Weekly News Digest
産経オンライン英会話 ニュースディスカッション教材
For the first time in four years, the spectacular kaleidoscopic displays of the Kumano Great Fireworks Festival lit up the beautiful Shichiri Mihima Beach.
The Kumano Great Fireworks Festival took place on August 29 at Shichiri Mihama Beach in Kumano City, Mie Prefecture. This beach is part of the UNESCO World Heritage Site known as the Sacred Sites and Pilgrimage Routes in the Kii Mountain Range.
Approximately 10,000 fireworks illuminated the night sky, marking the festival's spectacular return after a four-year hiatus caused by the pandemic. The event was also postponed twice from its original date of August 17, mainly due to the impact of Typhoon Lan.
Massive Displays
The festival's origins are said to date back over 300 years. Local residents have used fireworks to honor the spirits of the deceased ever since.
One of the most remarkable displays at the festival was Kaijojibaku ("explosion at sea"), where firework shells of the "number 3" category were detonated from rafts. These shells, weighing approximately 250 kilograms (551 lb), exploded at a height of around 120 meters (394 ft) with a burst diameter of 100 meters (328 ft). The grand finale was a fan-like fireworks display that radiated from the famous Onigajo rock formation.
世界文化遺産「紀伊山地の霊場と参詣道」の一部となっている三重県熊野市の七里御浜で８月２９日、約１万発の花火を打ち上げる「熊野大花火大会」が開かれた。新型コロナウイルス禍による中止を挟み、４年ぶり。
住民の初盆供養のため約３００年前から打ち上げていた花火が始まりとされる。１７日に開催予定だったが、台風７号などの影響で２度延期になっていた。
いかだに取り付けた２５０キロの三尺玉を爆発させる「海上自爆」などが名物。「鬼ケ城」と呼ばれる岩場から扇状に開く仕掛け花火がフィナーレを飾る。