Ehime: Move Forward by Rocking Tub Instead of Rowing: 200 Participants Compete in Unique ‘Hangiri’ Race

The Yomiuri Shimbun

12:20 JST, August 31, 2024

MASAKI, Ehime — A unique water race was held earlier this month in Masaki, Ehime Prefecture, where about 200 people competed for the fastest time by swinging a tub on the sea.

The event is called the Hangiri race. The word “hangiri” means “something cut in half,” and the name comes from the fact that the tubs were made by cutting soy sauce or sake barrels in half. It is said that local fishermen used to ride them.

The size of the hangiri used in the competition was 1.1 meters in diameter and 40 centimeters deep. Participants grasp the rim of the tub, and by bending and stretching their knees, they rock the tub back and forth to propel it forward.

A 20-meter course surrounded by floating piers was set up at the venue, and participants competed in categories such as elementary school students, high school students and the general public. Some participants simply spun around without moving forward at all, while others lost their balance and capsized.

The student who won the elementary school girls’ division had been practicing in the school pool every day since the start of summer vacation, and said with a smile, “I’m glad it paid off.”

Masaki Mayor Kosuke Tanaka said, “We want to make this competition familiar to everyone.”

The town government eventually aims to hold a Hangiri race world championship.