- Type 4 grenade
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Type 4 "Ceramic" grenade 
Two Type 4 grenades. The one on the left doesn't have the rubber cover on.Type Hand Grenade Place of origin 
Empire of JapanService history In service 1944-1945 Used by 
Imperial Japanese NavyWars World War II Specifications Diameter various Detonation
mechanismFuse delay of 4 to 5 seconds 
Type 4 ceramic grenade
The Type 4 Grenade or Ceramic Grenade (四式陶製手榴弾 Yon-shiki tōsei teryūdan) was a “last-ditch” hand grenade developed by the Imperial Japanese Navy in the closing stages of World War II.
Contents
History and development
By late 1944 and early 1945, much of the industrial infrastructure of Japan had been destroyed by Allied strategic bombing, and there was a growing shortage of raw materials due to Allied naval blockades and submarine warfare. Lacking in metals to mass produce hand grenades in the vast quantities that would be needed against the projected Allied invasion of Japan, the Imperial Japanese Navy Technical Bureau developed a design for a cheap, easy-to-make grenade made of ceramic or porcelain materials. Kilns famous for the production of traditional Japanese pottery, such as Arita, Bizen and Seto were pressed into service to manufacture these relatively crude weapons. There were a tremendous number of variants on shape, size and color, because the design depended on each kiln.
Design
The Type 4 grenade had a fragmentation body made of terra cotta or porcelain materials. The grenade was round-shaped with a bottle neck with a rubber cover and a simple fuse. This detonator was no more than a blasting cap crimped on to a five-second length of fuse. The other end of the fuse, which was outside the rubber plug, was covered with a match-head composition. A slip-on rubber cap covered the whole neck, and fuse. A small, loose wooden block with an abrasive composition on one side was contained in the rubber fuse cover.[1]
Combat record
The Type 4 grenades were passed out in large quantities to civil defense organizations, such as the Volunteer Fighting Corps, Yokusan Sonendan, and to reservist organizations involved in preparations against the possible invasion of the Japanese home islands by Allied forces. They were also supplied to front line combat troops in large quantities, and are known to have been employed at the Battle of Iwo Jima and Battle of Okinawa. [2]
Notes
References
- US Department of War (1994 reprint). Handbook on Japanese Military Forces, TM-E 30-480 (1945). Louisiana State University Press. ISBN 0-8071-2013-8.
- Japanese Explosive Ordnance, TM 9-1985-4. Departments of the Army and the Air Force. 1953. ASIN B000H7NCDS.
External links
Japanese Infantry Weapons of World War IIHistory Firearms of JapanSwords Bayonets Side Arms Rifles / Carbines Type 30 · Type 38 · Type 38 Carbine · Type 44 Carbine · Type 97 sniper rifle · Type 99 · Type 99 sniper rifle · TERA rifle · Type 4 Automatic Rifle · Type ISubmachine Guns Light Machine Guns Heavy Machine Guns Grenades Support Weapons Type 93 Flamethrower · Type 100 Flamethrower · Type 10 Grenade Discharger · Type 89 Grenade Discharger · Type 100 Grenade Discharger · Type 2 Rifle Grenade Launcher · Type 97 20mm AT Rifle · Type 4 70mm AT Rocket LauncherCartridges 9mm Japanese · 8×22mm Nambu · 7×20mm Nambu · 6.5×50mm Arisaka · 7.7×58mm Arisaka · 7.7×58mmSR Arisaka Semi-RimmedCategories:- World War II Japanese infantry weapons
- World War II grenades of Japan
- Fragmentation grenades
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