VOLUME 36
TOKUSHIMA
Awa Odori Dancers, Naruto Whirlpools & Iya Vine Bridge
Indigo-dyed cotton stretched on a wooden frame. The slow spiral of a Naruto whirlpool seen from above. A vine bridge swaying over the Iya. An amigasa hat tipped low across an Awa Odori dancer's face. A sudachi halved on a cutting board, its segments tight as a rosette. The bell rope at Ryozenji, plaited and worn smooth. These are the registers Tokushima keeps. The prefecture sits on the northeast shoulder of Shikoku, edged by the tide-rip of the Naruto Strait and threaded by the Yoshino River, which carries the soft alkaline water the Awa ai-zome dyers have used for four centuries. South of the river the land rises into cedar slopes and the gorges of the Iya, where kazurabashi vines were once cut down behind retreating Heike warriors. Mount Tsurugi closes the southern wall. In August Tokushima city falls open to Awa Odori, two-beat shamisen carrying past midnight, sandals trailing dust. Forty pages here. Indigo and water, mostly, with a pilgrim's white robe and a merchant-town udatsu firewall threaded through. Take your time with the dye.
“An indigo cloth folded at dusk, a drum still warm.”
- 40 original Tokushima 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 Tokushima
- Anyone with an interest in Japan, its culture, its landscapes, and its craft traditions
- Adults who use coloring for relaxation and quiet focus, and fans of detailed line art
- A considered gift for friends and family with a love of Japan
The Tokushima coloring book is Volume 36 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 Tokushima. It draws on Awa Odori Dancers, Naruto Whirlpools, and Iya Vine Bridge, alongside the everyday scenes Tokushima considers its own.
You will find Awa Odori Dancers, Naruto Whirlpools, and Iya Vine Bridge, together with the landmarks, food, and quiet corners that give Tokushima 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 36 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. Tokushima sits in the Shikoku region of Japan.
