Senko hanabi

[1] It is a thin shaft of twisted tissue paper about 20 centimeters long with one end containing a few grains of black powder (gunpowder).

To properly ignite a senko hanabi, the pointed end (with black powder) is held straight down and lit, so that the flame is at the bottom.

After a while, the molten ball will initiate the second phase of the firework, silently spraying an array of delicate branching sparks with a range of up to 20 centimetres (7.9 in).

[2] It is best ignited away from the wind and held with a steady hand, so that the delicate molten ball does not drop and that the two phases can be fully completed.

[3][example needed] The fireworks are said to somehow hypnotize the watcher into silence and to evoke mono no aware (translated as "an empathy toward things," or "a sensitivity to ephemera"), a Japanese term describing a flash of sadness felt when reminded of the beauty and briefness of life.