[Camphor in the Edo era fireworks].
Guns and gunpowder were introduced into Japan in 1543 by the Portuguese, and they soon began to be made in Japan by the Japanese. The powder was used also for making fireworks. The brilliance of fireworks was darker and the scale was less in the Edo period. Various materials were added to the powder to make the fireworks more brilliant. Camphor was one of them, though the volume was slight and the frequency of adding it was small. Camphor had been used for torch-light materials before the Edo period, so it seems logical that it would be added to powder for fireworks.
Hattori
A
A
Konishi Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd., Kamiishikiri-cho, Higashiosaka.
D002164:Camphor / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000266:history*; D049672:History, 19th Century; D049673:History, 20th Century; D049692:History, Early Modern 1451-1600; D049711:History, Modern 1601-; D007564:Japan
D002164:Camphor