Flowers on a Summer Night

Speaking of summer in Japan, this is as essential as the festivals I wrote about in my last blog.

Yes, fireworks.

The large flowers that color the night sky, and the light and sound of the fireworks make me feel that summer is really here.

In the past few years, due to the Corona pandemic, fireworks festivals themselves had to be curtailed or scaled back, but since last year, things have returned to normal, and I feel as if everyday life has returned to normal.

 

Now, in writing this blog, I looked into something I was curious about.

That is, are there any differences between Japanese fireworks and fireworks in the world?

I found out that the biggest difference is that Japanese fireworks are spherical, while fireworks made in European countries are cylindrical.

The spherical fireworks send the "stars" of gunpowder balls in all directions in a spherical shape, while the cylindrical fireworks have a lid that comes off on one side and the contents fly out from there, making them look like a willow branch. This difference seems to come from the difference in the original purpose of fireworks. In Japan, fireworks themselves are made for ornamental purposes, while in Europe, fireworks are made for ceremonial purposes such as coronation ceremonies.

However, in recent years, in order to increase the variation of the presentation, cylindrical fireworks are being launched together in Japan and spherical fireworks are being created in Europe, and the best parts of both are being combined to decorate the night sky.

 

As mentioned above, in Europe, fireworks were used to light up castles on festive occasions, but in Japan, fireworks were first used to express the "requiem" for the victims of a famine during the Edo period. Perhaps this is why we sometimes feel somewhat lonely when fireworks are launched into the night sky in summer.

 

I thought I would leave it at this point, as I feel a sense of loneliness coming over me if I continue writing, but I forgot one important thing.

If you have a chance to see fireworks in Japan, please change into a yukata and look up at the night sky with a fan.

I would be happy to talk with you about the fireworks in your country if we can meet one day.

Well, that's all for this issue, see you again in the next blog.