A is a traditional Japanese signal

rocket A rocket (from , and so named for its shape) is a vehicle that uses jet propulsion to accelerate without using any surrounding air. A rocket engine produces thrust by reaction to exhaust expelled at high speed. Rocket engines work entirely ...

Summary

A ''ryūsei'' fuselage is made from either

pine A pine is any conifer tree or shrub in the genus ''Pinus'' () of the family Pinaceae. ''Pinus'' is the sole genus in the subfamily Pinoideae. ''World Flora Online'' accepts 134 species-rank taxa (119 species and 15 nothospecies) of pines as cu ...

softwood Scots pine, a typical and well-known softwood Softwood is wood from gymnosperm trees such as conifers. The term is opposed to hardwood, which is the wood from angiosperm trees. The main differences between hardwoods and softwoods is that the sof ...

or a section of

bamboo Bamboos are a diverse group of mostly evergreen perennial plant, perennial flowering plants making up the subfamily (biology), subfamily Bambusoideae of the grass family Poaceae. Giant bamboos are the largest members of the grass family, in th ...

, and it is propelled by the combustion of

gunpowder Gunpowder, also commonly known as black powder to distinguish it from modern smokeless powder, is the earliest known chemical explosive. It consists of a mixture of sulfur, charcoal (which is mostly carbon), and potassium nitrate, potassium ni ...

. The particular type of gunpowder used in ''ryūsei'' is formulated to burn slowly. ''Ryūsei'' are believed to have been developed by

reverse engineering Reverse engineering (also known as backwards engineering or back engineering) is a process or method through which one attempts to understand through deductive reasoning how a previously made device, process, system, or piece of software accompl ...

primitive Chinese gunpowder rockets left behind by the defeated Yuan armies after the

Mongol invasions of Japan Major military efforts were taken by Kublai Khan of the Yuan dynasty in 1274 and 1281 to conquer the Japanese archipelago after the submission of the Korean kingdom of Goryeo to Vassal state, vassaldom. Ultimately a failure, the invasion attemp ...

in the

13th century The 13th century was the century which lasted from January 1, 1201 (represented by the Roman numerals MCCI) through December 31, 1300 (MCCC) in accordance with the Julian calendar. The Mongol Empire was founded by Genghis Khan, which stretched ...

. However, there is another theory that ''ryūsei'' were invented locally by Japanese

peasant A peasant is a pre-industrial agricultural laborer or a farmer with limited land-ownership, especially one living in the Middle Ages under feudalism and paying rent, tax, fees, or services to a landlord. In Europe, three classes of peasan ...

s. Because of this, they are sometimes called . In the

16th century The 16th century began with the Julian calendar, Julian year 1501 (represented by the Roman numerals MDI) and ended with either the Julian or the Gregorian calendar, Gregorian year 1600 (MDC), depending on the reckoning used (the Gregorian calend ...

, ''ryūsei'' rockets were used as

smoke signal The smoke signal is one of the oldest forms of long-distance communication. It is a form of visual communication used over a long distance. In general smoke signals are used to transmit news, signal danger, or to gather people to a common area. ...

s, and documents preserved at record the launch of a ''ryūsei'' in 1575. After the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

and occupation, American-directed bans on private possession of gunpowder nearly caused the extinction of ''ryūsei''. After many petitions, gunpowder for ''ryūsei'' was finally legalized again in 1972.

''Ryūsei'' in later times

Chichibu is a city located in Saitama Prefecture, Japan. , the city had an estimated population of 61,159 in 26,380 households and a population density of . The total area of the city is . Geography Chichibu is in the westernmost part of Saitama. Unlik ...

, a number of ''ryūsei'' from different areas of Japan are on display at the roadside station. In order to reduce the risk of a

forest fire A wildfire, forest fire, or a bushfire is an unplanned and uncontrolled fire in an area of combustible vegetation. Depending on the type of vegetation present, a wildfire may be more specifically identified as a bushfire ( in Australia), dese ...

in case of accidental explosion, modern workshops for manufacturing ''ryūsei'' are made of fireproof concrete and have no electricity. If the fuselage is not properly constructed and cannot withstand the force of the ignition, the rocket may explode on the launch scaffold in what is known as a . Because they are manufactured by amateurs, there are often cases of ''tsutsuppane'' and other launch failures. For this reason, when a launch is successful, it is customarily followed by a '' banzai'' shout. This type of rocket is mentioned in the metaphorical phrase, to , referring to something with an exciting beginning but an anticlimactic finish.

External links

''Rocket Body, Solid Fuel, Ryusei, Japanese Festival'' at the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum

References

{{authority control Japanese inventions Early rocketry Solid-fuel rockets Technology in Medieval Japan Gunpowder Pyrotechnics

Summary

''Ryūsei'' in later times

See also

External links

References