One great industry
borne out of an excellent,
natural harbour

Harimadana, a place well-endowed with a warm climate and abundant nature.
The Ieshima archipelago is made up of 40 odd islands big and small floating in a region of calm sea that is centred around the four islands of the main Ieshima island, Bozejima, Tangashima and Nishijima.
There is an abundance of stone on the islands and the mining and transport of these stones is a large industry that has become the lifeline of the islands. The scale of this industry is also one that we can be proud of in the world.
Standing out among the many ships big and small plying the area are the large construction materials cargo ships known as" Gatt ships".
The Ieshima region is well-known as a production area for stones and besides supplying the stone materials for the foundation of the Osaka castle in the past, its shipping industry has also flourished due to its ideal location in transporting various goods.
Looking at the terrain of the main Ieshima Island from the sky, the island looks like a butterfly spreading its wings.
The central inlet extends deep inland and once you enter the bay, the sea is so calm the harbour is sometimes characteristically described as being" as calm as your own house".
A natural bay, Ieshima can probably be said to be the only one and best place throughout the whole of Japan to berth a ship. The reason why the shipping industry prospered is due to the production of good-quality stones on the island and the island's proximity to the main consumer market of Osaka.
Around 1960, as the motorized sailboats were replaced by Gatt ships, cargo ships for stone, sand and rubble became the main form of cargo transport in the Ieshima region.
Subsequently, supported by the period of rapid growth after World War II, the shipping industry took a great leap forward and became a key industrial pillar which contributed hugely to the development of the islands.
During the Great Hanshin-Awaji Earthquake of 1995, the industry assisted in the reconstruction effort and became known for helping to shorten the reconstruction period from the three years that were envisaged initially to only one year.