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東都両国橋夕涼之景色 / 東京富士美術館

Fireworks at Ryogoku

Fireworks near Ryogoku Bridge, which started in the Edo period, is a gorgeous summer tradition in Tokyo

During the Edo period (1603-1867), from the 28th of the Fifth Month to the 28th of the Eighth Month of the lunar calendar, people would cool themselves off along the Sumida River during evenings. During this time, food stalls and spectacles were allowed to open at night along Hiroko Road at the base of Ryogoku Bridge and along the Sumida River. Consequently, the Sumida River was flooded with food-serving houseboats and covered boats, owned by boat renters and restaurants. Every year when the river opened for such evening activities, fireworks were set off at Ryogoku, and this became a summer tradition in Edo.

       The first display of fireworks was on the 28th of the lunar Fifth Month in 1733, when the shogunate held the Water God Festival and made offerings to the dead, in order to console the souls of victims of the Kyoho famine and to pray for the elimination of severe diseases. For this occasion, restaurants around Ryogoku Bridge donated money for fireworks, it is said.

       Early fireworks were launched downstream of Ryogoku Bridge by the fireworks shop Kagiya in Yokoyama-cho, Nihonbashi. At the time, fireworks were a single orange color, and there were about 20 fireworks. Later another fireworks shop, Tamaya of Yoshikawa-cho, Ryogoku, which separated from Kagiya, also participated. They vied with each other to produce the better fireworks display, with Tamaya in charge of the area upstream of Ryogoku Bridge and Kagiya in charge of the area downstream.

       In the middle of the Edo period, elaborate fireworks became popular. Wealthy owners of big stores sponsored such fireworks, and those fireworks were displayed almost every night during the cooling-off period.

       From the Meiji era (1868-1912) on, many people came out to see the fireworks. The fireworks were discontinued in 1962 for a while because traffic conditions got so bad, but were later revived as the Sumidagawa Fireworks Festival in 1978. Today this festival is held on the last Saturday of July every year, and there are two venues, one between Sakura Bridge and Kototoi Bridge and the other between Komagata Bridge and Umaya Bridge. A total of about 20,000 fireworks are set off.

Related People, Things and Events

Books

Related Works

Drawings of Ryogoku Fireworks in paintings (Edo period (1603-1868))

Drawings of Ryogoku Fireworks in paintings (Meiji period (1868-1912))

Institutions Holding Related Materials

  • 江戸東京の歴史と文化を実物資料や復元模型等を用いて紹介する博物館。常設展5階で、江戸時代の両国橋と両国橋西詰にあった広小路の再現模型を展示。

  • 「両国川開きの花火」を起源とし、現在も開催されている花火大会。桜橋と言問橋の間の会場、駒形橋と厩橋の間の会場の2会場で合計約2万発の花火が打ち上げられる。

  • 両国花火の歴史を展示する資料館。花火玉の断面の模型があり、花火の造り方を説明するビデオを鑑賞できる。

  • 国立国会図書館のコレクションから、両国橋を描いた錦絵の一覧を掲載。また、絵入り地誌『江戸名所図会』の該当箇所・絵図へのリンクも記載。

  • 台東区文化アーカイブスサイトで紹介されている、隅田川花火の歴史についてのインタビュー。

References

  1. 清水武夫 著,河出書房新社
  2. 東京都江戸東京博物館, 読売新聞社 編,東京都江戸東京博物館
  3. 東京都江戸東京博物館都市歴史研究室 編,東京都
  4. 福田アジオ, 菊池健策, 山崎祐子, 常光徹, 福原敏男 著,吉川弘文館
  5. 日立デジタル平凡社,平凡社