Ryūsei (signal rocket)

[1] Ryūsei are believed to have been developed by reverse engineering primitive Chinese gunpowder rockets left behind by the defeated Yuan armies after the Mongol invasions of Japan in the 13th century.

[3] In order to reduce the risk of a forest fire in case of accidental explosion, modern workshops for manufacturing ryūsei are made of fireproof concrete and have no electricity.

[1] 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 tsutsuppane (筒っ跳ね).

This type of rocket is mentioned in the metaphorical phrase, to "start like a ryūsei and end like a stick" (龍勢のように始まり、棒のように終わる), referring to something with an exciting beginning but an anticlimactic finish.

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