The third son of a buddhist temple in Ooita prefecture, located on the island of Kyuushuu, Japan. Instead of getting a regular job after graduating from Buddhist studies, he spent his life wandering around the country and helping out at his parents' house until his late 30s. He his the detective of Yukito Ayatsuji's House Series, and his name is based on the Japanese mystery writer Soji Shimada and Kiyoshi Mitarai, the detective from Shimada's most famous book series.