SOHKE HANABI "KAGIYA"

SOHKE HANABI "KAGIYA" (宗家花火鍵屋), formally Kabushiki Kaisha Sohke Hanabi Kagiya, is a Japanese fireworks company whose origins are traced to 1659 in the early Edo period. According to its history, the business began when Yahei, the sixth-generation Kagiya from Gojo in Nara Prefecture, launched fireworks that became the first of the Sumida River fireworks, and opened a shop near the Sumida River in Edo to sell handheld fireworks made by attaching a ball of kneaded gunpowder to a reed tube. The shop stood in what is now Nihonbashi Yokoyama-cho, Tokyo. The name "Kagiya" is said to derive from an image of a fox guarding the Inari deity, holding a key in its mouth. In the Edo period the house became one of the two great fireworks families of the Ryogoku area. At the time of the sixth generation, the head clerk Seikichi was set up as a branch house under the name Tamaya in Ryogoku Yoshikawa-cho. Thereafter the two houses divided the upper and lower reaches of Ryogoku Bridge between them, and spectators began shouting "Tamaya!" and "Kagiya!" at spectacular fireworks — a custom that survives into the 21st century. After World War II the company moved into comprehensive production of fireworks festivals. It has handled events including the Edogawa Fireworks Festival in Edogawa Ward from 1976, the Urayasu Fireworks Festival in Chiba Prefecture from 1979, and the Koto Fireworks Festival in Koto Ward from 1982. In 1985 it introduced remote-controlled ignition. In 2000, Yasuko Amano became the first woman to assume the name of the 15th-generation Kagiya. The company remains active, operating from Tokyo and maintaining an official website. Its long continuity, its association with the "Tamaya! Kagiya!" call, and its role in directing major urban fireworks displays make it one of the most historically significant names in Japanese fireworks.

SOHKE HANABI "KAGIYA" traces its founding to 1659, in the early Edo period. The origin story recorded by the company holds that Yahei, the sixth-generation Kagiya from Gojo in Nara Prefecture, launched fireworks that became the first of the Sumida River fireworks. To sell handheld fireworks — made by attaching a ball of kneaded gunpowder to a reed tube — he opened a shop near the Sumida River in Edo. The shop was located in what is now Nihonbashi Yokoyama-cho, Tokyo. The name "Kagiya" is explained by the image of a fox guarding the Inari deity, one such fox holding a key in its mouth. During the Edo period, the house became one of the two dominant fireworks families of the Ryogoku district. At the time of the sixth generation, the head clerk Seikichi was established as a branch house under the name Tamaya in Ryogoku Yoshikawa-cho. From then on the two houses divided responsibility for the upper and lower reaches of Ryogoku Bridge, and when fireworks were especially splendid, spectators shouted "Tamaya!" and "Kagiya!" — a custom that has survived into the 21st century. After World War II, the company shifted toward comprehensive production of fireworks festivals. It has been involved in the Edogawa Fireworks Festival in Edogawa Ward since 1976, the Urayasu Fireworks Festival in Chiba Prefecture since 1979, and the Koto Fireworks Festival in Koto Ward since 1982, among other regional displays. In 1985 the company introduced remote-controlled ignition. In 2000, Yasuko Amano became the first woman to assume the name of the 15th-generation Kagiya. The company continues to operate as a Japanese fireworks firm based in Tokyo, with an official website. Its history links it to the origins of the Sumida River fireworks and to the enduring "Tamaya! Kagiya!" call that remains part of Japanese fireworks culture.

• 2000

  Yasuko Amano became the first woman to assume the name of the 15th-generation Kagiya.

• 1985

  Introduced remote-controlled ignition.

• 1982

  Began handling the Koto Fireworks Festival in Koto Ward.

• 1979

  Began handling the Urayasu Fireworks Festival in Chiba Prefecture.

• 1976

  Began handling the Edogawa Fireworks Festival in Edogawa Ward.

• 1659

  Founded in the early Edo period; the sixth-generation Kagiya Yahei from Gojo, Nara, launched fireworks regarded as the first of the Sumida River fireworks and opened a shop near the Sumida River in Edo.

• At the time of the sixth generation, head clerk Seikichi was branched off as Tamaya in Ryogoku Yoshikawa-cho; the two houses divided the upper and lower reaches of Ryogoku Bridge.

Historic Japanese fireworks house and festival producer, associated with the Edo-period origins of the Sumida River fireworks and the traditional "Tamaya! Kagiya!" call.

• Handheld fireworks (te-mochi hanabi)

  Fireworks made by attaching a ball of kneaded gunpowder to a reed tube, sold from the Edo-period shop near the Sumida River.

• Fireworks festival production

  Comprehensive production and direction of fireworks festivals, including the Edogawa, Urayasu, and Koto fireworks festivals.

• Remote-controlled ignition

  Remote ignition technology introduced in 1985 for fireworks displays.

1. 1宗家花火鍵屋公式ホームページsouke-kagiya.co.jp
2. 2宗家花火鍵屋 - Wikipediaja.wikipedia.org
3. 3SOHKE HANABI "KAGIYA" - Wikidatawikidata.org