【Yonezawa City Furusato Nozei】Yonezawa Sengoku Fireworks Festival Launches 4 Million Yen Crowdfunding Project to Connect to the Next Generation

Yonezawa City, Yamagata Prefecture (Mayor: Yosuke Kondo), announced on Friday, May 8, 2026, the launch of a project via "Government Crowdfunding®" (hereinafter GCF®), a crowdfunding-style Furusato Nozei scheme provided by Trust Bank, Inc. (Headquarters: Shinagawa-ku, Tokyo; Representative Director, President, and CEO: Jun Oi), which plans and operates the comprehensive Furusato Nozei website "Furusato Choice." This project aims to pass on the "Yonezawa Sengoku Fireworks Festival," celebrating its third year in 2026 (to be held on Saturday, October 10, 2026), to the next generation. The fundraising period is from May 8, 2026, to August 5, 2026, with a target donation amount of 4 million yen.

New Entertainment Interweaving History and Fireworks.

The Yonezawa Sengoku Fireworks Festival is the only original fireworks festival in Japan that integrates "Sengoku" (Warring States period), "music," and "fireworks."

After a beloved local fireworks festival ceased, this new festival was started through the collaboration of various local stakeholders.

Yonezawa City aims to further enhance the appeal and uniqueness of this festival, linking it to tourism promotion and regional revitalization.

Through this project, GCF® calls for everyone's support to ensure that these fireworks are not a one-off event but a deeply rooted regional initiative passed on to the future.

Project Overview

Project Name: Yonezawa Sengoku Fireworks Festival Future Inheritance Project

Website Operator: Trust Bank, Inc.

Target Amount: 4 million yen

Fundraising Period: May 8, 2026 - August 5, 2026 (90 days)

Usage of Donations: Utilized for costs related to fireworks launching, production costs for sound and other effects, and operational costs for ensuring visitor safety, among others.

Project URL: https://www.furusato-tax.jp/gcf/5299

What is Government Crowdfunding (GCF)?

Launched by Trust Bank in September 2013, GCF is a crowdfunding-style Furusato Nozei scheme. Local governments become project owners, clearly articulating regional challenges, solutions, necessary donation amounts, and how funds will be used to garner empathy and collect donations. Donors can choose how their donations are used, which serves as an opportunity to learn about regional issues and fosters sustained interest in the region and the creation of a related population. Awarded the "2019 Good Design Award."

*"Furusato Choice Government Crowdfunding®" site: https://www.furusato-tax.jp/gcf/

About Trust Bank, Inc. (https://www.trustbank.co.jp/)

Our vision is "to create independent and sustainable regions." Founded in April 2012, we launched "Furusato Choice," Japan's first comprehensive Furusato Nozei website, in September of the same year. The site has grown to become one of Japan's largest Furusato Nozei sites, with over 1,700 municipalities available for applications (approximately 95% of all municipalities nationwide as of October 2024) and over 760,000 return gifts (as of October 2024). In November 2018, we partnered with CHANGE Inc. (now CHANGE Holdings, Inc.), listed on the Prime Market of the Tokyo Stock Exchange, and entered the GovTech business. In September 2019, we released "LoGo Chat," a business chat for local governments, and in March 2020, "LoGo Form," a no-code electronic application tool. In October 2023, we launched "Meibutsu Choice," an e-commerce site selling regional specialties. Additionally, we are developing regional currency businesses that promote local economic cycles and support social business operators in the region using dormant deposits as a funding source. *No. 1 in the number of available municipalities for applications and No. 1 in the number of return gifts listed (as of October 2024, surveyed by JMRO).

About Yonezawa City, Yamagata Prefecture

Yonezawa City is located in the southernmost part of Yamagata Prefecture, about two hours from Tokyo by Shinkansen. With distinct seasonal changes—hot summers and cold winters—one can experience the charm of each season. It nurtures rich food ingredients such as "Yonezawa Beef," a leading Japanese wagyu brand, rice, and fruits. Furthermore, having flourished as a castle town of the Uesugi family during the Edo period, numerous historical sites and relics remain throughout the city. It is also a "city of craftsmanship," being the birthplace of new technologies like organic EL in recent years, alongside Yonezawa-ori, an industry established by the 9th Lord of Yonezawa Domain, Yozan Uesugi, famous for the saying "Naseba Naru" (Where there is a will, there is a way).

[Homepage] https://www.city.yonezawa.yamagata.jp/index.html

Uesugi Shrine 9th Lord of Yonezawa Domain Yozan Uesugi Leading Japanese Wagyu Brand Yonezawa Beef

About Yonezawa City's Furusato Nozei

Through Furusato Nozei, Yonezawa City aims to promote its charm nationwide, and the donations received will be used to elevate childcare and education to the highest level in the prefecture, create an environment where citizens' incomes increase, strengthen snow resilience, and improve mobility.