That’s what makes this newly digitized catalog of fireworks illustrations from Jinta Hirayama so amazing.
Fireworks are frozen in time to be enjoyed over and over.
And the best part?
They’re available to download for free.
It’s every bit a mixture of science and surrealism.
The late 1800’s changed Japanese fireworks forever.
Hirayama founded his own fireworks company in Yokohama, Japan in 1877.
He produced bilingual (Japanese-American) catalogs to display his wares and ultimately moved products internationally.
Now, the Yokohama Library has made the illustrations available online for the first timehere.
On the next page that loads, press PDF to download the file as a PDF.)
It’s an ideal situation, really.
Scroll through the various pages to see the combination of colors and forms.
Each illustration is whimsical and fantastical.
Hirayama’s vision lives on hundreds of years later thanks to the wonders of technology and passionate archivists.
In the 1800s, Jinta Hirayama kept a record of different types of fireworks displays.
He mixed colors and patterns to create fireworks illustrations that leave a lasting impression.
