Hello, this is Sakaguchi from Ren.
Following on from last time, we will be introducing some seasonal things that characterize summer in Japan.
Fireworks, which light up Japanese summer nights, have become an indispensable seasonal feature.
Like goldfish, which I wrote about recently, fish do not originate in Japan, but they have evolved in their own way and become so widespread and developed that they can be considered part of Japanese culture.
I would like to write about the history of fireworks and why they are so loved by Japanese people and continue to remain such a seasonal feature.
●The history of fireworks in Japan
There are several theories about who was the first person to see fireworks in Japan.
One of them was Tokugawa Ieyasu. The Sunpu Political Records, a record of that time, states that on August 3, 1613, a merchant from the Ming Dynasty guided an Englishman to visit Ieyasu in Sunpu and set off fireworks.
The other was Date Masamune. In the "Date Ieharu Ka Kiriki," which is considered the official history of the Sendai domain, there is a record that on July 7, 1589, he invited Chinese people to Yonezawa Castle to watch fireworks.
If this is correct, then Masamune Date would be the first person in Japan to see fireworks.
In any case, when fireworks were first introduced to Japan, they were only enjoyed by those in power, such as the shogun and feudal lords.
The Sumida River Fireworks Festival, which is still held today, began in 1733.
The Great Kyoho Famine occurred in the previous year, the 17th year of the Kyoho Era, resulting in many deaths. The 8th Shogun, Tokugawa Yoshimune, held the Suijin Festival on the Sumida River the following year, the 18th year of the Kyoho Era, to pray for the souls of the victims and for the elimination of the epidemic. On that occasion, teahouses in the Ryogoku area held a river segaki ceremony to commemorate the souls of the dead, and set off fireworks as entertainment. From this point on, it became customary to set off fireworks on the first day of the river opening, and the Sumida River Fireworks Festival, which continues to this day, has become a seasonal feature of the summer in Tokyo.
● Requiem fireworks to soothe the souls and offer prayers
Just as the aforementioned Sumida River Fireworks Festival began as a memorial for the victims of the Great Kyoho Famine, many fireworks festivals across the country are held for the purpose of consoling and offering prayers for the dead.
The Nagaoka Festival Fireworks Display, one of the three major fireworks displays in Japan, also incorporates the wish for "commemoration and reconstruction."
On the eve of the festival, August 1st, at 10:30 pm, a fireworks display called "Shiragiku" will be set off in memory of those who lost their lives in the Nagaoka air raid that took place at the same time in 1945. 
There is also a reason why there are so many fireworks displays during the Obon period.
It is said that the souls of ancestors return home during Obon, and there is a custom of lighting "okuribi" (sending off fires) and "mukaebi" (welcoming fires) at the entrance of houses as landmarks to help the ancestors find their way home without getting lost.
The Gozan no Okuribi bonfires in Kyoto are famous.
Since ancient times, Japanese people have considered fire to be sacred, so when we see fireworks being set off, we naturally sense that they are filled with prayers and condolences.
●Why Japanese people feel emotional about fireworks
Fireworks are beautiful and spectacular, lighting up the night sky with great force, but don't you feel a sense of sadness when you see them? This feeling seems to be uniquely Japanese.
Fireworks overseas are more of an attraction set off to liven up ceremonies, and are not at all sad.
The sense of transience and fragility that Japanese people feel when watching fireworks, which bloom into beautiful flowers in an instant and then disappear just as quickly, is perhaps similar to the appreciation we feel for the graceful death of cherry blossoms.
Sparklers and the human life
Sparklers, like fireworks, have become a seasonal feature of the summer.
The beautiful changes of sparklers have been likened to the changes in a person's life.
"Peony" is a small ball that gives the feeling of the beginning of life.
The sparks grow stronger and the "pine needles" bloom in full glory.
"Willow" - the sparks settle down and long sparks fall downwards
"Falling Chrysanthemums" where the sparks get smaller and slowly fade away 
The drama of the changes and transformations of this tiny sparkler is ephemeral and melancholic, and it is hard not to feel the pathos of things.
I also think that sparklers make us feel the end of summer and make us sad to see it go.
A person's life and the end of summer. Neither is eternal, and both are subject to change. Perhaps this sense of impermanence is why fireworks are so moving to Japanese people.
