A roughly 32,000 square feet rice paddy in Oshu, Iwate Prefecture, the two-way player hometown, has been transformed into a growing portrait of Shohei Ohtani and his adorable dog Decoy (Dekopin).
The “rice field art” was crafted by planting different varieties of rice to create the colors needed to depict Ohtani and his loyal, tail-wagging companion. The artwork also includes the numbers 50-50, commemorating Ohtani as the first Major League Baseball player to hit 50 home runs and steal 50 bases in a single season.
According to The Asahi Shimbun, Kazuhide Konno of the organizing committee said that many people came together to create the piece, and he hopes it will inspire others to cheer for the two-way standout.
Rice paddy art, or tambo art, is a unique form of agricultural artistry originating in Japan. As explained in Arigato Travel the practice involves planting various colored rice seedlings (such as purple, red, and yellow varieties) in a paddy field to create intricate images.
This art form dates back to the Edo period (1603–1868), but it gained significant popularity in the 20th century. The process begins with farmers sketching designs on computers to plan the layout, followed by planting the rice seedlings in precise patterns. The different rice strains grow at varying rates, producing a mosaic of colors that form detailed pictures when viewed from above.
Rice paddy art is traditionally created in the summer, as the plants need to grow fully for the colors and designs to be visible. Planting usually begins in spring, and the artwork reaches its peak vibrancy around July and August.