Acrobatic Stunts Extend Quake Recovery Wishes at New Year Firefighters’ Festival in Tokyo

The Yomiuri Shimbun

16:08 JST, January 6, 2025

Members of a group maintaining a centuries-old firefighting tradition display banners praying for the recovery from the Noto Peninsula Earthquake atop bamboo ladders during the dezomeshiki New Year’s Fire Review festival at Tokyo Big Sight in Koto Ward, Tokyo, on Monday.

Originating in the Edo period (1603-1867), the annual event is now organized by the Tokyo Fire Department to raise fire safety awareness.

This year, about 2,900 firefighters and members of local fire companies took part. During the event, Edo Firemanship Preservation Association members performed amazing acrobatic stunts on ladders, a tradition passed down from firefighters of Edo, the old name for Tokyo.