Naoki Onogawa, a Tokyo-based artist, has created a breathtaking fusion of traditional Japanese art forms by crafting bonsai trees with leaves made from hundreds of tiny paper cranes. This intricate work is not only a testament to Onogawa’s skill and patience but also carries a deep symbolic meaning. The paper crane is an emblem of peace in Japanese culture, often associated with the story of Sadako Sasaki, a young girl who folded a thousand origami cranes in the hope of recovering from the effects of the atomic bomb in Hiroshima.
Onogawa’s bonsai trees, therefore, are not just visually stunning sculptures but also a powerful symbol of hope and resilience. Each tiny crane, meticulously folded and placed, contributes to the larger beauty of the bonsai, reflecting the artist’s belief in the interconnectedness of all things and the importance of each individual’s contribution to peace. The delicate balance of the bonsai, with its strong yet flexible branches, mirrors the fragile yet enduring nature of peace, making Onogawa’s work a profound statement in the language of art.
I have long found the practice of folding origami (folding paper) cranes for the sake of peace to be a peculiar custom. I often hear people refer to origami cranes as a symbol of peace. Since the end of World War II, people from all around are said to ship paper cranes to Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Even now, apparently people continue to send exorbitant amounts – several tons – of cranes to both cities every year. What strikes me as odd about these paper cranes is how they function as a vessel for people’s unrequited emotions – and how their makers, almost by habit or instinct, choose to fold them over and over again. I have great reverence for the act of praying for peace. But in this dynamic, I felt that there was nothing there that connects me to the cranes – and that the cranes are, at least in my mind, not where they were supposed to be. In my youth, origami – or the art of paper folding – was a passion of mine. Among the forms you can find in origami, the origami crane stands apart as a particularly famous, traditional form of the art. Within the cranes I see a central point of reference for myself, together with a special “something” – a special quality.
Naoki Onogawa
More info: Website, Instagram (h/t: Colossal).
