Hey everyone~! It’s Zundamon, nanoda!
Today, November 3rd, is Culture Day, nanoda!🎨
To celebrate Culture Day, we at Zunda Union turned our usual room into a mini culture festival (art exhibition), nanoda!
We had a little preview party last night, so I’m going to give you an early look at all the artwork, nanoda.
📜 So, What Exactly is Culture Day, nanoda?
Before we start, let’s have a little study session, nanoda.
Culture Day is a national holiday that was established in 1948 to commemorate the promulgation of the Constitution of Japan on November 3rd, 1946, nanoda.
The Public Holiday Law says it’s a day for “loving freedom and peace, and promoting culture,” nanoda.
November 3rd was also Emperor Meiji’s birthday, and it used to be a holiday called “Tencho-setsu” during the Meiji era, and later “Meiji-setsu,” nanoda.
Me: “A day for promoting culture… which means it’s a day for showing off our creations, nanoda!”
Metan: “That’s a bit of a rough interpretation… but I guess you’re not wrong.”
By the way, November 3rd is a Tuesday this year. Yesterday was a normal Monday, so we didn’t get a long weekend, nanoda. A little bit of a shame, nanoda.
Also, they say that November 3rd is a day that’s often sunny, nanoda!☀️
🗺️ The Venue is Our Usual Room, nanoda
We pushed the desks against the walls, covered them with white cloths, and arranged all the artwork, nanoda.
Metan made the reception sign and the arrows for the route, nanoda.
Metan: “The route goes counter-clockwise. No going backwards.”
Me: “It’s like a museum, nanoda!”
Alright then, I’ll guide you along the route, nanoda!
Right by the Entrance: Zunko-sama’s Calligraphy
The first thing you see is Zunko-sama’s calligraphy, nanoda.
It’s a single piece, written all at once with a thick brush on a large sheet of paper. What it says is a surprise for you to see, nanoda.
What really impressed me was watching Zunko-sama while she was writing it, nanoda.
Her back was perfectly straight, and the tip of her brush was held completely still. She had the same expression as when she readies her bow, nanoda.
Zunko-sama: “I was planning to get it right on the first try… but this is actually the third one.”
That third one was the most magnificent of all, nanoda!✨
By the Window: Kiritan’s Independent Research, “Autumn Edition”
Next up is Kiritan’s independent research, nanoda.
It’s the sequel to her summer vacation project, “Observing Zundamon,” and this time it’s the Autumn Edition, nanoda.
My activities during October were all laid out in a chart on a huge piece of paper, nanoda.
- My breakfast zunda mochi has increased by one compared to summer, nanoda.
- My napping spot has moved from the veranda to a sunny spot by the window, nanoda.
- Going around and talking to everyone is, just like in summer, something I do every single day, nanoda.
Kiritan: “Conclusion. In autumn, Zundamon’s appetite increases, and he moves to chase the sunny spots… He’s similar to a plant.”
Me: “I’m not a plant, nanoda! I’m a zunda mochi fairy, nanoda!”
Kiritan: “The edamame used to make zunda are plants.”
…I couldn’t argue with that, nanoda.
Past the Window: Itako-neesan’s Pressed Flowers
Next to that is Itako-neesan’s pressed flowers of the seven autumn herbs, nanoda.
She made it while remembering the day in September when she went searching for the seven herbs in the fields, nanoda.
The reddish-purple of the bush clover, the yellow of the golden lace, the bluish-purple of the balloon flower. The colors were quietly preserved on the Japanese paper, nanoda.
And on the mounting board, there was just one empty space, nanoda.
Me: “Itako-neesan, did you forget to put something here, nanoda?”
Itako-neesan: “…That’s the spot for the thoroughwort… Because I couldn’t find it.”
The one she couldn’t find is also properly part of the artwork, nanoda. I stared at that empty space for a while, nanoda.
🎵 In the Middle of the Room: The Music and Sweets Corner, nanoda
Metan’s Composition Memos
On the center table, Metan’s composition memos were laid out, nanoda.
The staff paper notebooks were filled with musical notes and detailed scribbles, nanoda.
Metan: “These aren’t finished songs. They’re memos from the moment I thought of them. They’re more honest than the finished product.”
Me: “Metan, you said something cool, nanoda.”
Metan: “…I just read what I wrote on the description card.”
She’s embarrassed, nanoda.
Deltamon’s Candy Sculptures
Next to that were Deltamon’s candy sculptures… or they were supposed to be, nanoda.
Deltamon: “I shall create everyone in Zunda Union out of clear candy!”
They were definitely finished yesterday afternoon. I saw them myself, nanoda.
But by evening, when the preview party was about to start, the heating had warmed them up, and everyone was slowly starting to lean over… nanoda.
Deltamon: “This was not part of my calculations! I failed to account for the change in room temperature!”
Zunko-sama: “But it looks like they’re all leaning on each other. It’s cute.”
She changed the title of the piece to “Good Friends” and displayed it as is, nanoda. It was the most popular piece at the preview party, nanoda.
Ankomon’s Anko Art
And then, there’s Ankomon’s anko art, nanoda.
Using both smooth and coarse red bean paste on a white plate, she drew a landscape of mountains and rivers. It’s incredibly detailed, nanoda.
Me: “Ankomon, you’re so good at this, nanoda!”
Ankomon: “I-It’s not like I made it to show you or anything, mon… You can look at it more closely if you want, mon.”
Zundadon’s Painting of a Southern Island
On the wall was Zundadon’s painting of a southern island, nanoda.
A blue sea, palm trees, and a dazzling sun. It’s such an energetic picture it looks like it’s about to burst off the paper, nanoda!🌴
Zundadon: “The mornings and evenings are getting cold here, so I was remembering the southern islands a little, don!”
If you read Zundadon’s blog post from yesterday, My First Time Preparing for a Tohoku Winter, you’ll really understand how he feels, nanoda.
🍡 And Now, My Creation, nanoda
Finally, it’s time for my creation, nanoda.
The title is “Eternal Zunda Mochi,” nanoda.
It’s a zunda mochi made from clay that looks just like the real thing, nanoda! I had to remix the green paint five times to get the color just right, nanoda.
…However, there was just one problem, nanoda.
It looks so delicious that I keep trying to eat it myself, nanoda.
Me: “Time to eat, nanoda…”
Ankomon: “That’s clay, mon!!”
Me: “Gasp…! That was a close one, nanoda.”
I did this three times during the preview party, nanoda.
In the end, Metan put up a “Please do not touch the artwork” sign for me, nanoda. A sign just for me, nanoda.
🎸 And to Finish, a Song on the Guitar, nanoda
Our friend from the Green Alliance, Kyuurin, also came to the preview party and submitted a crayon drawing, nanoda.
What was drawn was all of us, making our art in this very room, nanoda. Zunko-sama holding her brush, Kiritan facing her large paper, me kneading clay…
It was a culture festival artwork depicting the making of culture festival artwork, nanoda. It gave me a strange and happy feeling, nanoda.
At the end of the preview party, he took out his guitar and gave a little bow, nanoda.
Without a single word, a gentle sound filled the room, and everyone naturally started clapping along, nanoda.
When the last note faded away, Itako-neesan gave a small nod, nanoda.
Itako-neesan: “…It seems this will be a good Culture Day.”
💚 Summary, nanoda
- Culture Day on November 3rd is a holiday commemorating the promulgation of the Constitution of Japan (1946), nanoda.
- We held a mini culture festival (art exhibition) in the Zunda Union room, nanoda.
- Calligraphy, the autumn edition of independent research, pressed flowers, composition memos, candy sculptures, anko art, a painting of a southern island… everyone’s “loves” were all on display, nanoda.
- I tried to eat my clay zunda mochi 3 times even though it’s not edible, nanoda.
- The finale was a song on the guitar from our friend in the Green Alliance, nanoda!🥒
You can see the profiles of everyone who made art on the Character Introduction page, nanoda.
Our past illustrations are displayed in the Gallery, so please take a good look at that too, nanoda!
I’d be happy if you showed us your “Culture Day creations” on X at @zunda_union, nanoda.
I hope everyone tries making something today, nanoda~!
This was Zundamon, nanoda~!🎨