SEIZAN GALLERY TOKYO 凸　Takuma Shiratani: Cranes Of Prayer

Cranes of Prayer
h42×w51×d42cm
Natural mineral pigment, urushi lacquer on cypress wood

Japan has a unique, long-standing culture of visual allusion called mitate that enables artists to go beyond realistic depictions of visual phenomena by incorporating expressive techniques such as depth or liminal space. An example of this culture which I find particularly fascinating is that of origami, the tradition of using the limited resource of folded paper to create shapes that inspire associations with animals. Mitate objects are at once symbolic and inorganic, clear in structure, and visually distinct enough to appear as if they’ve come from another reality. That sense of otherworldliness stems from the fact that the artworks evoke their motifs, rather than accurately reproduce them.

For example, during Japan’s obon summer festival season, cucumbers and eggplants are used as mitate for horses and cows. The resulting objects are stand-ins for spiritual beasts of burden that carry the spirits of dead ancestors between this world and the next, as well as a temporary substitute form for the spirits themselves. The act of assuming a substitute form in our world signifies that their true form remains in the spiritual realm. Mitate thus goes beyond the mere expression of animal forms and allows us to extend our consciousness to other worlds.

Since origami’s linear, unembellished forms do not end with the mere visual reproduction of their immediate motifs but also evoke other realms, as described above, they are often interpreted as being akin to religious worship or prayer. In that tradition, the act of folding paper is said to be imbued with a ritualistic meaning similar to a séance. In my practice, I invoke that depth of meaning through the medium of woodcarving and its long association with Buddhist sculpture. Furthermore, by utilizing hinoki cypress, lacquer, iwa-enogu (natural mineral pigments), and other materials or methods which have long been known within Japan as capable of withstanding the tests of time, I have attempted to transform origami objects into sacred idols.

As a person of Japanese descent, I associate many words and emotions with origami cranes. Be it the act of prayer, peace, freedom, or any other number of aspirations, the symbolism is so substantial that I was reluctant to immediately work with the motif. In Japan, major natural disasters are regularly followed by charity efforts, such as fund drives and volunteer work. To this day, chains of a thousand paper cranes are folded at elementary schools, and it remains a familiar and simple method of prayer. The modern tradition of creating one-thousand paper cranes is said to have begun with Sadako Sasaki, a victim of the atomic bomb who had developed leukemia. In what could be described as a form of self-encouragement, Sadako began folding one-thousand paper cranes herself, hoping that it would lead to her recovery. Prayer cranes are thus special objects that serve as messengers of the gods and deliver prayers to heaven on people’s behalf.

When I began thinking of ways that I too could contribute to society as an artist, I eventually settled on the concept of creating artworks with the crane motif and incorporating disaster relief efforts into the results (A portion of the income earned from my crane-themed pieces goes to charity funds that give aid to disaster-hit areas). The crane’s pose, in which it spreads its wings to take flight toward heaven, is something that could not be recreated using actual origami paper. If I were to make one-thousand sets of such wings in my lifetime, would my prayers reach heaven too?