VOLUME 30
WAKAYAMA
Koyasan, Nachi Falls & Kumano Kodo
Wakayama is the western half of a peninsula that hangs off the underside of Honshu like a stone weight on a cord. The Kii range falls south from the moated keep of Wakayama Castle to the Pacific cape at Kushimoto, and almost every page in this book sits somewhere on that descent. The route is older than the prefecture. Pilgrims walked it before Wakayama had a name, climbing onto the Kumano Kodo at the foot of the northern hills and following its stone pavements through cedar groves so dark the moss never quite dries. They passed small wayside oji shrines, the moss-jointed steps of Daimon-zaka, and the orange-red bell tower of Kimii-dera above the bay. Higher still: Koyasan, the Shingon monastic city set on a ringed plateau of eight peaks, where the Okunoin cemetery sleeps under cedars older than the lanterns that line it. Lower down the spine, Nachi Falls drops 133 metres beside the three-storied pagoda of Seiganto-ji, the longest single-drop waterfall in the country and the heart of the Kumano Sanzan. Then the path breaks for the sea, finding the round arch of Engetsu-to off Shirahama, the basalt piers of Hashigui-iwa, the strata of Sandanbeki cliff. The through-line is the road itself: a pilgrimage that begins as castle stones and ends as salt-cut rock.
“Cedar shadow, stone step, salt air.”
- 40 original Wakayama 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 Wakayama
- Anyone with an interest in Japan, its temples, and its pilgrimage routes
- Adults who use coloring for relaxation and quiet focus
- A considered gift for friends and family with a love of Japan
The Wakayama coloring book is Volume 30 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 Wakayama. It draws on Koyasan, Nachi Falls, and Kumano Kodo, alongside the everyday scenes Wakayama considers its own.
You will find Koyasan, Nachi Falls, and Kumano Kodo, together with the landmarks, food, and quiet corners that give Wakayama 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 30 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. Wakayama sits in the Kansai region of Japan.
