Sumidagawa Fireworks Festival

Overview

The Sumidagawa Fireworks Festival is held each year on the last Saturday of July along the Sumida River in Tokyo, around Asakusa in Taito Ward (right bank) and Mukojima in Sumida Ward (left bank). About 20,000 fireworks are launched from two sites, the first venue (downstream of Sakurabashi to upstream of Kototoibashi) and the second venue (downstream of Komagatabashi to upstream of Umayabashi), drawing crowds of more than 900,000 spectators. Counted alongside the Edogawa Fireworks Festival as one of Tokyo's two great fireworks events, the fireworks set against the Tokyo Skytree are widely known both in Japan and abroad as a feature of summer.

History and Origins

Fireworks on the Sumida River trace back to the Edo period, when fireworks makers Kagiya and Tamaya staged grand displays to advertise their own fireworks on the opening day of the riverside cooling-off season, when boating on the Sumida was permitted. A widely circulated account holds that the festival began in 1733, when the eighth shogun Tokugawa Yoshimune held a water-god ceremony to mourn the dead of famine and epidemic. However, research by Tetsuzo Fukuzawa (2018) revealed that this account was gradually fabricated between the mid-Meiji and early Showa eras and differs greatly from historical fact. Newspaper articles up to the 1890s gave inconsistent founding dates and described the event as having begun for the commercial advertisement of fireworks.

The Ryogoku river-opening of the modern era saw turbulent moments, including an 1897 disaster in which the railing of Ryogoku Bridge collapsed under the weight of spectators, causing many casualties. After interruption by World War II, the event revived in 1948 with the first National Fireworks Competition. Yet traffic-regulation problems and pollution of the Sumida River led the river-opening fireworks to cease after 1961.

Following improvements in water quality, the event revived in 1978 under the new name "Sumidagawa Fireworks Festival," with the launch sites moved upstream. It has continued almost every year since.

Highlights

The greatest highlight is the fireworks competition held at the first venue, where ten fireworks companies from across Japan compete in skill, launching creative competition shells one after another. At the second venue, more than 10,000 fireworks fill the night sky, and the composition capturing the Tokyo Skytree and fireworks in a single frame is a uniquely popular sight of this festival. The interplay of light reflected on the river's surface against the old-town streets of Asakusa and Mukojima is also a spectacle. In 2023 a record of about 1.03 million people attended; to prevent crowd accidents, standing to watch is restricted and spectators circulate along a set route.

Event Information & Access

The festival is held on the last Saturday of July, with launches from evening into night. It is canceled in bad weather, with the decision announced at 8 a.m. on the day. The nearest stations for the first venue are Asakusa, Oshiage, Tokyo Skytree, and Hikifune; for the second venue, Asakusa, Kuramae, Ryogoku, and Asakusabashi. As all become extremely crowded from evening, early arrival and dispersed return routes are recommended. Viewing is free.

Around the Venue

The area gathers some of Tokyo's foremost attractions, including Sensoji Temple, Kaminarimon, Nakamise shopping street, and Tokyo Skytree Town. Old-town atmosphere and modern landmarks coexist across the river, making it easy to combine the festival with sightseeing in Asakusa and at the Skytree. Enjoying the fireworks from a traditional yakatabune pleasure boat remains a popular way to spend a summer evening.

Related Information

• Month: Last Saturday of July (summer)
• Prefecture: Tokyo (Kanto)
• Venue: Two sites along the Sumida River (Asakusa / Mukojima area)
• Fireworks: Approx. 20,000
• Former name: Ryogoku River-Opening Grand Fireworks / First held under current name: 1978

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