Crane, the Japanese Sacred Bird

The ‘tsuru’ or crane is the most sacred bird of Japan. It has been revered in Japanese folktales, drawings, origami, kimono patterns, and in all sort of arts, from times history cannot date. Cranes symbolise longevity, fidelity (they are monogamous) and authority. Allegedly, they have the power to grant you a wish if you fold 1,000 origami (please refer to my early blog – The Bomb of Hiroshima).
One of the most popular Japanese fables is called ‘Tsuru no Ongaeshi’, The Crane’s Gratitude.
Once upon a time, a poor elderly couple adopted a beautiful young lady, who knocked on their door in a night of snow tempest. To repay the favour to her foster parents she started to weave fabrics for the old man to sell in the village. Though, the finished products were not just simple textiles. They were rich, elaborated brocades, which became highly prized by nobles who paid a small fortune for them.

As the young lady wove her work behind a byobu (screen), requesting her foster parents not to peek in whilst she was working, nobody knew how she was able to create such masterpieces. Until… defeated by their curiosity, the old couple peered behind the screen. There they saw an elegant crane, plucking its own feathers and interweaving them into the textile. The old man recognised immediately the bird. It was the crane he had rescued from a trap on the night of the snowstorm. Once her true identity had been exposed, the crane could no longer stay with the elderly couple. She sprawled her wide wings and left them for good. On the floor of the room, the couple found a freshly woven brocade, which they sold for a high price and never went hungry again.

Crane, the Japanese Sacred Bird

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