A crane is our fortune symbol.

This is today's news. A crane appears on a Japanese radish! Wow, it's almost the perfect shape. This news puts us Japanese in a rather nice mood because in Japan the crane is a symbol of fortune, long life, and loving couple. So we use the crane design and print for many things, especially in a matter calling for congratulations like marriage, new year's holiday, or other such happy occasion.

This is a traditional Japanese kite that we play with in New Year holidays.  This is a page showing many crane crests.  This is crane made using Mizuhiki : beautiful paper frame ribbon used for decorating a paper bag.  This is Goshugi bukuro : a special envelope for money.

You can find many SAKE (Nihonshu) brands with a Crane (tsuru) in its name.  When you visit a traditional type of Onsen Ryokan (even in hotels), they might have "Tsuru no ma" (Crane Room). You would see this Senbazuru (1000 paper crane figures) in some ceremonial events, people fold the cranes while making a wish on each one.

JAL (Japan Airlines) used this pattern for their company logo in the past. I like this Crane shoji screen painting by Okyo Maruyama. This is one of my favorite sites: Wa na Kurashi.  I thought to use this type of crane for my front page at first. (I choose a carp... Ah!! I want to change my front page!)

I have written about a cool Japanese band Tokyo Jihen. They use the crane as band logo and also have an album with this Jacket designed from a folktale "Tsuru no Ongaeshi (The Grateful Crane)." You can read this story in English on this page.

Yes, we Japanese like the crane as a fortune symbol, but I found in Northern Europe and Greece, people don't like the crane, seeing it as an ominous bird. The online encyclopedia wikipedia says "The Greek for crane is geranion, which gives us the Cranesbill, or hardy geranium. The crane was a bird of omen. In the tale of Ibycus and the cranes, a thief attacked Ibycus (a poet of the 6th century BCE) and left him for dead. Ibycus called to a flock of passing cranes, who followed the murderer to a theater and hovered over him until, stricken with guilt, he confessed to the crime." Hmm interesting, so if they found crane on a radish, they would be in bad mood. :-) 

Comments

[Used crane]

LOL.

I was searching for info on cranes and found your blog. But it's not "bird" cranes but cranes that lift things that I was after.

GL with your blog though.

[Mari]

Hi Kristen
Thank you, I changed it!

[Kristen]

The link to the news image is changed. it is now http://headlines.yahoo.co.jp/hl?a=20051129-00000008-maip-soci.view-000

[Charles]

Notice that you usually see images of cranes in pairs, like in the screens you linked to. It is said that cranes mate for life, so Japanese mythology often uses cranes to represent eternal love and faithfulness.