On the Fire-Works

Abstract

Note on the Japanese fire works. We have the description dated Tensho 13th year as the oldest record about the fire works in Japan. The works were handed down from the European people but not from Chinese. In Tokyo there are now several street-names that show the historical events of ancient fire works in Yedo: as Koga-cho in Kanda; Tansu machi in Yotsuya etc. In the days of Tokugawa-age, skilfulness on the fire works much depends essentially on the light color of burning carbon. Among many curious secrets, so called Hidens, of that age ; I find the method to make lead metal fine powder. They succeed this by mixing the Kernbodies as ash and salt into melted lead. On cooling lead made very fine powder. The method (before over one century ago) has very scientific interest. Here, I show recent practices to make stars & signalfires, and some experimenta results of my own investigations. © 1929, The Illuminating Engineering Institute of Japan. All rights reserved.