KAWAGOE, Saitama -- Numerous broken ceramic grenades lying in the bottom of the Binnuma River, the old Arakawa River channel flowing along the borders of the cities of Saitama, Kawagoe and Fujimi in Saitama Prefecture, north of Tokyo, emerge from autumn to winter, when the water level drops.

These remnants of weapons scattered over an area the size of a tennis court were manufactured during World War II, which ended 80 years ago. In the final stages of the war, due to a shortage of metals, ceramics from various regions in Japan, such as Shigaraki and Mino ware, were used as substitutes for metal and were employed in the production of weapons like grenades and land mines.

Matsuo Suzuki, 83, the head of the Kawagoe Minami Video Club, conducted interviews about 20 years ago with those involved in the production of ceramic grenades in Kawagoe and compiled the information into a video. According to Suzuki, Asano Carlit Ltd.'s Saitama factory, a munitions plant, was located adjacent to the Binnuma River during the war. The factory began manufacturing ceramic weapons around the summer of 1944, with local residents and students mobilized for the work.

Testimonies from those involved indicate that at the end of the war, there were about 500 metric tons of ceramic grenades at the factory. When the factory was closed immediately after the war, some of the grenades, along with ceramic land mines, were disposed of in the river after the explosives were removed. Compared to iron grenades, the explosive power of these ceramic substitutes was apparently significantly weaker.

"It's a pity for those who were sent to the battlefield with such substitutes," Suzuki said. "War is something that should never be waged."

Listening to Suzuki, who experienced the war as a child, this reporter was reminded once again that the site where the ceramic grenades rest is a precious heritage marked by the memories of war.

(Japanese original by Toshiki Miyama, Photo Group)