“Hibanahou Nikki (Diary of Fireworks bearers)”

　The “Hibanahou Nikki” is a record of the “ Hibanahou (pyrotechnicians)” during the “Okansen (Ceremony to welcome the emissary from China)” of the last king of Ryukyu, Shoutai, in 1866. The “Hibanahou” was a temporary position and was in charge of the “Karakuri Fireworks” at the Mid-Autumn Banquet.
　The diary also contains official documents such as personnel matters of the pyrotechnicians, apprentices and clerks, arrangements of gunpowder, procurement of tools, official documents such as administrative correspondence, as well as letters to fireworks masters. At the end of the book, there is a colorful picture of Karakuri Fireworks, which is the only historical document that conveys the state of fireworks in the Ryukyu Islands to the present day.