Scarecrow Coloring Pages

A Doll That Protects Rice Paddies and Fields

Scarecrow is a person-shaped doll that you stand up in rice paddies and fields.
People set up Scarecrow to keep away birds like sparrows and crows that come to eat the rice and vegetables.
When birds think a person is there, they get scared and stay away.
You can often see Scarecrow in the rice paddies in autumn when the rice plants grow full of grain.

Made of Bamboo and Straw

Scarecrow is made by crossing sticks of bamboo or wood into a plus sign.
The long stick becomes the body and leg, and the side stick becomes the arms.
Next, people wrap straw around it, put old kimonos or shirts on it, and place a hat on its head.
In the first coloring page, try to find the straw sticking out of the sleeves and hem!
There are also patches on the kimono to cover up holes.

Just One Leg

Scarecrow has only one leg.
That is because the long stick goes straight into the ground to hold it up.
On just one leg, Scarecrow stands still and watches over the rice paddy through rain and wind.
On its head, Scarecrow wears a sedge hat or a straw hat, which people have used for farm work since long ago.

A Rice Paddy Full of Rice Plants

The second picture shows Scarecrow standing in a rice paddy packed with heads of rice.
When rice grows full of grain, the heads get heavy and bend down like they are bowing.
You can see sparrows sitting on Scarecrow's arms and hat!
When Scarecrow stands there for a long time, the birds get used to it and stop being scared.
In the front, you can also see red dragonflies and spider lilies.

The "Scarecrow Festival" Where Scarecrows Line Up

The third picture shows a Scarecrow festival with many different Scarecrows lined up.
When autumn comes, festivals are held all over Japan to show off handmade Scarecrows.
An old man, an old woman, a child with a school backpack, a Scarecrow holding a paper fan, and a Scarecrow raising its hands in the air.
All five Scarecrows look completely different!

Scenery of an Autumn Countryside

In the background of the third picture, you can see hasakake, where harvested rice is hung on wooden poles to dry in the sun.
You can also see houses with thatched roofs, a persimmon tree full of fruit, and mountains in the distance.
If you color this together with the Rice Harvesting coloring page, you can see how rice is made!

For the kimono, change the colors of the patches

Calm colors like navy blue or brown look great on Scarecrow's kimono.
If you use different colors like red, yellow, or green just for the patches, it will look super cute!
For the hand towel around the neck, white with a light blue pattern is a great choice.

Color the straw and hat ochre

Color the straw coming out of the sleeves and hem with ochre or pale yellow.
The hat is a similar color to the straw, too.
If you mix dark and light colors along the lines of the hat, it will look woven!
Try coloring the bamboo pole green or light brown.

The ears of rice are golden

In the second picture, if you color the ears of rice in the rice field with yellow and orange, they will look like they are glowing golden.
Color the leaves yellow-green to make them stand out from the ears of rice.
If you lightly color the rice field in the background with pale yellow, it will look like it goes on far away!

Tree sparrows, red dragonflies, and red spider lilies

For the tree sparrows, their heads and wings are brown, and their bellies are a whitish color.
The black spot on their cheeks is how you can tell it's a tree sparrow!
Color the body of the red dragonfly red. For the red spider lily, color the flower red and the stem green.

For the Scarecrow festival, use different colors for all 5

In the third picture, try changing the kimono color for each of the 5 Scarecrows.
Color the maple leaves, dragonflies, and flowers on the kimono patterns with any colors you like, too!
If you color the persimmons orange, the thatched roof dark brown, and the sky pale light blue, you will create a lovely autumn countryside village!

The Name Comes From "Kagashi"

Scarecrow is said to have been called "kagashi" long ago.
Back then, people burned animal meat or hair, put it on sticks, and set them up in the fields.
One theory says it was called "kagashi" because it made animals smell ("kagasete") the odor to chase away birds and beasts, and that word later became "kakashi" (Scarecrow).

Named After a God

In Kojiki, one of Japan's oldest history books, a god named Kuebiko appears.
This god is said to be Scarecrow.
Scarecrow cannot walk, but it is a wise god who knows everything in the world.
Maybe that is because it stands still and watches over the rice fields all the time.

The Face Is "Henohenomoheji"

Speaking of Scarecrow's face, the famous one is drawn with the Hiragana characters "Henohenomoheji".
"He" makes the eyebrows, "no" makes the eyes, "mo" makes the nose, "he" makes the mouth, and "ji" makes the outline of the face.
Try drawing it on paper!

Scarecrows Today Come in Many Types

Today, besides doll Scarecrows, people also use shiny, glittering tape and balloons with big eyeball patterns.
They scare birds away with the light and the giant eyeball shapes!