Events and intangible cultural heritage

Fireworks are considered Japan’s invaluable intangible cultural heritage, which have entertained Japanese people for more than 400 years. Summer is a main season for fireworks displays and many events are held across Japan, in cities and towns, large and small. Fireworks for such events are made by craftsmen called hanabishi who have special knowledge and skills. The fireworks displays originally started as events for local people. Thus, the events had close links with local communities and served as opportunities for socialising. Recently, however, the popularity of fireworks displays, especially large-scale ones, has increased, attracting huge crowds from far and wide. This signifies that the nature of the displays changed from local to regional or even national events. Although this shift can contribute to revitalising the local economy of a place, it may weaken the bonds between the events and local community and can cause various issues on the day of the event. Given this situation, event organisers will need to re-consider the intended meaning of these events in a local context.