☆彡 ☆彡 ☆彡 ☆彡 It was like fireworks. ☆彡 ☆彡 ☆彡
April 19, 2024 5:33 AM Subscribe
It is the late 1800s. You are an innovative fireworks manufacturer in Yokohama, Japan, with an increasingly international audience (including, on at least one occasion, Ulysses S. Grant). But how to demonstrate to your worldwide customers what, exactly, you have on offer? Introducing the beautifully minimalist Hirayama Fireworks' Illustrated Catalog of Night Bomb Shells.
(Note it may take a few seconds for any of the thumbnails to load.)
There are a few other Hirayama Fireworks booklets available, also through the Yokohama City Library archives, including an Illustrated Catalog of Day Light Bomb Shells (many of which appear to represent tiny figurines parachuted down from an exploding balloon).
(Note it may take a few seconds for any of the thumbnails to load.)
There are a few other Hirayama Fireworks booklets available, also through the Yokohama City Library archives, including an Illustrated Catalog of Day Light Bomb Shells (many of which appear to represent tiny figurines parachuted down from an exploding balloon).
The Illustrated Catalogs would make for a killer set (or sets) of playing cards. I know I know, coming up with rules is the hard part, but it looks like a fun game nonetheless.
posted by Ice Cream Socialist at 5:46 AM on April 19 [11 favorites]
posted by Ice Cream Socialist at 5:46 AM on April 19 [11 favorites]
Gorgeous. Many of them make me think of jellyfish.
posted by mrgoldenbrown at 5:47 AM on April 19 [2 favorites]
posted by mrgoldenbrown at 5:47 AM on April 19 [2 favorites]
I am impressed with their skill in placing identically-sized items evenly around the circumference of a circle.
posted by AzraelBrown at 5:57 AM on April 19
posted by AzraelBrown at 5:57 AM on April 19
Neat archive find! Thank you.
Some of the designs are reminiscent of symmetrical mon emblems.
posted by audi alteram partem at 6:10 AM on April 19 [1 favorite]
Some of the designs are reminiscent of symmetrical mon emblems.
posted by audi alteram partem at 6:10 AM on April 19 [1 favorite]
The Illustrated Catalogs would make for a killer set (or sets) of playing cards.
I have always maintained these designs would make a great Hanabi deck.
posted by zamboni at 6:23 AM on April 19 [7 favorites]
I have always maintained these designs would make a great Hanabi deck.
posted by zamboni at 6:23 AM on April 19 [7 favorites]
Very neat!
My latest hobby is haunting used bookstores and estate sales for old books and ephemera. Catalogs are such a rich vein of knowledge.
posted by Don.Kinsayder at 7:00 AM on April 19 [4 favorites]
My latest hobby is haunting used bookstores and estate sales for old books and ephemera. Catalogs are such a rich vein of knowledge.
posted by Don.Kinsayder at 7:00 AM on April 19 [4 favorites]
Those are lovely.
It looks like they are block printed from just a small number of different blocks and each card is a combination of blocks and colours.
posted by jacquilynne at 7:11 AM on April 19 [2 favorites]
It looks like they are block printed from just a small number of different blocks and each card is a combination of blocks and colours.
posted by jacquilynne at 7:11 AM on April 19 [2 favorites]
WOOSH!
KABOOM!
OOOOOOOOOOOOH!
AHHHHHHHHHHAAA!
posted by BlueHorse at 7:45 AM on April 19 [2 favorites]
KABOOM!
OOOOOOOOOOOOH!
AHHHHHHHHHHAAA!
posted by BlueHorse at 7:45 AM on April 19 [2 favorites]
Neat!
Old catalogs can definitely be great to flip through.
posted by praemunire at 7:49 AM on April 19
Old catalogs can definitely be great to flip through.
posted by praemunire at 7:49 AM on April 19
I briefly saw a scene in a TV show recently that took place around 1900. There were fireworks in the sky, NYC. (they were CG of course) but it made me wonder what fireworks actually looked like then. I know in my 50 years of watching pro-fireworks shows they have improved greatly over the years. I'm guessing these old ones were probably pretty small compared to what we are used to seeing now, but there's no way to ever compare!
Awesome post.
posted by SoberHighland at 9:04 AM on April 19
Awesome post.
posted by SoberHighland at 9:04 AM on April 19
Intrigued by the ones with parachutes. The rest I could pretty easily visualize, but I've never seen one with a chute before. I wonder if they were deemed too dangerous at one point or just fell out of fashion.
posted by nanny's striped stocking at 9:24 AM on April 19
posted by nanny's striped stocking at 9:24 AM on April 19
Grant, autumn 1863, alternate time line: "Hmm. Let's take along some of those Chinese night bomb shells when we head to Chattanooga. Could make things interesting. I'm sure the mules can carry a few more boxes."
posted by pracowity at 9:30 AM on April 19
posted by pracowity at 9:30 AM on April 19
I wonder if the parachutes would drop off the main explosive, sail down, and then deliver a secondary explosive.
posted by Don.Kinsayder at 9:47 AM on April 19
posted by Don.Kinsayder at 9:47 AM on April 19
Here's the U.S. patent the inventor/founder filed for their "daylight fire-works" in 1883.
It doesn't mention the separate parachutes, but it does clarify something I'd previously misunderstood. The images themselves are made from a lightweight material (like paper), doubled up and then sealed on all sides except the bottom. Then, thanks to small weights placed along the bottom, upon being released from the launched shell they naturally fill with air as they float slowly downward. Likewise, I'm pretty sure I got it wrong by describing them as "tiny," as they were clearly meant to be seen in the air, and some of the catalog entries show them to be around the same size as the sometimes-accompanying regular fireworks bursts (though, as SoberHighland points out, we probably don't know how large or small those really were).
posted by nobody at 9:56 AM on April 19 [2 favorites]
It doesn't mention the separate parachutes, but it does clarify something I'd previously misunderstood. The images themselves are made from a lightweight material (like paper), doubled up and then sealed on all sides except the bottom. Then, thanks to small weights placed along the bottom, upon being released from the launched shell they naturally fill with air as they float slowly downward. Likewise, I'm pretty sure I got it wrong by describing them as "tiny," as they were clearly meant to be seen in the air, and some of the catalog entries show them to be around the same size as the sometimes-accompanying regular fireworks bursts (though, as SoberHighland points out, we probably don't know how large or small those really were).
posted by nobody at 9:56 AM on April 19 [2 favorites]
It is the late 1800s. You are an innovative fireworks manufacturer in Yokohama, Japan
Why, yes, I'll play this JRPG.
posted by dannyboybell at 10:20 AM on April 19 [7 favorites]
Why, yes, I'll play this JRPG.
posted by dannyboybell at 10:20 AM on April 19 [7 favorites]
Thank you, Nobody! This is excellent archival material (-:
posted by owalt1 at 10:40 AM on April 19 [1 favorite]
posted by owalt1 at 10:40 AM on April 19 [1 favorite]
>I am impressed with their skill in placing identically-sized items evenly around the circumference of a circle.
Point 2: Perfectly Circular Chrysanthemums: Japanese fireworks are famous for their round forms, which are made to appear round from any angle—be it from the front, behind, above, or below. They are also praised for the way that their scattered stars disappear all at once.
Lovely YT video.
posted by mikeand1 at 1:54 PM on April 19 [2 favorites]
Point 2: Perfectly Circular Chrysanthemums: Japanese fireworks are famous for their round forms, which are made to appear round from any angle—be it from the front, behind, above, or below. They are also praised for the way that their scattered stars disappear all at once.
Lovely YT video.
posted by mikeand1 at 1:54 PM on April 19 [2 favorites]
MetaFilter: Thank you, nobody
posted by wenestvedt at 5:30 PM on April 19
posted by wenestvedt at 5:30 PM on April 19
Mod note: [btw, this lovely post has been added to the sidebar and Best Of blog!]
posted by taz (staff) at 11:58 PM on April 19
posted by taz (staff) at 11:58 PM on April 19
Intrigued by the ones with parachutes. The rest I could pretty easily visualize, but I've never seen one with a chute before. I wonder if they were deemed too dangerous at one point or just fell out of fashion.
I've seen parachute fireworks. Back in the 80s or 90s at Symphony of Fire in Toronto. This was a fireworks competition where each week a different international fireworks manufacturer would show off its best stuff. They were essentially competing for bragging rights=contracts so they really pulled out all the stops.
Anyway, the parachute fireworks I saw weren't just one spark like that but they were a regular big explosion like the big chrysanthemum things and then each little spark had its own little parachute. So instead of falling to the ground quickly they would sort of drift away in the sky with the wind afterwards. I remember the sparks as blinking gently off and on but now that I think about it I don't see how that's possible so I may be misremembering.
Anyway I saw the parachute fireworks two years but then never again but honestly I remember them as the most beautiful magical thing. Like not brash and explosive like everything else but just lighting the sky with magical tinkerbell glitter.
I assume they were nixed because what kind of jern drops hundreds of little parachutes into a lake?
posted by If only I had a penguin... at 3:56 AM on April 20
I've seen parachute fireworks. Back in the 80s or 90s at Symphony of Fire in Toronto. This was a fireworks competition where each week a different international fireworks manufacturer would show off its best stuff. They were essentially competing for bragging rights=contracts so they really pulled out all the stops.
Anyway, the parachute fireworks I saw weren't just one spark like that but they were a regular big explosion like the big chrysanthemum things and then each little spark had its own little parachute. So instead of falling to the ground quickly they would sort of drift away in the sky with the wind afterwards. I remember the sparks as blinking gently off and on but now that I think about it I don't see how that's possible so I may be misremembering.
Anyway I saw the parachute fireworks two years but then never again but honestly I remember them as the most beautiful magical thing. Like not brash and explosive like everything else but just lighting the sky with magical tinkerbell glitter.
I assume they were nixed because what kind of jern drops hundreds of little parachutes into a lake?
posted by If only I had a penguin... at 3:56 AM on April 20
*jerk (this is a correction of my typo above, not an insult directed at anyone)
posted by If only I had a penguin... at 4:50 AM on April 20
posted by If only I had a penguin... at 4:50 AM on April 20
Here are some parachuted fireworks on youtube.
posted by If only I had a penguin... at 5:52 PM on April 20 [1 favorite]
posted by If only I had a penguin... at 5:52 PM on April 20 [1 favorite]
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