IHI Aioi District participates in the Aioi Peron Festival
The Aioi Peron Festival was held on May 24 and 25, 2025, at Aioi Bay (Aioi City, Hyogo Prefecture), adjacent to the IHI Aioi District. Approximately 170 employees of the IHI Group participated in the festival. The Aioi Peron Festival is an annual event that signals the arrival of early summer in the Banshu region*1. The main attraction of the festival is Peron boat races.
Peron boat racing involves wooden dragon boats called Peron boats. Each boat carries 32 crew members: one captain, one steersman, one drummer, one gong player, and 28 rowers. The rowers use oars and row in sync to the sound of the gong and drum. The boats compete to cover a 600-meter round trip (900 meters in the finals) as fast as possible.
Peron boat racing originated in China and is said to have been introduced to Nagasaki Prefecture over 300 years ago. Afterwards, in 1922, employees from Harima Dock (now IHI) who were originally from Nagasaki Prefecture started Peron boat racing as part of the company sports festival. In this way, the boat festival has been connected with the IHI Aioi District for over 100 years.
On May 25, the main event, the Peron boat race, was held in Aioi Bay under clear blue skies. Before the opening ceremony, a ritual prayer for the safety of the Peron Festival was held at Tenpaku Shrine located within the IHI Aioi District. This ritual was conducted with the cooperation of the Tenpaku Shrine Commemorative Association, which is composed of employees from the Aioi District. After the prayer, a procession of portable shrines called mikoshi paraded to the Peron Festival venue. The portable shrines were placed on ceremonial boats known as gozabune. After completing the sea procession*2, the portable shrines were enshrined at a temporary resting place for deities, called an otabisho*3.
*1 Banshu region: Primarily refers to regions in the southwestern part of Hyogo Prefecture, including cities such as Himeji, Kakogawa, Ako, and Aioi
*2 Sea procession: A sacred ritual in which ceremonial boats known as gozabune carry the portable shrines across the sea
*3 Otabisho: A temporary resting place for the portable shrines during a festival
A total of 54 teams from inside and outside Hyogo Prefecture participated in the Peron boat races and rowed hard through the water. A total of six teams participated from the IHI Group, including one from the Aioi Works. Many teams prepared for the main event by practicing during break time such as their lunch hour. At the main event, each team rowed powerfully across Aioi Bay in unison, sweeping their oars in rhythm with the lively sounds of the gong and drum. As a special guest, Myaku-Myaku, the official character of the World Expo 2025, appeared at the Peron boat races and the closing ceremony venue. The appearance of Myaku-Myaku brought great energy to the entire Peron Festival.
We received the following feedback from employees who participated in the event: “It was my first time participating in this valuable experience. I deeply felt the energetic atmosphere and the unity of rowing together as a team.” “Our team consisted of a wide range of ages from veterans to new employees. We moved up in the rankings, which showed the growth of our team.”
The IHI Group will continue to deepen its ties with the local community through participation in the Aioi Peron Festival. By doing so, we will help preserve traditional culture and contribute to regional society, thereby passing this tradition on to the next 100 years.