Japanese detective fiction released and written after World War II, and specifically between 1945 and 1961, offers an interesting reflection and insight into the social and historical anxieties which emerged as a result of having suffered total defeat. Emerging in the aftermath of Japan's defeat, the detective fiction of Akimitsu Takagi and Matsumoto Seichō captures the difficulties which not only they, but the whole of Japan, faced in the immediate post-war. Specifically, Takagi's The Tattoo Murder Case and Matsumoto's Inspector Imanishi Investigates are shaped by the rampant disassociation which characterized Japanese social and cultural identity. These novels, due to their documentary quality, provide a helpful supplement to other historical sources by providing insight to the hardships and difficult choices faced by ordinary Japanese citizens in extraordinary times. Since writers like Takagi and Matsumoto pay attention to the small details of every day life which occurs around them, they not only shed light on well-known existing themes, but also allow new and exciting themes, such as sexual politics, fears of continued and renewed destruction, and the concern of the recurring cycle of violence, to emerge. By examining the characters and plots within their novels, it will be shown that Japanese post-war detective fiction functions as a supplementary historical source.