Photo/Illutration Fireworks created by Ikebun Co. light up the sky over Cannes on Aug. 15. ((C) Clement Sauvage-2025) (Provided by the Shizuoka city government)

A company based in Shizuoka Prefecture took home both the jury’s top Vestal award and the public prize at this year’s Pyrotechnic Art Festival held in Cannes.

The “Sound of Resonance” display put on by Ikebun Co. showcased traditional Japanese pyrotechnic artistry.

Billed as the world’s most prestigious fireworks competition, the festival has been held in the resort town on the French Riviera since 1967.

This year, pyrotechnicians from Sweden, Spain, Italy, Germany, Japan and France took part.

The event traditionally draws upward of 100,000 spectators and takes place each July and August to coincide with the vacation season. It is hosted by the Palais des Festivals et des Congres.

Ikebun, which is based in Fujieda in the central part of Shizuoka Prefecture, swept the honors.

The Audience Award that is given through a public voting process cited the artistry and technical quality of Japanese fireworks.

Each team was given a 20-minute window to put on a show paired with music at the 500-meter-long venue alongside a beach.

With its 121-year history, Ikebun dazzled spectators on Aug. 15 with 6,000 fireworks under the theme of “Sound of Resonance.”

A company official said the display was designed to capture the essence of Japanese aesthetics and the notion of graceful beauty in fleeting moments. It was accompanied by music from anime and movies to bolster the sentiment.

Seven jurors from the fields of the arts, media and pyrotechnicians based in France evaluated the displays on the basis of their originality, quality, artistic impression and response from the audience.

Ikebun was praised for putting on a show that exemplified the richness and dynamism of Japanese culture through an explosion of color.

It also came out on top in online voting by audience members.

Video footage of a waterfront fireworks show that Ikebun puts on for the Shimizu Minato Matsuri festival each summer in Shizuoka made a huge impression on the organizer of the Cannes event.

This led to it reaching out to the company three years ago through sister-city ties to take part in the annual competition.

The company had to overcome all sorts of difficulties to attend the event. It took two years to obtain the CE marking symbol to denote compliance with standards set by the European Union.

The Japanese pyrotechnicians said they were sometimes baffled by local staff members who helped them prepare for the big day, citing the language barrier and differences in working style.

“It was a big project, and we were relieved to see the fireworks shoot off into the sky without any problems,” said Mihoko Takahashi, the vice factory manager at Ikebun.

“We will never forget the cheers from the audience and their faces,” she continued. “Our goal is to see Japanese fireworks being used across the world.”

“Sound of Resonance” is streamed on the festival’s official YouTube channel at (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BGfS6fcHyxY).

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