Vintage WWII Era Box of 5 Imperial Japanese Navy Ceramic Hand Painted Grenades

  

Vintage WWII Era Box of 5 Imperial Japanese Navy Ceramic Hand Painted Grenades. Beautifully hand painted by Japanese artist Y.

They come in a boxed set and are in excellent condition considering their age. The set also comes with the actual description and technical instructions for the grenades. They may look like Christmas tree ornaments-but their origin is a bit deadlier.

While they now sport beautiful decorative paintings depicting Mount Fuji through the four seasons, these colorful orbs actually began their existence as World War II hand grenades. Type 4s, or ceramic grenades, were produced by the Imperial Japanese Navy in the waning days of the war as the raw materials of conflict, such as metals, were in ever-rarer supply.