An origami crane

I found this origami paper crane in my purse today. Tatsuo Hoshika folded one for each of us artists and gave them to us at the opening of our art exhibition.

The Japanese word, “origami” is a combination of “ori” which means “to fold”
and “kami” which means “paper”. Japanese origami dates back to the 6th century, when because of the high costs of paper, origami was only used
for religious ceremonial purposes.

In the Japanese culture, the crane represents good fortune and longevity. They refer to the crane as the bird of happiness. The wings of the crane were also believed to carry souls up to paradise. Tatsuo told us that origami cranes are also symbols of peace.