Card game “Sendai Nanda Fu” event report that takes you on a journey of thought

On June 17th and 18th, 2017, a card game called "Sendai Nanda Fu" was held at Honmachi Square.
This is part of an art project called the Sendai Merchant Project, and is an event to deepen one's feelings toward the city of Sendai.
This time, I participated in this event myself and reported on it.

What is the Sendai Nanda note?

Sendai Nanda Fu is a card game where the winner or loser is determined by dialogue.
The number of participants is 2 to 6 people per table.
A battle takes place around a sheet of cards.

The rules are simple.
First, all players roll the dice to determine the scorekeeper and timekeeper.
Once you have decided how many times you want to play the game, you take turns drawing a question card and answering the topic in 3 minutes.
All participants will score it.

The scoring criteria is not ``whether you agree with the answer or not'' but ``whether the answer is solid.'' The
scoring method is 10 points if you think it is an excellent answer, regardless of whether you agree with it or not.
If you think it's good, you get 6 points, if you think it's weak, you get 2 points.
Also, points will be deducted if your answer is too short for the time limit.

After scoring, the respondent draws a chance card and follows what is written on it.
There are a variety of chance cards, ranging from ones related to scoring such as ``increase the score by +5'' and ``decrease the score by 5'' to unusual cards such as ``ask the same question to another person'', and they will liven up the game.

After playing the game the number of times determined at the beginning, the scores are tallied and the person with the highest total score wins.

I actually tried it!

So, I actually tried it!
The first game was just a trial run, so there was only one round.
The participants were myself, a friend who accompanied me as a photographer, and members of the public.

The first card I drew was

“How do you feel when you eat Sendai specialties like beef tongue, bamboo kamaboko, zunda mochi, and Sendai miso? For example, what if those ingredients weren’t produced in Sendai or Miyagi? Is that okay?”

That was the question.

Sendai specialties are my favorite food...I can say I feel great, but what if the ingredients aren't from Sendai/Miyagi...?
Or rather, didn't they use American beef tongue instead of Sendai beef?

My thoughts are expanding inside me.
However, there is a time limit in the meantime...!
In the end, the answer I came up with was

"The beef tongue is from America, but it's so delicious because it's made by a Sendai craftsman! That's why I don't care!"

That's what it was (summary).
In this way, the question cards on the Sendai Nanda notes contain slightly twisted questions about Sendai.
The score is a perfect 30 points!
And which chance card are you interested in...?

Double it!
It was an overwhelming victory with a total of 60 points!
However, in this competition, I was more happy to hear the Sendai folk tales I heard from the general public than the outcome.
People who have lived in Sendai for a long time can tell us various stories through questions and answers.
It was an extremely valuable experience for me, who has lived in Sendai for about 20 years.

After that, I enjoyed another game and finished it after about an hour.
At first, everyone could only answer in an honorable manner, but as the number of times they went on, we learned that the person had harsh opinions, opinions from unexpected viewpoints, and even slightly funny answers. It was very impressive that I was able to hear so many things.

I had a chance to talk with artist Sue Hajdu!

After experiencing the game, we were able to listen to a story from Sue Haidoo, the artist who created the Sendai Nanda note.

According to Sue, the idea behind the idea of ​​the Sendai Nanda note was an interview survey conducted by the Sendai Merchants Project.
With the keyword "Sendai Merchant," this project creates a place to rediscover Sendai's identity through the relationships between time, the city, and people.
As a starting point for this project, I interviewed people living in Sendai, and at that time,

“People who live in Sendai may not be able to explain the uniqueness of Sendai.”

It seems that there was a realization.
Date Masamune, Tanabata, beef tongue, sasakama, zunda mochi... There are many keywords to describe Sendai, but I'm not sure how they relate to me or what is attractive about it. I don't have the confidence to explain it well.
The Sendai Nanda note is a piece of art that gives such people an opportunity to think deeply about the city of Sendai.

``Communication art is a work of art that includes not only the game, but also the participants themselves and their lives afterward,'' Sue says.
The ``new future of Sendai'' created by the people who participated in this event, including myself, may also be part of the art that Sue is talking about.

The responses of those who participated in the Sendai Nanda Note will be compiled by the Sendai Art Node Project and announced as an exhibition event around October 2017.
If you are interested in the participants' answers or my answers, please wait for the official announcement from the Art Node website!

INFORMATION