Rice field art in Inakadate Village, Aomori Prefecture, has been decided as "Gone with the Wind" and "Star Wars", and the preparations for the villagers are beginning to proceed in earnest.

Rice field art that grows a huge picture by planting rice of different colors. It started in 1993 in the village, and this year is the 23rd time. With theme such as "Oran", "Marilyn Monroe", and "Fujin Raijin Figure Screen", we have set up a second venue from 2012, and are also developing rice field art in collaboration with "Ultraman" and "Sazae-san". It is said to be "the best rice field art in Japan" because it is drawn more precisely than the rice field art in other areas. Last year, His Majesties the Emperor and Empress visited, and became a topic.

This year's theme was announced on April 28th as the movie "Gone With the Wind" in the first venue and "Star Wars" in the second venue. “It's a dream to collaborate with Star Wars, whose latest work will be released this year,” says Takatoshi Asari of the Village Planning and Tourism Division. On the internet, voices such as "I want to go early" and "I am dying for Star Wars lovers" are heard, showing the high interest.

“There are four major steps in producing rice field art,” says Asari. Draw a rough sketch of rice field art, make a design drawing using CAD based on the rough sketch, create an area to plant rice in the actual rice field based on the blueprint, and then plant rice. All of this work is done by the villagers of the village.

Originally, it was an initiative that was started only by the officials of the village. It is said that it started in the village where rice production is flourishing so that more people can understand the fun of agriculture. Initially, the theme was letters and drawings, but in 2003 I plan to challenge portrait painting. Atsushi Yamamoto, who is still in charge of the rough sketch, recalls, "When I had a consultation, the painting of Mona Lisa I drew on the spot was adopted as it was." Mr. Yamamoto is from the same village and is an art teacher. From 2004 onwards, using perspective, it became a rice field art that looks three-dimensional even from an observatory.

Koji Kudo, who uses CAD to make blueprints, has been involved since 2008 with Mr. Ebisu and Mr. Daikoku. Mr. Kudo, who worked for a surveying company, will be responsible for creating the blueprints that the staff had been struggling with until then. “The interval for actually planting rice is 10 cm. Even if it is too small, it will not be possible to express it as rice field art. It is important to be able to simplify the diagram below of Dr. Yamamoto.” Mr. Kudo is also active as a Neputa artist under the name "Sumitaka" and laughs, "You must draw Neputa's picture after rice field art."

The rice field art of "Gone with the Wind" is currently working on "points" to divide the color-separated areas of rice planted by 40 people per day, centered on the government staff. On May 31, rice planting will be done by about 1600 people who have been publicly invited from inside and outside the village, and general viewing will start from June 1. The rice actually grows, and the best time to see it is from mid-July to early August.

The rice field art of "Star Wars" is in the process of checking the rough sketch, and is currently checking even Lucas film in the United States. “I'm happy that you could check George Lucas himself. If possible, I would like him to see the best rice field art in full bloom,” says Asari. The rough sketch is scheduled to be released in early June, and rice planting will be done on June 9 and 10 with the cooperation of local farmers and students. The viewing will start from June 20th.

“This year, not only the characters but also the background has gradation, which is even stronger than ever,” says Mr. Kudo. "If the number of" points "increases too much, the soil will harden due to the work, and it will be difficult for the rice to grow. I cut the" points "to the last minute, but Star Wars is likely to be a lot of work, too. .. “The attention is getting higher year by year. I want to join the villagers and accept many people this year as well,” says Asari.

The viewing period is until October 12th. Admission is 200 yen each (100 yen for elementary school students and younger, free for less than 100 yen).