Firefighters in happi coats perform acrobatic stunts on top of bamboo ladders. The ladder stunts were the main event of Japanese New Year celebrations.
The demonstrations, called dezome-shiki, were intended to warn people of the dangers of fire, and to demonstrate the agility and courage of the firefighters.
For detailed information about fires in Japan, read Yokohama, 1890s • Dezome-shiki.
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Kjeld Duits
Reference for Citations
Duits, Kjeld (). Tokyo, 1920s: Dezome-shiki, OLD PHOTOS of JAPAN. Retrieved on August 12, 2026 (GMT) from https://www.oldphotosjapan.com/photos/685/tokyo-1920s-dezome-shiki
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