Hino Ashihei

Novelist. Real name: Tamai Katsunori. Born on January 25, 1907 in Wakamatsu, Fukuoka. Dropped out of Waseda University's English Department. He was interested in literature from his days at Kokura Junior High School, and self-published a collection of fairy tales while at Waseda Senior High School. At university, he was active in literary activities, founding the magazine Machi with Tabata Shuichiro and publishing a poetry magazine, but before graduating, he joined the 24th Infantry Regiment in Fukuoka. After being discharged, he took over the family business of offshore stevedores, Tamai Gumi, and formed a labor union for offshore stevedores, becoming involved in the labor movement and deciding to give up literary work. However, after being arrested, he vowed to change his ways and resumed his literary activities with a local coterie magazine, and his work Funyotan (1937) won the Akutagawa Prize. Since he was serving in the Second Sino-Japanese War, the award ceremony was held in the camp, which became a hot topic. He then sent "Wheat and Soldiers" (1938) from the battlefield, which caused a great sensation, and after returning home he was known as a "soldier writer" and became a favorite of the media, working as a reporter during the Pacific War. After the war, he was severely criticized for his wartime responsibility and branded as a war criminal, but his "Flowers and Dragons" (1952-1953), which depicts his childhood home, gained a good reputation, and his posthumous work "Before and After the Revolution" (1959) was posthumously awarded the Japan Art Academy Prize. His war literature is filled with sincere love of country and the feelings of the simple common man, and he maintained his attachment to the soldier's spirit even after the war. He committed suicide by taking sleeping pills on January 24, 1960.

[Tsuzuki Hisayoshi]

"The Complete Works of Hino Ashihei, all eight volumes (1960, Kadokawa Shoten)" ▽ "Harada Taneo, The True Story of Hino Ashihei and Kyushu Literature and its Surroundings (1961, Taiki Shobo)" ▽ "Tamai Masao, Recollections of Hino Ashihei (1964, privately published)" ▽ "Yasuda Takeshi, Definitive Edition of War Literature (1977, Daisanbunmeisha)"

Source: Shogakukan Encyclopedia Nipponica About Encyclopedia Nipponica Information | Legend

小説家。本名玉井勝則(かつのり)。明治40年1月25日福岡県若松市生まれ。早稲田(わせだ)大学英文科中退。小倉中学時代から文学に関心を寄せ、早稲田大学高等学院のときには童話集を自費出版する。大学では田畑修一郎らと『街』を創刊したり詩誌を発行して活発な文学活動を展開したが、卒業を前に福岡歩兵24連隊に入隊し、除隊後は家業の沖仲仕玉井組を継ぎ、かたわら沖仲仕の労働組合を結成して労働運動にかかわって文学廃業を決意した。しかし検挙されて転向を誓い、地元の同人誌で文学活動を再開し、『糞尿譚(ふんにょうたん)』（1937）が芥川(あくたがわ)賞を受賞、日中戦争に応召中だったため陣中で授与式が行われて話題となった。ついで『麦と兵隊』（1938）を戦地から送って大きな反響をよび、帰還後は兵隊作家とよばれてマスコミの寵児(ちょうじ)となり、太平洋戦争中は報道班員として活躍した。戦後、厳しく戦争責任を指弾され戦犯の汚名を着せられたが、生家を描いた『花と龍』（1952～1953）が評判を得、遺稿となった『革命前後』（1959）が没後、芸術院賞を受賞した。その戦争文学には真摯(しんし)な祖国愛と素朴な庶民の心情があふれ、戦後も兵隊精神への愛着を貫いた。昭和35年1月24日睡眠薬自殺。

［都築久義］

『『火野葦平全集』全八巻（1960・角川書店）』▽『原田種夫著『実説火野葦平・九州文学とその周辺』（1961・大樹書房）』▽『玉井政雄著『火野葦平回想』（1964・自家版）』▽『安田武著『定本戦争文学論』（1977・第三文明社）』

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