VOLUME 25
SHIGA
Lake Biwa, Hikone Castle & Shirahige Shrine Torii
Trace Shiga as a ring drawn around Biwako, Japan's largest freshwater lake, and the prefecture organises itself in a single clockwise turn. Begin at Otsu in the south, where the cedar avenues of Enryakuji climb Mount Hiei and the evening bell at Mii-dera carries down to the shore. Move north along the western bank: the floating torii at Shirahige stands knee-deep in shallows; the Hira ridge runs in parallel above; Katata's Ukimido projects out over the water on its low stone pier. Past the Hira foothills the lake narrows toward Chikubushima, a tilted forest of an island rising offshore. Round the top at Nagahama, where the black-plastered Kurokabe facades line the old castle-town streets and Ibuki snow holds late on the eastern horizon. South down the inland shore now: Hikone's original Edo donjon above its outer moat, the bridge in Genkyuen garden, a slice of red-bean yokan. Then Omihachiman, with its willow-edged canal cut by Edo merchants; Shigaraki's red-clay hills, where anagama kilns still fire round-bellied tanuki and tea jars; the cedar gloom of Hyakusaiji in autumn. The ring closes at Ishiyama-dera, where Murasaki Shikibu is said to have begun the Tale of Genji. Forty pages, one lake, the whole prefecture leaning inward toward its water.
“One lake, the whole prefecture leans inward.”
- 40 original Shiga Prefecture illustrations
- Single-sided pages to prevent bleed-through
- 8.5 x 8.5 inch square format
- A mix of detailed and breathable compositions
- Brief editorial introduction to Shiga
- Anyone with an interest in Japan, its culture, and its lake country
- Adults who use coloring for relaxation and quiet focus, including fans of detailed line art and mindful coloring
- A considered gift for friends and family with a love of Japan
The Shiga coloring book is Volume 25 of Sora Mikami's Prefectures of Japan series, a 47-volume collection that explores Japan one prefecture at a time. It gathers 40 original black-line illustrations of Shiga. It draws on Lake Biwa, Hikone Castle, and Shirahige Shrine Torii, alongside the everyday scenes Shiga considers its own.
You will find Lake Biwa, Hikone Castle, and Shirahige Shrine Torii, together with the landmarks, food, and quiet corners that give Shiga its character. The compositions move between detailed, intricate pages and calmer, more breathable ones, so there is something for every mood.
Yes. The book mixes detailed illustrations with more open, breathable designs, so beginners and experienced colorists alike can settle in. The large 8.5 x 8.5 inch square pages give you plenty of room to work, and every page is printed single-sided.
Colored pencils, markers, and gel pens all work beautifully. Because every illustration is printed single-sided on white paper, you can use heavier media without bleed-through onto another design. Slip a sheet of card behind the page if you want to be sure.
It is Volume 25 of a planned 47, one book for every Japanese prefecture. The volumes can be coloured in any order, and together they sketch the whole country one place at a time. Shiga sits in the Kansai region of Japan.
