Tezutsu Hanabi - The Japanese Hand Held Firework

First of all, there is a crucial word I want to tell you about - Hanabi - the Japanese word for Fireworks.

The birth of Tezutsu Hanabi is the sanctuary of Yoshida, city of Toyohashi, Aichi province, Japan.

Is said that this kind of fireworks are seen in Yoshida since the XVI century.

These fireworks are fully hand made (from the bamboo collecting to the powder packing) by local people and each piece has 10 cm diameter and 80 cm length. Rope is coiled around the tube for more resistence and then the tube is filled with a black powder composition mixed with iron powder to produce the beautiful sparks.

During the festivals, each tube is hand held and fired, burning like a huge fountain that could reach 12 meters tall and ends with a small but a little scary explosion (called "splash")!

There are also some bigger tubes, although these are not hand held, but fixed in a wooden structure.

Its considered one ot the first types of Fireworks in Japan and the origin of all the other.

Do you know the Japanese characters for "Tezutsu Hanabi"? 手筒花火

See this exciting video that shows the process from the manufacturing to the firing:

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