Ashihei Hino (火野 葦平, Hino Ashihei) (born 玉井勝則, Tamai Katsunori; 25 January 1907 – 24 January 1960) was a Japanese writer, whose works included depictions of military life during World War II.
He then got promoted to the information corps and published numerous works about the daily lives of Japanese soldiers.
However, upon discovery of a translated work of Vladimir Lenin's among his possessions, Hino was demoted and eventually discharged.
In 1932 following the January 28 incident, foreign laborers conducted a strike, prompting the Tamai Group to dispatch Hino to Shanghai, China.
He was arrested upon his return to Japan and became distrustful of the Japanese Communist Party, deciding to turn away from leftist politics and back toward literature.
Mugi to Heitai (麦と兵隊, "Wheat and Soldiers"), his account of the Battle of Xuzhou in May 1938, which he sent from the battlefield, grew his fame and popularity.
It was translated into English and praised by American novelist Pearl S. Buck, who had grown up in China as the daughter of missionaries.
His work during this time and after the ban was lifted included his autobiographical film Hana to Ryuu (花と竜, "Flowers and Dragons"), which depicted the severe conditions of boyhood in Kyuushuu, and Kakumei Zengo (革命前後, "Before and After the Revolution"), which addressed his own moral responsibility in the war.
In 1960, after Hino's death, he was awarded the Japan Art Academy Prize for Kakumei Zengo and his other lifetime achievements.