‘Grenade’: Bronze figure by Haneda Sennen (羽田千年) c.1941. A very rare photograph of this powerful, heroic or yamato damashi ('Japanese spirit')-influenced war art or propaganda piece celebrating the bravery of Japanese soldiers in the 'Great East Asia War' (dai toa asia senso). (The infantryman is poised to throw a Model 37 (1937) hand grenade, a type which features in Black Sun, Red Moon and Merdeka Rising.) The sculpture was probably melted down (like many others) late in WWII, when there was a desperate shortage of metal for armaments production and the Japanese even began the manufacture of ‘last ditch’ ceramic grenades (some by famous potters such as Kaneshige Toyo). Photo: Author’s collection (Photo digitally restored).