My annual Hokkaido Photo Workshop is a birders paradise of avian wildlife. Steller’s Sea Eagles, White-tailed Eagles, Glaucous Gulls, Whooper Swans, Shima Enaga, and Blakiston’s Fish Owls are just a few of the engaging birds that I indulge myself and clients in spotting and photographing while leading my annual Winter Hokkaido Photography expedition tour workshop. Yet, the Red-crowned Crane perhaps carries the most symbolism of all of Hokkaido’s winged wildlife.
In Japan, Red-crowned Cranes represent long life due to their species' mythology. Tales and lore tell us that in ancient times people believed Red-crowned Cranes lived for thousands of years. Part of their mythos is tied to their monogamous relationships. Once they have created their union as partners, they bond with those mates throughout their entire life thereafter. Their fealty was followed by the samurai, and numerous crests were emblazoned with a Red-crowned Crane to denote a similar lifetime devotion to their daimyo, Japanese dogma, and, of course, family. The Red-crowned Crane's sociological importance still resonates today. Look no further than the Japan Airlines (JAL) crest, and you’ll see the Red-crowned Crane spreading its wings as if about to take flight. This is a sight I enjoy every Hokkaido autumn to winter, as I photograph the flocks distributed among the marshlands at just the right time to spot these graceful ballerinas leave the ground and take their grandeur to the air.
The First Nations People of Japan, the Ainu, honor the Red-crowned Crane as one of their kamuy, or spiritual creatures. During my Hokkaido Photography Tour, participants and I visit Akanko Ainu Kotan, where they perform a classical Ainu dance in tribute to the Red-crowned Crane called the ‘sarorunkamuy rimse.’ The dance simulates the chirping, singing, and mating dance between two Red-crowned Cranes who are betrothing themselves to each other.
Every chance I get, I enjoy experiencing the Ikor theatre; I especially enjoy sharing the first nations culture of Japan during my Hokkaido photography workshops; participants are humbled by the experience, And during my Hokkaido Tour, we have press box seats, and we enjoy the Ainu performance of spiritual, cultural awakening, during the evening’s lomante fire performance, followed by fireworks by the lakeside, then it's back to birding with the Tancho, Red-Crowned Cranes.
The Red-Crowned Crane, Tancho in Japanese, stands at 150 to 158 cm (4ft to 5 ft) tall, weighing 8 to 11 kg (17 to 25) pounds with an amazingly large wingspan measuring 200 to 260 cm (6.5 ft to 8.5 ft) and lives more than 60 years. The Red-Crowned Cranes ritual courtship dance is a masterpiece of impassioned choreography; they bow to one another, then raise their heads towards the sky and call in unison, and as they call, they begin to dance. Their majestic call has been identified as one of Japan’s 100 most important soundscapes, an important intangible cultural asset. When you hear the cranes call to each other, I guarantee you will never forget that beautiful call, especially when you are filming and get those once in a lifetime photos of a rare and majestic bird while listening to their calls that are so prized that they are being preserved for posterity. One pair of Red-crowned Cranes or the entire flock will leap into the air, at the same time commencing the mating ritual ballet/dance. It’s a visual and aural symphony so breathtaking that I have been brought to tears while photographing and filming their performing arts.
The International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) has classified the Red-crowned Cranes as endangered, and climate change and other human-made interferences are reducing the Red-crowned Crane's natural habitats in other parts of Asia, but in Hokkaido, their habitats are steadily growing. We’re having some minor issues with the Kushiro wetlands, but the Ministry of Wildlife is rectifying the situation. My years of experience in the bush and over two decades of photographing in Japan mean that I am a Japanese local, and I make sure that my participants and I leave as little of a footprint as possible when spotting and photographing Hokkaido wildlife and wildlife, and landscapes around Japan. My goal is to preserve this beauty for as many people as possible to behold so they, too, can appreciate the Red-crowned Cranes’ natural beauty and the beauty of the land of the rising sun.