Night Fireworks no. 30

Jinta Hirayama prints are some of the most joyful images of 19th-century Japan: bursts of colour, floating figures, streamers and smoke shapes, drawn for a Yokohama fireworks maker's sales catalogues. Hirayama's company sold its fireworks abroad, and these illustrated catalogues showed buyers what each shell would do in the sky. Our collection of fine art prints includes plates from the Illustrated Catalogue of Daylight Bomb Shells and the Night Fireworks catalogue.

About Jinta Hirayama

The Hirayama Fireworks company was founded in Yokohama in 1877 by Jinta Hirayama. Yokohama was then Japan's busiest port for foreign trade, and Hirayama set out to sell his fireworks overseas.

To do so he published illustrated catalogues with captions in Japanese and English, picturing each product as it would appear when fired. The Metropolitan Museum of Art holds a copy dated 1883, and the Yokohama City Library holds a set of the catalogues, six of which have been digitised and made freely available online.

Little else is recorded about Hirayama's life. The catalogues themselves have become famous in recent years as a charming example of Japanese commercial art.

Style and Subjects

Each plate shows one firework against a plain background, as a painted burst of colour. The daylight shells, made to be fired in daylight, release coloured smoke, paper figures, flags, umbrellas, animals and streamers that drift across the sky. The night fireworks show showers of stars, rings and chrysanthemum-like blossoms in glowing reds, greens and golds.

The pictures were printed in bright colour from woodblocks, with short numbered captions. They look strikingly modern today, almost like abstract art.

Famous Works

• Illustrated Catalogue of Daylight Bomb Shells No. 19 (1883). A daylight shell from the 1883 catalogue.
• Illustrated Catalogue of Daylight Bomb Shells No. 100 (1883). Coloured shapes floating in the daytime sky.
• Illustrated Catalogue of Daylight Bomb Shells Ex. 1 (1883). One of the special plates from the daylight catalogue.
• Night Fireworks No. 44. A burst of colour against the dark.
• Night Fireworks No. 16. A night shell drawn for overseas buyers.
• Catalogue of Fire-works (1883), Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York. The Met's copy of Hirayama's catalogue.

Decorating with Hirayama Prints

Hirayama's fireworks are pure fun, perfect for a child's room, playroom or family room. They also make a bright, modern grid in a living room, kitchen or hallway, where their bursts of colour read almost like abstract art.

Hang a set for a celebration wall, or give one as a gift for a birthday, wedding or new year. Thin black or white frames keep the focus on the colours.

FAQ

Who was Jinta Hirayama?

Jinta Hirayama founded the Hirayama Fireworks company in Yokohama, Japan, in 1877, and published illustrated catalogues to sell his fireworks overseas.

What are daylight bomb shells?

Fireworks designed to be fired during the day, releasing coloured smoke, paper figures, streamers and other shapes that drift across the sky.

When were the catalogues made?

The Metropolitan Museum of Art dates its copy to 1883. A catalogue of night shells has been dated to about 1885 by one bookseller.

Where can I see the catalogues?

The Yokohama City Library holds a set, six of which are digitised online, and the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York holds a copy.

Why are the catalogues in English and Japanese?

Because Hirayama sold his fireworks abroad. The bilingual captions helped foreign buyers choose and order them.

Related Artists

• Kobayashi Kiyochika: printmaker of Meiji-era Japan, including night scenes of fireworks
• Andō Hiroshige: earlier master of Edo views, including fireworks over Ryōgoku
• Katsushika Hokusai: the great Edo printmaker of the generation before