HI NO HASHIRA

   Hi no hashira (1903–4; tr. Pillar of Fire, 1972) is a novel by author Kinoshita Naoe that was published serially in the Mainichi newspaper over a 14-month span prior to and during the Russo-Japanese War. The novel depicts tycoons and government purveyors looking to make a large profit off the war, covert government repression of the antiwar movement, and the exile of socialist Christians from their churches. It is considered to be one of the first Japanese socialist novels.

   See also MILITARISM.