is a type of traditional Japanese
fireworks using a
flamethrower
A flamethrower is a ranged incendiary device designed to project a controllable jet of fire. First deployed by the Byzantine Empire in the 7th century AD, flamethrowers saw use in modern times during World War I, and more widely in World ...
-like handheld projector.
History
The chronicle preserved at records the first use of fireworks in Mikawa in 1558. Pyrotechnic signal
flares were used during the
Sengoku period.
The of 1741 states that ''tezutsu-hanabi'' were presented to
Tokugawa Ieyasu at
Edo Castle
is a flatland castle that was built in 1457 by Ōta Dōkan in Edo, Toshima District, Musashi Province. In modern times it is part of the Tokyo Imperial Palace in Chiyoda, Tokyo and is therefore also known as .
Tokugawa Ieyasu established the ...
in 1613. It is believed that the
gunnery corps of the
Tokugawa clan brought back knowledge of pyrotechnics when they returned to
Mikawa Province in the early
17th century
The 17th century lasted from January 1, 1601 ( MDCI), to December 31, 1700 ( MDCC). It falls into the early modern period of Europe and in that continent (whose impact on the world was increasing) was characterized by the Baroque cultural moveme ...
.
Ieyasu entrusted the with the mass production of
gunpowder, and because of this, it is said, Mikawa became the home of many advances in pyrotechnics.
Characteristics of the ''tezutsu-hanabi'' projector
''Tezutsu-hanabi'' are prepared by local amateurs who have obtained a license to do so. Structurally, the projector is a roughly 100-80 centimeter long cartridge made of
''mōsō'' bamboo reinforced with rope and packed with a mixture of slow-burning
gunpowder and
iron powder.
[ When the fuse is lit, a jet of fire is released while the projector is held in a daunting pose. At the end of the performance, the projector is hefted and flipped around as the bottom explodes in a brief secondary ignition called a .][ However, in some regions including Shizuoka, the ''hane'' may be less dramatic or absent altogether.
]
See also
*Greek fire
Greek fire was an incendiary weapon used by the Eastern Roman Empire beginning . Used to set fire to enemy ships, it consisted of a combustible compound emitted by a flame-throwing weapon. Some historians believe it could be ignited on contact w ...
External links
Documentary on ''Tezutsu-hanabi'' by the Mikkabi Tezutsu-hanabi Preservation Society
References
{{authority control
Japanese inventions
Technology in Medieval Japan
Fireworks
Gunpowder
Flamethrowers of Japan
Pyrotechnics