The red-crowned crane birds, a Japanese love affaire

tanchōzuru

By Tanja Houwerzijl

November 4^th, 2022

The red-crowned crane birds, a Japanese love affaire

Nakamoto-san

While driving around in the wetlands of Kushiro, Hokkaido, I stopped my car to take some photos of the elegant and majestic Japanese red-crowned crane birds, the so-called "tancho". Out of nowhere in perfect English I heard a Japanese gentleman say “hello, come over here”. Mr. Tamizo Nakamoto was pointing towards his own crane birds who he has been keeping in his private sanctuary, feeding them every morning and creating a special pond for them to drink and wash themselves.

He told me that at the age of 48, he made enough money at an Osaka trading company so he could retire and move to Hokkaido. Over here he is enjoying his quiet life among the birds, no wifi reception, just a telephone line keeps him connected to the rest of the world.

Almost extinct

The red-crowned crane birds were thought to be on the brink of extinction due to overhunting until some local farmers started to feed the birds regularly, especially during the long winter months. The farmers treated the birds as guests, seeing the birds’ visits to their farmlands as a great honour. Nowadays, Hokkaido is the habitat for more than a 1000 crane birds and their number is increasing.

The symbolism of Crane birds

The crane has always been a beloved bird in Japan. The crane bird stands for peace, loyalty, good fortune and longevity and is a symbol often seen in Japanese fabrics, art and on the 1000 yen notes and the Japanese airline's logo. There is a well-known saying that "it takes 1000 folded origami birds for your heart's desire to come true". The famous story of Sadako Sasaki who was exposed to radiation after the nuclear bomb in Hiroshima illustrates this desire that folding crane birds would grant her wish to get better. While endlessly folding origami birds, Sadako changed her wish to "world peace" instead of better health for herself.