The Japanese call fireworks hanabi, meaning "fire flower." The name suggests not only a physical resemblance, but also an existential one. Fireworks bloom, but only for a moment, dazzling onlookers ...

Japanese firework displays in the Edo period (1603–1868) were quite different from the fireworks that now decorate our night skies. Exploding fireworks back then gave off a reddish-orange color. This ...

Hanabi (fireworks) are a feature of summer in Japan. Whether it’s the shelves stocked with fireworks big and small to use at your next barbecue or one of the many firework festivals held during the ...

Large-scale fireworks displays are major events in Japan, often drawing hundreds of thousands of spectators at a time. The people who set up and create these wonders often go unseen, though, so it’s ...