Fireworks at Sumida River

The Ryogoku Fireworks Festival is the oldest fireworks festivals for which historical records exist. We now turn to the Edo Period. In the great famine in the 17th Year of Kyoho (1732) many people died of starvation and contagious diseases, resulting in a significant influence on society and a major decrease in Japan's population.
On May 28 (lunar calendar date) of the following year (1733), the shogunate (eighth shogun Yoshimune) staged a ceremony of the water god on the Sumida River to pray for the souls of the victims of the disasters and to drive away the evil disease. At this time, the restaurants near the Ryogoku Bridge received official permission to set off fireworks, which was the start of a long tradition.