Kumano Dai Hanabi Festival attracts 80,000 spectators

The Kumano Dai Hanabi Festival took place on August 17, drawing an estimated 80,000 spectators to Kumano City. The event featured approximately 10,000 fireworks launched from Shichiri Mihama Beach, Onigajo, and the Kumano Sea.

Highlights of the 300-year-old tradition included the 'San-shaku-dama' maritime self-detonation, which created a light ring roughly 600 meters in diameter, and the 'Onigajo Grand Mechanism' finale by local pyrotechnician Wada Fireworks. The program also included memorial displays to honor the deceased and a special display commemorating the 40th anniversary of the friendship tie with Sakurai City.