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Hanahana are some of the most elegant and expensive sparklers ever made

Master Blaster Jul 24, 2014
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Walking through the fireworks rack at a store you can see various rickets and sparklers all decked out in loud colors and cartoon graphics promising the noisiest of evenings in the park. Given the nature of the product, it seems a reasonable marketing course to take.

However, surely there are those among us who enjoy burning things up in a more demure atmosphere – perhaps with some Polonaise in A-flat major playing in the background and sipping on a glass of Brunello.

For that we present an exquisite pack of sparklers handcrafted from all-natural and all-domestic materials. They’re called Hanahana and are selling for the price of 10,000 yen (US$98).

Despite the exorbitant price, people wanting to buy Hanahana are currently on a waiting list due to demand. Firstly, to justify the price, you get 40 sparklers in a box. Secondly that box is made of luxurious paulownia wood; a fine piece of lumber for either making or holding fireworks.

But as my mama always said, “Don’t judge a sparkler by it’s paulownia box.” Inside you see your sparklers in the shape of a lovely bouquet of flowers. The pastel petaled parts serve as the handle and you’re meant to light from the bottom. When you do, you’re first treated to a tiny but swelling fireball like the bud of a new flower viewed in time lapse.

Then sparks begin to emerge in a small controlled burst, kind of like the needles on a pine tree. It’s small but the strength of the sparks is unique and compelling to watch compared to other sparklers.

These explosions steadily build to a crescendo of vibrantly colored pops bursting forth and then scattering like the brief blossoming and dying of a hydrangea in June. Like the flowers themselves, each sparkler is precious yet fleeting.

The effort that goes into each sparkler can almost make you feel too guilty to light it. Each one is hand rolled and made entirely from natural materials cultivated in Japan.

The gunpowder is made from the roots of the Miyazaki Pine aged thirty years to harness the oils used in fireworks manufacturing. The dyes are also all made from natural materials such as gardenias. They are all meticulously hand-wrapped in Japanese paper made in Yume, Fukuoka. Every step of the production of these sparklers strictly adheres to a traditional method.

Still don’t feel you’re getting your money’s worth? Well, the makers of Hanahana, Tsuitsui Tokimasa Omocha Hanabi Seizojo (one of only three manufacturers of domestically made sparklers in Japan) included some additional presents. To light your sparklers, why not use a candle made from the fruit of the Japanese Wax Tree that’s resting in a holder carved from the wood of wild cherry trees of Kyushu?

Now that you’re fully convinced these sparklers are worth every red yen they sell for, guess what? They won’t take your money! That’s how fancy they are. Actually, Tsuitsui Tokimasa can’t fill your order currently because they are too backed up, but we called their offices and they said they will be caught up by August and can deliver relatively more quickly from then.

If you still don’t see Hanahana as pieces of traditional Japanese craftsmanship far beyond simple sparklers, or if you simply don’t feel like spending so much on something you’re going to light on fire, Tsuitsui Tokimasa also has a wide range of other sparklers (listed below) to choose from, any of which would make a truly unique and beautiful gift.

Source: Tsutsui Tokimasa Omocha Hanabi Seizojo (Japanese)
Original article by Anji Tabata

▼ These are simply called Hana and sell for 5,000 yen ($49) for 42 sticks

▼ Rairai 3,500 yen ($34) for 32 sticks

▼ Tsubomi 1,000 yen ($9.85) for eight sticks

▼ Azuma no Senko Hanabi Nagatebotan 400 yen ($4) for 15 sticks

▼ Nishi no Senko Hanabi Subotebotan 400 yen ($4) for 15 sticks

▼ Iwai Senko Hanabi 450 yen ($4.43) for one stick with two colors

[ Read in Japanese ]