Sugawara Akitada Books in Order
I.J. Parker has written 31 Sugawara Akitada books, published between 2002 and 2023: 22 in the Sugawara Akitada series and 9 related titles. The first book is Rashomon Gate (2002) and the newest main-line book is Spring Festival in Akaiwa (2023). Publication order is the reading order below.
- Books
- 31
- Published
- 2002–2023
- Pages on record
- 6,566 in 17 of 31 books
- Reading time
- 109–164 hours
Reading time is an estimate, not a recorded figure: 6,566 pages at 300 words a page, read at 200–300 words a minute, covering the 17 of 31 titles with a page count on record.
Sugawara Akitada is a government investigator in historical Japan, and the mysteries built around him run to 31 catalogued books. Rashomon Gate (2002) opens the series, followed by The Hell Screen (2003), The Kamo Horse (2003), The Dragon Scroll (2005), Black Arrow (2006) and Island of Exiles (2007). Murder, nobility and exile supply the recurring material, and I.J. Parker has added a separate run of Sugawara Akitada short stories and novellas. The catalogue closes at Spring Festival in Akaiwa (2023).
How many Sugawara Akitada books are there?
Sugawara Akitada has 31 books, released between 2002 and 2023. 22 of them belong to the Sugawara Akitada series, and 9 related titles sit outside it: short stories and novellas.
Sugawara Akitada Books in Publication Order
The table lists all 31 Sugawara Akitada books in the order they were published, with the release year, the page count where one is on record, and how many independent book listings confirm each title. Catalogue data as of September 2026.
- 120023362/4
- 22003–2/4
- 320033382/4
- 420053382/4
- 520063562/4
- 620075682/4
- 720094162/4
- 820102472/4
- 920104642/4
- 102011–2/4
- 112011–2/4
- 122011–2/4
- 132011–2/4
- 14Akitada and the Way of JusticeSugawara Akitada Short Stories/Novellas #62011 · 388 pages · confirmed 2/420113882/4
- 1520113922/4
- 162012–2/4
- 172012–2/4
- 182012–2/4
- 1920123752/4
- 2020133702/4
- 212014–2/4
- 2220143882/4
- 2320154122/4
- 2420153822/4
- 252015–2/4
- 2620173982/4
- 2720183982/4
- 282019–2/4
- 292020–2/4
- 302021–2/4
- 312023–2/4
Sugawara Akitada Books in Chronological Order
In story order, The Dragon Scroll comes first and Spring Festival in Akaiwa comes last. Chronological order follows the events inside the story rather than the release dates. The 22 books with a recorded story position run in that sequence below.
- 3The Dragon Scroll2005 · 338 pages · confirmed 2/420053382/4
- 1Rashomon Gate2002 · 336 pages · confirmed 2/420023362/4
- 4Black Arrow2006 · 356 pages · confirmed 2/420063562/4
- 5Island of Exiles2007 · 568 pages · confirmed 2/420075682/4
- 2The Hell Screen2003 · 338 pages · confirmed 2/420033382/4
- 6The Convict's Sword2009 · 416 pages · confirmed 2/420094162/4
- 8The Masuda Affair2010 · 464 pages · confirmed 2/420104642/4
- 7The Fires of the Gods2010 · 247 pages · confirmed 2/420102472/4
- 9Death on an Autumn River2011 · 392 pages · confirmed 2/420113922/4
- 10The Emperor's Woman2012 · 375 pages · confirmed 2/420123752/4
- 11Death of a Doll Maker2013 · 370 pages · confirmed 2/420133702/4
- 12The Crane Pavilion2014 · confirmed 2/42014–2/4
- 13The Old Men of Omi2014 · 388 pages · confirmed 2/420143882/4
- 14The Shrine Virgin2015 · 412 pages · confirmed 2/420154122/4
- 15The Assassin's Daughter2015 · 382 pages · confirmed 2/420153822/4
- 16The Island of the Gods2015 · confirmed 2/42015–2/4
- 17Ikiryo: Vengeance and Justice2017 · 398 pages · confirmed 2/420173982/4
- 18The Kindness of Dragons2018 · 398 pages · confirmed 2/420183982/4
- 19The Nuns of Nara2019 · confirmed 2/42019–2/4
- 20Massacre at Shirakawa2020 · confirmed 2/42020–2/4
- 21The Lucky Gods of Otsu2021 · confirmed 2/42021–2/4
- 22Spring Festival in Akaiwa2023 · confirmed 2/42023–2/4
Do you have to read Sugawara Akitada books in order?
You should read the Sugawara Akitada series in publication order, the order of the numbered table above; the 9 related titles (short stories and novellas) sit outside that sequence. The catalogue does not record whether each Sugawara Akitada book also stands alone.
Where to start with Sugawara Akitada
Start with Rashomon Gate (2002), the earliest published book in the Sugawara Akitada series. In the chronological order, The Dragon Scroll comes first.
What is the newest Sugawara Akitada book?
Spring Festival in Akaiwa (2023) is the newest book in the Sugawara Akitada series.
Is there a new Sugawara Akitada book coming?
No next Sugawara Akitada book is announced in the catalogue, which is a gap in the listings it merges rather than a sign that the run has ended.
Sugawara Akitada at a glance
- Paused
- No new main-line Sugawara Akitada title has appeared for 3 years. The last was Spring Festival in Akaiwa (2023).
- Release pace
- Sugawara Akitada books have appeared more than one a year on average.
- Length
- 6,566 pages across the 17 of 31 books with a recorded length, a median of 388 pages each.
- Busiest decade
- Most Sugawara Akitada books, 21 of 31, were published in the 2010s.
What the Sugawara Akitada books are about
10 of the 31 Sugawara Akitada books carry subject tags in Open Library's catalogue. The subjects below are the ones that recur across them, most frequent first: history is tagged on 8 of 10. The subjects are cataloguers’ headings, not a plot summary.
- History 8 of 10 books
- Japan 5 of 10 books
- Mystery & detective 4 of 10 books
- Nobility 4 of 10 books
- Historical fiction 3 of 10 books
- Investigation 3 of 10 books
- Murder 3 of 10 books
- Exiles 2 of 10 books
- Government investigators 2 of 10 books
- Public officers 2 of 10 books
More books by I.J. Parker
The author page linked below lists every book in publication order.
- I.J. Parker books in order 35 books