Cutting-Edge Art Born from Japanese History! Introducing Tanbo Art from All Over Japan

These pictures are a form of modern art called “tanbo art” (rice field art) that originated from Inakadate in Aomori Prefecture. The people who first saw it must have stared in wonder at its shocking beauty and huge size.

In tanbo art, they use multiple types of rice for different colors, and they use the whole field to express a specific illustration or character. A lot of people might associate it to crop circles because of their enormous size and mystique. However, there is a big difference. Tanbo art is closely related to Japanese folk culture and history.

One of the powers behind forming tanbo art was Japanese people’s decreasing interest in rice. Rice has a long history as the root of Japanese folk culture, which manifests in the form of prayers and festivals wishing for abundant harvest. Even now, rice is still Japan’s staple food. However, with a Western diet gaining ground, youth have been eating less and less rice, which has naturally resulted in a decrease of the production output. Also, the record cold summer in 1993 caused difficulties in growing rice, so the Japanese had to resort to importing rice from abroad. In light of the situation, the farmers wanted to do something to stimulate agriculture at least a little bit..and that’s when tanbo art was born.

Let’s take a look at these tanbo art pictures. Released in 2005, “Ukiyo-e Otani Oniji” by Sharaku and “Anthology of Poems: The Love Section” by Utamaro take ukiyo-e, a unique genre in Japanese painting that was born in the Edo period, as their motif. “Fujin and Raijin” by Tawaraya Sotatsu, created in 2006, is also a tanbo art manifestation of ancient Japanese art. “The Two Guardian Deva Kings and the Characters for Seven Misfortunes and Eight Pains” from 2011 is also the same type of work. These artworks are “traditional tanbo art” that revive distinctive Japanese culture in the form of modern art.

On the other hand, 2009’s “Sengoku Military Commanders and Napoleon” is an original art collaboration between the military commanders of the Warring States period and the French hero, Napoleon. “Keiji” in 2010 was made in the theme of the popular manga Keiji, and the 2011 work “Usajii and Domo” depicts the mascot characters of NHK, Japan’s public broadcasting organization. These and the Naruto tanbo art we introduced earlier could be called “distinctive tanbo art” that is born from collaborations with other cultures.

If the goal is purely sightseeing, it is understandable to favor distinctive tanbo art. If you theme something around characters from popular anime or characters known throughout the world, a lot of people will be interested. However, tanbo art is “regional culture” coming from Japan, more precisely the part of Northern Japan referred to as the Tohoku region. It doesn’t stop at advertising or appealing to the viewers, it also carries an important role of showing the unique culture of Japan or that region to the world, and linking rice culture to our present age.

Tanbo art is not only magnificent and beautiful, it also carries the schemes and strong wills of its creators which one can’t understand just by looking at pictures of it. We would like you to appreciate to your heart’s content this modern art born from a kind of elegance that is exclusive to Japan.

This is a Tokyo Otaku Mode original article.