Naruto Columns
04/20/2023
As a Long-Time Gaara Fan, I Turned His Gourd into a Backpack and Took It for a Spin
Hello, Marina Fujiwara here. I spend my time making "wasted creations", a term I use for my hobby of inventing things that don't really have a point. I’ve made over 200 pointless creations so far, including a "tangled earphones machine" and an "anti-photogenic machine". Pretty weird life, right?
But even someone like me gets requests. This time, I was asked to “make a backpack that looks like Gaara’s gourd”.
Gaara is a shinobi from the Hidden Sand Village who can freely manipulate sand, and is known for the large gourd he slings over his shoulder like a backpack. Whenever he's in danger, the sand in the gourd rushes out to defend him and even attacks his foes.
It is said that the history of gourds can be divided into the "Before Gaara" and "After Gaara" eras (according to my research). After Gaara’s debut, gourds became an object of envy for those of us in the NARUTO generation. I mean, come on! Gaara looks so cool using his gourd to fight! That, coupled with Gaara’s strong and silent demeanor, caused the popularity of gourds to skyrocket.
I was no exception. Gaara was my all-time favorite character when I read NARUTO in my elementary and middle school days. You know the Chinese character for "love" Gaara has on his forehead? I still remember using a marker to write the very same thing on my own forehead long ago.
I was no exception. Gaara was my all-time favorite character when I read NARUTO in my elementary and middle school days. You know the Chinese character for "love" Gaara has on his forehead? I still remember using a marker to write the very same thing on my own forehead long ago.
That’s why the moment I got this request I quickly answered “I’ll make it!”, opened up Mercari, searched for “gourd extra-large”, and got my hands on my very own gourd.
You can get anything off the internet nowadays. What a wonderful era we live in.
The Gourd-Pack's Unique Flavor Meshes with Any Style
With all the exposition out of the way, here’s the version of Gaara's gourd that I made.
And after trying it on...
It's not half-bad!
Compared to Gaara’s gourd, mine is kind of lacking in the size department, but alas, such are the limitations of turning fantasy into reality. While there are gourds that match the enormity of Gaara’s, they're rare enough that their equally enormous prices make headlines. I had to give up on that option... Oh well.
Compared to Gaara’s gourd, mine is kind of lacking in the size department, but alas, such are the limitations of turning fantasy into reality. While there are gourds that match the enormity of Gaara’s, they're rare enough that their equally enormous prices make headlines. I had to give up on that option... Oh well.
But this one's still really cool!
It doesn’t stand out when walking around town, sporting a simple design that blends into even urban settings. Not bad at all!
I’ll let you in on something. This gourd has a ridiculous level of multi-functionality.
I’ll let you in on something. This gourd has a ridiculous level of multi-functionality.
If you undo the latches on the sides...
It snaps open just like a briefcase, and has built-in features like a pocket for plastic bottles (right side) and a pouch (left side).
Since Gaara's gourd is filled with sand, I considered doing the same and packing it with as much of the stuff as possible, but in the end I decided that since I don't possess the ability to control sand, this would be a little too useless even by my standards.
Since Gaara's gourd is filled with sand, I considered doing the same and packing it with as much of the stuff as possible, but in the end I decided that since I don't possess the ability to control sand, this would be a little too useless even by my standards.
The plastic bottle pocket is a marvel of technology that is both too large and too small to snugly fit a 300-milliliter bottle.
You can safely store your wallet and keys in the pouch.
You can even take it to get-togethers with friends. It's practically genius.
Techniques Used to Recreate "Gaara's Gourd"
Now, after looking at the finished product, I know many of you are thinking “I want to make my own gourd-pack!” So to help you all out, I will share my process.
First off, you'll want to cut the gourd in half. Although gourds look quite hard, they're surprisingly soft to the touch, and cutting one is pretty easy.
First off, you'll want to cut the gourd in half. Although gourds look quite hard, they're surprisingly soft to the touch, and cutting one is pretty easy.
Like this.
After that, you apply gesso (note: a primer used to improve the paint’s adhesion) until it’s all black. It kind of looks like something Balenciaga would sell.
To imitate Gaara's gourd as closely as possible, I spray-painted mine with a similar color. Now it looks like something Jil Sander would sell.
Next, you attach latches like those used on guitar cases or briefcases.
I installed one on either side. Now the gourd can be opened and closed.
Moving on, you add pockets and such to the inside of the gourd.
Once that's done, the interior is complete!
Now you just have to decorate the exterior. I used a cutting plotter (note: a machine that reads text and image data to cut out the desired designs) to create the characteristic markings...
And pasted them on.
Gaara’s gourd also has cracks, so you can use paint to recreate them!
And just like that, you're done! It's easy, right? As long as you can get a gourd, you’ll be able to make your very own gourd-pack.
The era of the gourd-pack starts now!
The era of the gourd-pack starts now!
Using a Special Something to Recreate Gaara’s “Ultimate Defense”
Gaara is able to use his Ultimate Defense jutsu to protect himself, so this gourd also has a self-defense mechanism!
The gourd-pack is meant to be a recreation of Gaara’s gourd, so I attached a cork similar to Gaara's. But actually...
It’s attached to a personal alarm! If enemies (suspicious people) are near, protect yourself (by alerting the police)!
I initially thought that cutting the gourd in half would be the most difficult part, but like I said before, it’s actually pretty soft and easy to work with! I think anybody can have fun making their own unique gourd-pack.
I used a light orange color to make the outside of my gourd as close to Gaara’s as possible, but feel free to use any color you think would look cute on it.
It’s portable and even boasts defensive capabilities. Such a multi-functional backpack made to look like Gaara’s gourd is all but guaranteed to be the start of a brand-new trend.
As a final note, while I was walking around town with the gourd-pack, an old man riding a bicycle said “Oh, that’s nice” while passing by. Pretty nice, indeed.
I used a light orange color to make the outside of my gourd as close to Gaara’s as possible, but feel free to use any color you think would look cute on it.
It’s portable and even boasts defensive capabilities. Such a multi-functional backpack made to look like Gaara’s gourd is all but guaranteed to be the start of a brand-new trend.
As a final note, while I was walking around town with the gourd-pack, an old man riding a bicycle said “Oh, that’s nice” while passing by. Pretty nice, indeed.
Author: Marina Fujiwara
Content creator making “Wasted Creations” videos and uploading them to YouTube. These videos detail the process of taking whatever useless idea comes to mind and making it real. Winner of the Google-sponsored “YouTube NextUp” award in 2016. In 2018, held a solo exhibition in Taipei. Was selected to be part of INNOVATION by the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications. But, when interviewing to work at a girl’s bar, was told to go home.
Twitter: @muda_zukuri
Instagram: @mudazukuri
Content creator making “Wasted Creations” videos and uploading them to YouTube. These videos detail the process of taking whatever useless idea comes to mind and making it real. Winner of the Google-sponsored “YouTube NextUp” award in 2016. In 2018, held a solo exhibition in Taipei. Was selected to be part of INNOVATION by the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications. But, when interviewing to work at a girl’s bar, was told to go home.
Twitter: @muda_zukuri
Instagram: @mudazukuri
