Japan's fireworks industry is feeling hopeful as annual public pyrotechnic displays gradually return and demand from families rises even as the pandemic drags on.
The increasingly buoyant mood comes after two years of virus restrictions canceled summer shows and as the sector also faces falling domestic manufacturer numbers and increasingly strong regulations in major exporter China.
A traditional art form, the general use of fireworks began in the Edo Period (1603-1868). However, records show they were seen by public figures even earlier, including Tokugawa shogunate founder Tokugawa Ieyasu (1543-1616).