Thousand origami cranes

For the novel by Yasunari Kawabata, see Thousand Cranes.

For the non-fiction story book about Sadako Sasaki written by Eleanor Coerr, see Sadako and the Thousand Paper Cranes.

Cultural significance

Eternal flame of peace, with cranes, in Toshogu shrine, Tokyo, Japan.

S memory of Sadako Sasaki in Hiroshima

The Japanese crane (丹頂)

Traditional Japanese Origami cranes

A thousand paper cranes are traditionally given as a wedding gift by the father, who is wishing a thousand years of happiness and prosperity upon the couple. They can also be gifted to a new baby for long life and good luck. Hanging them in one's home is thought to be a powerfully lucky and benevolent charm.

Several temples, including some in Tokyo and Hiroshima, have eternal flames for World Peace. At these temples, school groups or individuals often donate Senbazuru to add to the prayer for peace. The cranes are left exposed to the elements, slowly dissolving and becoming tattered as the wish is released. In this way they are related to the prayer flags ofIndia and Tibet.

In Western countries, the custom has been extended from giving a senbazuru to cancer patients, to using them at funerals or on the grave.

[edit]Sadako Sasaki

The Thousand Origami Cranes was popularized through the story of Sadako Sasaki, a Japanese girl who was two years old when she was exposed to radiation from the atomic bombing of Hiroshima during World War II. Sasaki soon developed leukemia and, at age 12, inspired by the Senbazuru legend, began making origami cranes with the goal of making one thousand. In a popular version of the story as told in the book Sadako and the Thousand Paper Cranes, she folded only 644 before her death; in her honor, her fellow classmates felt sorry for her death and agree to complete the rest for her then they realised all the 1000 cranes into the sky, in honor of there fellow schoolfriend and to help with world peace. In an alternate version of the story, the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum states that she did in fact complete the 1,000 cranes, but continued past that when her wish did not come true.^{[citation needed]} 'i will write peace on your wings and you will fly all over the world' Sadako Sasaki

Materials

Sets of origami paper are sold widely in Japan, with Senbazuru sets including 1000 (or more, in case of mistakes) sheets of paper, string, and beads to place at the end of each string to stop the cranes from slipping off.^[1] Commonly the cranes are assembled as 25 strings of 40 cranes each.^[1] The size of the origami paper does not matter when assembling a thousand paper cranes, but smaller sheets consequently yield smaller and lighter strings of cranes. The most popular size for Senbazuru cranes is 75 by 75 millimetres (3.0 × 3.0 in). Some people cut their own squares of paper from anything available, such as magazines,newspapers,notebooks,and printer paper.

Origami paper used for Senbazuru is usually of a solid color, though printed designs are also available. Larger size origami paper, usually 6x6 inches, often has traditional Japanese or flower designs, reminiscent of kimono patterns.

Renzuru

The term renzuru refers to an origami technique whereby one folds multiple cranes from a single sheet of paper (usually square), employing a number of strategic cuts to form a mosaic of semi-detached smaller squares from the original large square paper. (Unlike Western origami purists, traditional Japanese origami often uses paper cuts to add detail such as ears.) The resulting cranes are attached to one another (e.g., at the tips of the beaks, wings, or tails) or at the tip of the body (e.g., a baby crane sitting on its mother's back). The trick is to fold all the cranes without breaking the small paper bridges that attach them to one another or, in some cases, to effectively conceal extra paper.

Typical renzuru configurations include a circle of four or more cranes attached at the wing tips. One of the simplest forms, made from a half square (2x1 rectangle) cut halfway through from one of the long sides, results in two cranes that share an entire wing, positioned vertically between their bodies; heads and tails may face in the same or opposite directions. If made from paper colored differently on each side, the cranes will be different colors.

This origami technique was first illustrated in one of the oldest (1797) known origami books, the Hiden Renzuru no Orikata. (Updated diagrams from this early work can be found in a current book by Japanese origami author Kunihiko Kasahara.)

Resources(wikipedia.com)