VOLUME 6
YAMAGATA
Yamadera Mountain Temple, Ginzan Onsen & Zao Snow Monsters
Snow falls slow on Ginzan Onsen after dark. The stream that splits the lane runs black between the wooden ryokan, three and four storeys tall, their lattice windows lit one by one as gas lamps catch along the bridge. A woman in yukata crosses with geta clacking on stone. Somewhere upstream a kettle is being lifted off the heat, and the smell of charcoal drifts out from a kitchen door. Forty drawings here, of a prefecture folded in cedar and snow. The juhyo on the Zao ridge, fir trees frozen into shapes the locals call snow monsters. The thousand and fifteen steps of Yamadera climbing the cliff face past Risshakuji. A Sato Nishiki cherry, two fruit joined at the stem. A safflower head in the dyer's hand at Yonezawa, the petals already going red. The brass tap of a sukiyaki pot. A yamabushi on the slope of Mt. Haguro, white robe against black cedar. The flat-bottomed boats poling down the Mogami between snowed banks. La France pears wrapped in paper at the cooperative. A kokeshi turned on the lathe at Tendo, beside a half-carved shogi piece. The book is not arranged by season or by route. It moves the way Yamagata moves, slowly, between the basin and the ridge, between the inn and the orchard. Outside, the snow keeps thickening on the lamps.
“Cedar, snow, and a lantern on the bridge at Ginzan.”
- 40 original Yamagata 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 Yamagata
- Anyone with an interest in Japan, its culture, and its mountain landscapes
- Adults who use coloring for relaxation and quiet focus
- A considered gift for friends and family with a love of Japan
The Yamagata coloring book is Volume 6 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 Yamagata. It draws on Yamadera Mountain Temple, Ginzan Onsen, and Zao Snow Monsters, alongside the everyday scenes Yamagata considers its own.
You will find Yamadera Mountain Temple, Ginzan Onsen, and Zao Snow Monsters, together with the landmarks, food, and quiet corners that give Yamagata 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 6 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. Yamagata sits in the Tohoku region of Japan.
