To mark its 75th anniversary, CBC Television is running "Summer, Let's Bloom – Fireworks Support Project," a series highlighting the appeal of fireworks displays across the Tokai region. For its third installment, the station will livestream the Kumano Fireworks Festival, held in Kumano City, Mie Prefecture, on Monday, August 17.
Boats Race to Safety: The Three-Shaku-Dama Sea Self-Detonation
The Kumano Fireworks Festival is famous for its "three-shaku-dama sea self-detonation," in which a giant shell is set off directly on the water. The massive shell floats on a steel raft, standing by offshore. Once it is ignited, the boat races away at full speed. After putting sufficient distance between itself and the shell, the three-shaku-dama detonates over the sea, its blossom roughly 600 meters in diameter filling the night sky, its vivid light reflected on the water's surface. From the tension of the ignition and the boat's escape to the instant of detonation, it's a breathtaking spectacle that never lets viewers look away.
A Roar Echoes Across Shichirimihama: The Onigajo Grand Finale
The finale is the "Onigajo Grand Finale," a powerful sequence of fireworks set off one after another against the rocky cliffs of Onigajo, a World Heritage site. A highlight not to be missed is "saishiki-senrin," in which countless small shells burst open at once, filling the night sky with a spread of colorful fireworks. Each time a shell explodes, the roar reverberates off the rocks of Onigajo and echoes across Shichirimihama Beach, which faces the Kumano Sea. It's a stunning climax in which nature and fireworks become one.
A Starmine That Honors Ancient Sacred Ground
The Kumano Fireworks Festival opens each year with a starmine unique to that year. This year's opening starmine commemorates the 40th anniversary of the sister-city partnership between Kumano and Sakurai City in Nara Prefecture. Kumano is home to Hana no Iwaya Shrine, a World Heritage site whose sacred object is a massive rock face, while Sakurai is home to Omiwa Shrine, whose sacred object is Mount Miwa itself. Both cities are steeped in history, each holding a sacred site tied to nature worship that dates back to ancient times. Watching this year's commemorative fireworks with the history and culture nurtured by both cities in mind should make the display feel all the more meaningful.
Carrying Local Culture Into the Future
Fireworks displays are a traditional part of the Japanese summer, passed down in each region for generations. In recent years, however, rising prices and labor costs, along with a shortage of organizers and shrinking populations, have made it harder for many fireworks displays to continue. Through this project, CBC hopes to keep walking alongside these communities, sharing the appeal of Tokai region fireworks displays and the importance of carrying them into the future.
How to Watch
Third Installment: "Kumano Fireworks Festival" Live Stream
Broadcast date and time: Monday, August 17, from 6:00 PM
Streaming platforms:
YouTube
https://www.youtube.com/live/ByVctb3WJyE
X
https://x.com/i/broadcasts/1wGWjjepzrwKQ
Locipo
https://locipo.jp/live/regular/8a28e69f-b244-4559-b3ab-2f4382ae23b9
Livestream Schedule
First Installment: Gamagori Fireworks Festival (Gamagori City, Aichi Prefecture)
Streamed Sunday, July 26, from 7:00 PM (ended)
Featuring: Ayumi Nagaoka (CBC announcer), Takeshi Kanetake (fireworks photographer)
Second Installment: Ibigawa Matsuri Arigatou Hanabi (Ibigawa Town, Gifu Prefecture)
Streamed Saturday, August 1, from 7:15 PM
Featuring: Ayumi Nagaoka (CBC announcer), Shuji Hatanaka (fireworks researcher, Doctor of Engineering)
Third Installment: Kumano Fireworks Festival (Kumano City, Mie Prefecture)
Streaming Monday, August 17, from 6:00 PM
Featuring: Ayumi Nagaoka (CBC announcer), Takeshi Kanetake (fireworks photographer)
"Summer, Let's Bloom – Fireworks Support Project" official website:
https://hicbc.com/event/75th/fireworks/
About the Fireworks Displays
Kumano Fireworks Festival (Third Installment — Livestreaming Monday, August 17)
Date: Monday, August 17, from 7:00 PM
Venue: Shichirimihama Beach, Kumano City, Mie Prefecture
Set against Onigajo, a striking rock formation carved by the rough waves of the Kumano Sea, and Shichirimihama, Japan's longest gravel beach — both among the world's finest scenic spots — this display draws roughly 10,000 shells and an expected 120,000 visitors, making it one of the largest fireworks festivals in the Higashi-Kishu area. The highlight is the "Onigajo Grand Finale," which opens with the colorful blossoms of "saishiki-senrin" before climaxing with the "sea self-detonation" set off at Onigajo. The boom of each shell reverberates through the rocks and caves, resonating through spectators' bodies. Enjoy the impact of the sound and light, even through the screen.
Gamagori Fireworks Festival (First Installment — Streamed Sunday, July 26)
Date: Sunday, July 26, from 7:30 PM (ended)
Venue: Around Takeshima Wharf, Gamagori City, Aichi Prefecture
Held around Takeshima, a nationally designated natural monument, this is a large-scale fireworks display in the Mikawa area, drawing about 5,000 shells and around 120,000 visitors. The highlight is a genuine three-shaku-dama shell measuring 90 centimeters across and weighing 200 kilograms, launched above Takeshima to bloom into a giant flower roughly 650 meters in diameter — large enough to completely encircle Tokyo Skytree. A starmine devised by local elementary school students is also launched in time with the children's singing, and a music starmine, timed to music, delights spectators.
Ibigawa Matsuri Arigatou Hanabi (Second Installment — Streamed Saturday, August 1)
Date: Saturday, August 1, launch time 7:45 PM to 8:30 PM
Venue: Ibi River floodplain (upstream of Maejima Bridge), Ibigawa Town, Ibi District, Gifu Prefecture
Shells launched: approximately 2,500 / Visitors: approximately 60,000
A rare fireworks display in which stickers bearing messages of gratitude are attached to the shells before launch, sending "thank you" to family, friends, and people who have helped, along with those feelings, up into the night sky. Because the launch site sits close to the viewing area, spectators can feel the powerful boom of each shell and take in the huge blossoms that spread overhead. Filled with the warmth of local people's feelings, it turns a summer night into a special memory — a heartwarming display where the fireworks blend into the natural surroundings of the Seino region.
