A little less than 1 year ago, a violent arson attack on Kyoto Animation resulted in the tragic death of 36 illustrators and animators. One of those was 23-year old Yuki Omura, a young and upcoming illustrator who had just joined the studio out of college.
Now, his mother’s hometown is remembering him, and paying homage to his art, by recreating the last page of his picturebook in the form of rice paddy art.
the final page in Yuki Omura’s picturebook
While in school, Yuki Omura visited his mother’s hometown of Matsuzaki and was so inspired by the landscape and local folklore that he decided to spend several months creating a picturebook set in the town. “Uchan’s Matsuzaki” (うーちゃんのまつざき) features a small boy who goes on an adventure, visiting local landmarks and meeting local legends. The final page, a dramatic reunion between the boy and his worried parents, has been recreated as rice paddy art in a local rice field.
Yuki Omura’s picturebook is currently housed at the Matsuzaki Library.
photo by Kazutaka Toda / Asahi
June 20, 2020 at 9:11 pm
Love your posts. We visited Japan last year and were very impressed.
I live in Australia and it has opened my eyes to a different culture. Thanks for making your posts so interesting.