Object Details
Manufacturer
Ryusei Preservation Association of Yoshida-machi, Saitaima Prefecture
Summary
This is a Japanese Ryusei rocket launched in 1998 at Yoshida, Chichibu, Saitama Prefecture, Japan, of the type used in the annual Ryusei festival. Ryusei means "ascending dragon."
The Ryusei festival is a religious event in which the rockets are fired to pray to the Shinto gods for a good coming harvest of rice and other crops. The rockets are propelled by gunpowder and have long bamboo guidesticks. They are launched from high scaffold-like launch towers. The history of the custom is not well known but is claimed to go back several centuries. This object was donated to the Smithsonian by the Ryusei Preservation Association of Yoshida-machi, Saitama Prefecture, Japan.
Credit Line
Gift of Ryusei Preservation Association of Yoshida-machi
Date
1998
Inventory Number
A19990313000
Restrictions & Rights
Usage conditions apply
Type
CRAFT-Missiles & Rockets
Materials
Body, pine wood, 0.5 inch thick; clay inserts down 4.5 inches in bottom exhaust hole. Overall rocket tube bound along most of length of body with hemp rope.
Dimensions
Overall: 2ft 3in. x 7in. (68.58 x 17.78cm)
Country of Origin
Japan
See more items in
National Air and Space Museum Collection
Location
Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center in Chantilly, VA
Exhibit Station
Rockets & Missiles
Data Source
National Air and Space Museum
Link to Original Record
Record ID
nasm_A19990313000