Viscount Shiro Hamao was born in Tokyo in 1896 in a prestigious family of modern Japan. Law degree from the Imperial University of Tokyo in 1923, he developed an intense research on the psychological roots of crime, an interest that would later be reflected in his works. In 1925 he inherited the title of viscount and was appointed District Attorney in Tokyo, but resigned from office 4 years later to devote himself to writing. He debuted in 1929 in Shin-Seinen magazine with "Was it he who killed them?" and "The disciple of the devil", reaping a great success among the readers who encouraged him to continue his literary career. In 1933 he was elected a member of the Chamber of Peers, but the demanding obligations of the new position forced him to slow down his literary output. Hamao died 2 years later, on 10/29/1935, because of a cerebral hemorrhage. In just 6 years and with a rather scarce production, Shiro Hamao managed to leave an indelible mark on the Japanese black genre.