heart moon

The cover features an illustration of a heart-shaped moon with the shadows of various creatures cast upon it. This represents how every creature’s heart has both a part that shines like moonlight and a part that is dark like a shadow. And surrounding it is the universe, stretching out with infinite possibilities. Surrounded by twinkling stars, a beautiful heart is filled with hope. Even while carrying shadows, the heart shines brightly; I tried to depict this by superimposing the idea of all living things coexisting onto the moon.
The back cover features a scene from Shinsen-en, a temple in Kyoto. At Shinsen-en, an event called the Moon-Viewing Festival is held on the day of the Mid-Autumn Full Moon. There, people let their thoughts wander toward the beautiful moon floating in the night sky. During a time when I was struggling with mental health issues and feeling anxious about an uncertain future, my mother took me to the Moon-Viewing Festival. The feeling of a ray of light in the darkness from that experience has stayed with me, so I drew this illustration by superimposing that memory onto the moon.