler are important in the episode. She says that she lost the key to nurse's office and it enables Holmes, Watson and Wilson Kemp enter the office at nighttime. But what she says betrays both Holmes and Watson in the final episode of the First Series. Before it, she says that there're few kinds of medicine but honey for many pupils who visits the office pretend to be ill - maybe some male pupils who plan to see or talk with her act so. This honey seems to be an homage to Sherlock Holmes who starts an apiary after his retirement. And young Holmes is given a spoonful of honey from Irene at the end of the episode.
Anyway Miss Adler is too bold to be a school nurse.

One morning Watson does his prop busily while Holmes blows a party horn. He says that he has no intention of doing it from the beginning. What is more, he says "Assuming the pain of doing prep is ten, the pain of being warned is six. I prefer the lighter". Then someone knocks a door of 221B. It is Irene Adler. As soon as hearing her voice, he makes Watson stop doing prep and cleans up their dorm with him in haste. Irene tells Holmes that Barnicot fainted and was carried to nurse's office on the previous night and he wants to meet him.

After that, Holmes visits nurse's office with Watson and learns that Barnicot had his picture stolen. It is for a picture contest by four houses themed on tadpole, nickname for Sir Percy Phelps who established Beeton School. At that time, another pupil who also is in bed stands up and appears before them. It is Mycroft and he tells his younger brother in fun that it's natural for him to be in high spirits when he is with Miss Adler who attracts him. And Wilson Kemp visits Barnicot who doesn't know of him. Holmes and Watson wonder why both Mycroft and Kemp visit there.

On that evening, they meet in the office again and are informed by Langdale Pike that Wilson Kemp represents Dealer House in the contest and nobody from the house has become winner recently. They wake Barnicot and tells him to go back to his dorm. Then Holmes asks Irene Adler to permit their stay there during the night. Miss Adler who is surprised with it first but permits it later. She also tells that she has no key to the room. That night they find someone enter there and tries to get Barnicot's picture beneath one of the beds. It's Wilson Kemp. They take back the picture drawn abstractedly and Mrs. Hudson brings a dish with silver cloche to 221B on the next morning.

Holmes and Watson suggest Barnicot to empty the cloche and he finds his picture there. However, it is not his work but the one poorly modelled on his by Mycroft. His picture stolen by Kemp was hidden in nurse's office and he planned to take it later though Barnicot's faint prevented it. So Mycroft visits nurse's office using feign illness and changed it with an imitated one. Holmes expresses apology to Barnicot but he doesn't mind for he know it's drawn by himself even if Kemp wins the contest and he will be happy if it's realised.

However the winner is not Kemp but Duncan Ross who draws "A Red Tadpole". Holmes who is depressed with it is given a spoon of honey in nurse's office.