Do you know how to make a paper origami tsuru? Do you know the meaning of the crane in Japanese culture? In this article, we will study in depth and teach step by step everything about the bird known as the crane and its paper origami.
Have you heard about the “tsuru” and its numerous legends in Japanese culture? I believe many people know what origami is. Yes, those folds that are already part of, or rather, are a part of Japanese culture.
When we think of origami, the figure of various animals and different shapes comes to mind. Tsuru is one of the most popular among them and is often associated with the folklore and legends of the country.
Table of Contents
What is the tsuru?
Tsuru is a sacred Japanese bird that is known in Brazil as Crane. To begin with, Tsuru can be seen as a designation for certain types of birds. They are, for the most part, large birds with long necks and legs.
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Their feather color varies between blue-gray and white, and most of them have a type of crest on top of their heads like a dark red crown. They tend to prefer plains, and due to their long tracheas, their sounds are loud.
Although Tsuru is a group, they all have similar characteristics. Therefore, we will not use a specific species. Thus, we will consider Tsuru as a unit to avoid confusing anyone.
How to Make Origami Tsuru
Below we will teach step by step how to make a Tsuru. There are several ways, some have more steps than others. In the image below, you will find one of the best ways to make it:
- First, fold the paper in half diagonally;
- Then fold again to form a triangle;
- Open holding from both sides until forming step 6;
- Fold on the dotted line to open;
- Open a flap and pull up, repeat on both sides;
- Just follow the steps in the image to reach the shape of tsuru;
To also facilitate the step by step of how to make a paper origami tsuru or crane, watch the video below:
Culture of the tsuru
It is possible to identify Tsuru in various cultures, such as in Greece, India, the Aegean, South Arabia, China, Korea, Japan, and Native American cultures in North America.
We will provide details below. But it is important to emphasize that their beauty and their spectacular courtship dances have helped these birds become highly revered and known symbols in various cultures for a long time.
tsuru in Mecca
Even in Mecca, in pre-Islamic South Arabia, it was believed that Allāt, Uzza, and Manat were the three main goddesses of Mecca. Nothing important?
Well, we can mention that they were called the “three exalted cranes” (gharaniq, an obscure word where “crane” is the common gloss). I recommend taking a look at “The Satanic Verses” for the most well-known story about these three goddesses. Don’t worry, there’s nothing like satanic rituals.
Just a philosophical discussion about some passages from the Quran, the book of the religion of Muhammad.
Tsuru in Greece
Yes, even in one of the largest and most influential cultures in the world, Tsuru can be found. The Greek word for crane is gerερανος (geranos), which basically means crane or hardy geranium.
In this culture, the Tsuru was a bird of omen, but it does not specify whether it was a good or bad omen. In the tale of “Ibycus and the cranes” or “the cranes of Ibycus,” a thief attacked Ibycus and left him for dead, but that was not the reality.
Thus, Ibycus called a flock of cranes that were passing by, and they followed the thief to a theater and hovered over him until, overcome by guilt, he confessed the crime.
Tsuru in China
The Tsuru was considered an ancient Chinese legend. Tsuru is a symbol of auspiciousness and longevity, used in common ornaments for high-ranking officials since ancient times.
And we must inquire that several styles of kung fu are inspired by the movements of these birds in nature. And the movements are well known for their fluidity and grace. The most famous of these styles are:
- Wing Chun
- Hung Gar (crane of the tiger)
- Shaolin Five Animals combat style
Tsuru in Japan
Throughout Asia, the Tsuru is a symbol of happiness and eternal youth. And as expected, the Tsuru appears in popular tales in Japan. Where the crane is one of the mystical or sacred creatures, along with creatures like the dragon and the turtle. And it symbolizes good luck and longevity because of its fabulous lifespan of a thousand years.
This is all added to the fact that the Tsuru is the favorite of the tradition of folding origami or paper. For there is an ancient Japanese legend that anyone who folds a thousand cranes of origami will have the wish of that bird granted.
In other words, folding a thousand sheets of paper and making a thousand Tsuru with them in order to fulfill a wish. Anyway, I don’t know if it works, but it takes patience to fold a thousand sheets; it wouldn’t make sense if it didn’t work.
This bird, after the II World War, came to symbolize peace and the innocent victims of war. This through the true story of the schoolgirl Sadako Sasaki and her thousand origami cranes. A story that I will place in the last topic of the article.
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History, Fables, and Tales of the tsuru
And to conclude our article about Tsuru, we will present the legends that have formed over time, involving this bird. Remembering that the stories may differ as they are easily modified by popular storytelling.
But I don’t believe there is a great distortion in the stories to the point of taking away all the original meaning of them. Therefore, if you know of any variation of the stories that are here, please comment below. Anyway, let’s go to the stories.
The return of the tsuru
Once upon a time, there was an elderly couple living in a certain place. On a snowy day in winter, the old man was going to the city to sell firewood when he found a Tsuru that had been caught in a hunter’s trap.
Feeling pity, he freed the bird from the trap. That night, while the snow was falling violently, a beautiful girl came to the couple’s house. According to her explanation, since her parents died, she had been traveling among relatives she had never met before when she got lost and, as a result, would like to stay for one night.
The couple welcomed her enthusiastically into their home. The snow had not stopped the next day, and the following day, while the girl remained at the elderly couple’s house. Meanwhile, the girl tirelessly took care of the couple, making them happy.
One day the girl asked the couple instead of sending her to find relatives she had never met before, to please their daughter. The elderly couple was delighted to agree.
As she continued to help the elderly couple, one day she asked: “I would like to weave a cloth, so please buy me threads.” When she was given the purchased thread, she stated: “Please, never look into the room” to the couple.
Right after that, she hid in the room and wove for three days straight without a break. “Sell this and buy me more threads,” she told the couple. The fabric was very beautiful and immediately became the talk of the town, selling for a good price.
With the new thread bought with the money from the sale, her daughter wove another fabric with impressive finishing, selling it at a higher price and making the elderly couple rich. However, when she isolated herself in the room to weave a third piece, the couple who continued to keep the promise began to wonder how she wove such beautiful fabric.
Unable to combat curiosity, the old lady took a peek inside. Where there should have been a girl, there was a Tsuru. The Tsuru was pulling out its own feathers to weave among the threads to produce a shiny cloth.
Large portions of the wing had already been pulled out, leaving the Tsuru in a pitiful state. Before the shocked elderly couple, the daughter who finished weaving approached, confessing that she was the crane that was saved.
And as her true identity was discovered, she had to leave. Thus she transformed into a crane and flew to the sky, leaving behind the regretful elderly couple.
The Tsuru Wife
This story is a kind of alternative to the previous story, but some things are drastically changed.
In “The Crane Wife,” a man marries a woman who is, in fact, a Tsuru disguised as a human. And to earn money, she pulls out her own feathers to weave a silk fabric that the man sells, however, she becomes sicker each time she does this.
When the man discovers his wife’s true identity and the nature of her illness, she abandons him just like in the previous story.
There are also several Japanese stories about men who married kitsune, or fox spirits in human form. Where the fox disguised as a woman stays willingly until the husband discovers the truth, and it is at that moment that she abandons him.
Fables and Tales
In one of Aesop’s Fables, the geese and the Tsurus were feeding in the same place when a hunter captured them in his nets. The cranes, having light wings, fled at the approach, while the geese, having slower and heavier bodies, were captured.
Pliny the Elder wrote that the Tsurus selected among them one to keep watch while the others slept. The chosen one held a stone in its claw, in such a way that if it fell asleep, it would drop the stone and wake up.
Thus, a crane holding a stone in its claw is a well-known symbol in heraldry and is known as a Tsuru in its vigilance.
Greek and Roman myths often depicted the dance of the cranes as a love of joy and a celebration of life. So much so that the Tsuru was frequently associated with both Apollo and Hephaestus, gods of mythology.
We recommend reading: 15 monsters, myths, and Japanese legends
The story of Sadako Sasaki
Sadako was a girl who was two years old when the atomic bomb exploded in Hiroshima. And unfortunately, she was only two kilometers from the explosion site. However, for some reason, she was not visibly injured while her neighbors died.
As it stands, by 1955, she was a normal and happy girl. However, after a while, she began to experience various bouts of nausea and fatigue in her routine. Thus, at a certain moment, Sadako became dizzy to the point of falling and being unable to get up.
And after a hospital visit, Sadako discovered that she had leukemia. Shortly after, her best friend, Chizuko, paid a visit. Bringing with her a bit of paper. And she told Sadako about the legend of the thousand Tsurus. After hearing the legend, Sadako decided to fold 1,000 cranes, wishing to get well again.
After folding 500 Tsurus, she improved, and the doctors said she could go home for a little while. However, at the end of the first week of discharge, the dizziness and fatigue returned, and she had to return to the hospital.
But despite being in a lot of pain, she continued to fold origami. However, shortly after, Sadako fell into a sleep from which she would not wake up again. At that time, she had folded a total of 644 paper Tsurus.
Monument in honor of Sadako Sasaki
Thirty-nine of Sadako’s classmates, saddened by the loss of a friend, decided to form a Tsuru origami club in her honor. Soon, students from 3,100 schools and 9 foreign countries donated money to the cause.
On May 5, 1958, almost 3 years after Sadako’s death, the money raised was enough to build a monument in her honor. This monument is now known as the Children’s Peace Monument and is located in the center of the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park, near the site where the atomic bomb was dropped.
What have we learned from the cranes?
With this, we can see how much the Tsuru has infiltrated cultures around the world. And in Japan, it is an even more special case due to the story that has just been recounted. There are several fables and tales that involve this bird. But the symbolism varies as much as the stories.
But I believe that most are listed in the article. With a main highlight on the culture in Japan, of course. But anyway, the important thing is that we clarified how this bird is linked to culture.
And if you have any questions regarding the Tsuru, just leave your comment. Don’t forget to share the site on social media. Thank you for reading the article to the end, goodbye.
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