Japanese Fireworks: An Art Form that Continues to Evolve

Fireworks are a technology with a long history in Japan. Fireworks in Japan originated as smoke signals from the Sengoku period, or “Warring States” period, when Japan had not yet been unified as a country and different clans competed for power. Today, Japanese fireworks are viewed as an art form, with fireworks manufacturers passing down their craft from generation to generation. Let’s look at what makes Japanese fireworks so unique, and how the art form is continuing to evolve today.

A Different Way to Enjoy Fireworks

People around the world enjoy fireworks for the way they light up the night sky with their shimmering colors. But the way fireworks are appreciated can vary from culture to culture. In other countries, fireworks are often shot off in quick succession or all at once, creating an impressive eruption of light and sound. The same can sometimes be seen in Japan, but the Japanese preference is towards appreciating the beauty of a single firework in isolation. Because each firework maker employs its own stable of trade secrets developed over generations, a single firework becomes a canvas to show off a unique blend of colors and effects. In fact, there are even annual competitions in Japan where fireworks makers have just two chances to launch a single beautiful firework. These fireworks are then scored based on things like creativity, color and shape, and technical coordination.

The Introduction of Modern Technology

In the past, fireworks had to be lit by hand, one at a time. This made it all but impossible to do complex synchronizing with music or other timed elements. In the 1990s, some Japanese companies began developing simple electronic control methods. These control methods helped automate the launching process and improved safety, but they still were not powerful enough to do complex synchronization.

These days, sophisticated software that allows fireworks companies to carefully time fireworks performances has become universal. With the introduction of this software, major fireworks shows in Japan began incorporating music and using fireworks to artfully tell stories. Perhaps due to the aesthetic taste for quiet simplicity found throughout Japanese art, Japanese fireworks festivals have come to showcase more subdued but more expressive and intricate fireworks compared to those in Western countries. Silent lulls are interspersed throughout the story to heighten the appreciation of each blast. Due to the complexity of Japanese fireworks, it can take the same amount of time and effort to create one firework as it does to create one hundred simple color fireworks, so the use of modern software to precisely time their launch is all the more important.

Fireworks Evolve in Design

Color is an area of constant development in the fireworks world. Originally, the only firework color available was orange. Today, special blends of minerals are used to create a wide array of colors. Each fireworks company uses their own closely guarded formulas to create their unique palette of colors. One Japanese company recently made a breakthrough by producing pastel-colored fireworks, a feat once thought to be impossible.

Japanese fireworks today are also becoming more animated. Some new fireworks are able to produce effects such as alternating colors, disappearing or changing color in animated waves, or “spinning” by changing color around a ring in carefully timed succession. One fireworks manufacturer representative we spoke to said of these latest firework designs that he hopes even people who are not interested in fireworks will ask, “Wow, how did they do that?”

Environmental Considerations

Japanese fireworks are evolving not just visually, but also environmentally. Japanese fireworks companies are continually exploring new materials and methods with the goal of reducing their environmental footprint so that their firework traditions can be enjoyed for generations to come. In the past, firework launch tubes were single-use or made from metals that would rust, but today they are made from stainless steel so they are resistant to corrosion and can be used repeatedly. Launch tube caps, which must be fire-resistant to prevent a premature launch, were traditionally made of aluminum, and a single fireworks display could produce more than 30 kilograms of aluminum waste. These days, new paper caps are being employed which are fire-resistant while also being water-soluble. Fireworks shells have traditionally been made from pressed laminated cardboard which takes a long time to decompose. Today, Japanese companies are working with alternative materials such as corn starch to make shells that can easily dissolve in water or be broken down by microorganisms in nature. Specially shaped devices planted inside fireworks to produce effects like spinning were once made of plastic, but these days they are being made from biodegradable paper. One firework company representative explained that they were unable to produce the exact same effects without the use of plastic, but rather than give up, they decided to embrace change and explore the new effects that paper devices allowed. It is an art form that demands a balance of beauty, safety, and environmental consideration.

The Future of a Tradition

Japanese fireworks today are a fusion of tradition and hundreds of years of technological advancement. They are a beautiful spectacle for the whole world to enjoy. If you ever visit Japan, consider going to a fireworks festival to see for yourself what makes Japanese fireworks so unique!