Every year since 1988 a jumbo carp streamer made by the people of Kazo has swum through the sky above the Tone River on the occasion of the Citizen's Peace Festival held on 3 May. The jumbo carp has a history extending over three generations, with the current third-generation carp, at 100 meters in length, being the world's longest carp streamer. The first-generation carp weighed 600 kilos, the second-generation 730 kilos, and the current third-generation, reflecting the introduction of weight-saving materials,350 kilos. The citizens look forward each year to the day when their jumbo carp takes to the air. Kazo's carp streamers have a tradition extending back more than a hundred years to the early Meiji period. It began when oiled-paper umbrella and paper lantern artisans turned their materials and skills to the crafting of carp streamers. Today, Kazo ships 700,000 tons of carp streamers per annum, representing total sales of 3 billion yen, making it the number-one production center in Japan. Carp streamers are thus a symbol of our city.