Created by igo2cairo on Mar 18, 2011

The Red-crowned Crane, also called the Japanese Crane or Manchurian Crane is often featured in myths and legends throughout East Asia and is a symbol of luck, faithfulness and longevity, sometimes even immortality. The estimated population of the species is only 1,500 in the wild, so to me this Crane is also a symbol of endurance and hope in the face of terrible odds. I wanted to do something with the theme of rebirth so I decided to use a Crane rising phoenix-like from the ashes, the life-giving sun rising with it. The crane also seemed the perfect choice because of it's strong associations with Japanese culture.