Excursions

Tezutsu Hanabi—Hand Held Fireworks— in Toyohashi

Summer in Japan is renowned for being hot and humid, and for hundreds of firework festivals. Of all the grand firework displays held all over Japan, one of the most eye-catching events is the ‘tezutsu hanabi or hand held firework events, where experienced masters of the trade hold tezutsu—~80 cm long 10 cm wide bamboo cylinders entwined in hemp rope—out of which hot flames gush several meters towards the summer sky. The spectacle ends with an ear-shattering bang, signaling exhaustion of the black powder responsible for the hand held volcanic eruption.

Notably, the tradition of tezutsu hanabi is believed to have started in the mid-1500s at Yoshida Shrine—located along the Toyokawa River in Toyohashi City—which hosts the event during the annual Gion Festival in July.