[1] The Scarlet Gang of Asakusa describes the decadent allure of this entertainment district, where beggars and teenage prostitutes mixed with revue dancers and famous authors.
Originally serialized in a Tokyo daily newspaper Tokyo Asahi between 20 December 1929 and February 16, 1930,[2] this vibrant novel uses unorthodox, kinetic literary techniques to reflect the raw energy of Asakusa, seen through the eyes of a wandering narrator and the cast of mostly female juvenile delinquents who show him their way of life.
[3] The first translation of this novel was into German by Richmod Bollinger in 1999, as Die Rote Bande von Asakusa (Frankfurt: Insel) ISBN 9783458169697.
The annotated English translation of this novel by Alisa Freedman, first published in 2005, includes the original illustrations by Ota Saburo and a foreword and an afterword by Donald Richie.
ISBN 978-88-06-18017-1 Meiko Shimon in Brazil translated the novel into Portuguese as A Gangue Escarlate de Asakusa by Estação Liberdade in 2013.