Cranes in Japanese Culture

Konbanwa!

I have been a bit sick since last weekend so that I was not able to update my blog as often as before.
I am not a person who can not stick to anything for very long. (It is called as "Mikka-Bouzu")

Today, I am going to talk about cranes as you can see a beautiful cranes on a kimono above.
It is called "Tsuru" in Japanese.
The tsuru has been long regarded as auspicious Japanese birds and a popular symbol of longevity, as attested by saying "The tsuru can live for a thousand years and the kame (tortoise) for ten thousands".So we use the symbol of the tsuru for anything in which is occasional and cultural such as family crest, confections, trademarks and particularly a motif of kimono.


Moreover, there is a body of "crane wife" legends, more less a fairytale, that a captive crane, in return for being freed by a youth, turns into a maiden and marries him.
To marry her, there was a strong promise that he would never see what she was doing in her room at any night. it was the only promise.
Then He promised it with her.One day, the husband wondered how she could make such a beautiful kimono with a weaver at night.Because, her kimonos were absolutely beautiful and many people wanted it.

Another day, he was just trying to glance at how she made it even though it was prohibited.

Surprisingly, what he saw was that "she is a crane and using her own feathers in order to weave those beautiful kimonos."