1. What Did People in Edo Pray for When Fireworks Began?
The origins of the Sumida River Fireworks Festival are said to date to 1733, in the middle of the Edo period. [1] That year, a famine (a time when there is not enough food) caused many people to die. [1] It is told that Tokugawa Yoshimune, the 8th shogun (military leader), held a water god festival to remember the dead and pray for bad diseases to disappear. [1] The Agency for Cultural Affairs also describes this same event in its explanation of the ukiyo-e print "Ryogoku Fireworks" by Kitagawa Utamaro. [1]
At this time, restaurants near Ryogoku Bridge launched fireworks with the meaning of a memorial service. This event is said to be the origin of "Ryogoku Kawabiraki" (the opening of the river season). [1] The fireworks were launched during this river opening. [1]
Why were fireworks used? The writer of the explanation suggests that the loud sounds were likely meant to drive away evil spirits. [1] However, this is the writer’s guess. There are no documents from that time that prove people thought this way. [1] The source only writes "bad disease" without specifying the type of illness. [1]
Fireworks that began with prayer eventually changed. When did they become something for "fun"? [1]
2. How Did Prayer Fireworks Become a Summer Tradition in Edo?
The Agency for Cultural Affairs states that after fireworks were launched at the river opening, the Ryogoku fireworks became a summer tradition in Edo. [1] This means they became something people saw every time summer came. [1]
Two shops that made and sold fireworks appeared in Edo: Kagiya and Tamaya. [1] Tamaya started in 1808, splitting off from Kagiya. [1] These two shops became rivals. [1]
You may have heard people shout "Tamaya!" and "Kagiya!" while watching fireworks. [1] These shouts come from the names of the two shops. [1]
If spectators shouted because they knew which shop’s fireworks they were watching, it seems people were enjoying the show and comparing the shops' skills. [1] However, this is an imagination based on the origin of the shouts. The documents do not explicitly say this. [1]
The Agency for Cultural Affairs says fireworks became a summer tradition, so they may have been watched for enjoyment. [1] But are there fireworks festivals where the main purpose is to compete in skill? [1]
3. Why Do Pyrotechnicians Compete in Skill at the Omagari Fireworks?
The fireworks in Omagari, Akita Prefecture, are a contest where pyrotechnicians from all over Japan compete in skill. [1] The official name is the "National Fireworks Competition." [1] Pyrotechnicians gather to aim for the Prime Minister’s Prize, which is considered the highest award in the Japanese fireworks world. [1] There is a daytime session and a nighttime session. [1] At night, they compete in two categories: No. 10 shells and creative fireworks. [1]
The competition began in 1910. [1] It started as an entertainment event called the "Ou Six Prefectures Fireworks Exhibition" during a festival at Suwa Shrine. [1] "Enka" means fireworks, and "kyoshinkai" means an event where people show their products to compare quality. [1]
So, a skill competition that started as festival entertainment grew into a national gathering. [1] While Sumida River fireworks were a "prayer event," Omagari fireworks put "competing in skill" at the front. [1]
Besides the competition, there is also a "Festival Offering Firework" made by the young members of the Omagari Fireworks Cooperative over one year. [1] This is a wide star mine firework, launched between the competition events. [1]
If there are fireworks for competition, are there places where fireworks are offered to gods? [1]
4. What Does the Giant Shell at the Katakai Festival Offer to the Gods?
The fireworks at the Katakai Festival in Ojiya City, Niigata Prefecture, are offered to the gods at the annual festival of Asahara Shrine. [1] "Hono" means offering something to a shrine. [1]
In 1891, four three-shaku tama (large shells) were launched. [1] Because of this, Katakai became known as the "birthplace of the three-shaku tama." [1] Now, a famous feature is the four-shaku tama. [1] It weighs about 420 kg and rises to a height of about 880 m. [1] When it opens, it has a diameter of about 800 m. [1] To compare, this is about the weight of seven adults who weigh 60 kg each. [1]
The tourism association introduces this as the largest in the world, but here we just share the association's description. [1]
Omagari competes in skill, and Katakai offers to the gods. [1] Even though both are called "fireworks festivals," the meaning people receive seems to change depending on the place. [1]
So, how are fireworks that wish for recovery and town energy positioned? [1]
5. How Do Towns Use Fireworks for Recovery and Energy?
The Unzen Fugen-dake Eruption Memorial Fireworks Festival in Shimabara, Nagasaki Prefecture, is held to pray for early recovery from the eruption disaster and as part of a project to activate tourism. [1] It has two faces: it is a prayer and also an effort to bring people in. [1] The starting year is not written in the source used here, so it is not mentioned. [1]
The Sumida River fireworks have not continued without stopping. [1] "Ryogoku Kawabiraki" was held upstream of Ryogoku Bridge until 1961, despite several interruptions. [1] However, it was cancelled the next year due to traffic problems. [1] It was revived in 1978 under the new name "Sumida River Fireworks Festival." [1] Even with a period of cancellation, the fireworks returned as a town event. [1]
Prayer, competition, offering, recovery. Tracing these four places shows that the purposes of a fireworks festival vary by place and may overlap. [1]
What face does the fireworks festival near you have? [1]
6. How Can You Find the Purpose of a Fireworks Festival Near You?
Look at posters, flyers, or the city and tourism association websites for a nearby fireworks festival with your family. [1] If there are sections for "Organizer," "Purpose," or "Intent," read the words written there. [1]
Is it close to prayer, competing in skill, offering to gods, or recovery and town energy? [1] These are the four types seen in this article. [1] It might have a completely different purpose written on it. [1]
If there are documents at a local shrine or library about the start of the fireworks festival, those can also be clues. [1] The explanation of "Ryogoku Fireworks" on the Agency for Cultural Affairs website mentioned in the sources of this article is also readable in Japanese. [1]