A popular series of books by the late
Shoutarou Ikenami. Later it was turned into a televised
jidai geki. The main character of the book (and show) is a
samurai lord named
Hasegawa Heizou. Hasegawa is the head of
Histuke Touzoku Aratamegata, a special police force created by the
Tokugawa Shogunate to deal exclusively with
arsons ("
hitsuke") and
robberies ("
touzoku") in the city of
Edo.
Hasegawa is feared by criminals as "Oni-hei," which literally means "Hei(-zou) the demon".
The show has a pretty gritty feel, and is comparable to "Law and Order" or "NYPD Blue."
Hasegawa is currently played by Kichiemon Nakamura, a famous Kabuki actor, who reportedly likes Star Trek.