Hekireki Kakyu

The Thunderclap Fireballs consisted of a large, egg-shaped paper casing covered with lacquer and filled with flammable pitch. A fuse was fitted in one end through a bamboo tube. The fuse was lit, and the fireball was either launched from a catapult or dropped off the wall on an attacking army. These weapons were built with a large wheel on one end and a handle on the other to allow them to be loaded into a catapult more easily. On impact, the hekireki kakyu broke open, spreading the flaming pitch around the point of impact. All targets continue to take damage until they could douse the flames. A more deadly version of the hekireki kakyu incorporated Dragon hanabi and broken crockery instead of pitch. This caused the missile to explode, scattering flame and shrapnel. These missiles were very unstable, and sometimes blew up in the air or in the catapult.