For centuries there were no written directions for folding origami models. The directions were taught to each generation and then handed down to the next. This form of art became part of the cultural heritage of the Japanese people. The crane was considered a sacred bird in Japan. It was a Japanese custom that if a person folded 1000 cranes, they would be granted one wish.

Rokoan Gido (1761-1834) was a Buddhist monk priest. He spent over 18 years developing this amazing style of origami based on the paper crane. It consists of one sheet of paper folded into anywhere from one to over one hundred cranes. Back then paper was very rare.

With his studies and meditations he compiled 49 models he created into a book called “Senbatsuru Orikata” (Folding a Thousand Cranes). This is considered the oldest book on origami. I started to learn my first connected paper cranes from these woodblock prints I found on the web. Shortly thereafter I ran across a book called, “Origami: Rokoan Style”. All of these pieces are dipped in a shellac and mounted onto driftwood.