MY Craft: Sembazuru Necklaces and Ornaments

Sembazuru means 1000 folded paper cranes. We fold them to grant a wish. Usually, they are held together by threads.

I'm a Japanese woman who lives in Canada. Since I strongly wished the quick recovery of Japan from the earthquake and radioactive contamination, I decided to fold 1000 cranes. Instead of holding them together in a chain, I made 1000 cranes individually as necklaces and ornaments to sell for fund raising. I folded them with Japanese traditional colorful patterned paper called "Chiyogami", which made each crane unique (see the photos of cranes bellow), and coated them with lacquer. I used more than 100 different patterned Chiyogami papers. The attached sheet of paper tells you the name of the crane (I gave each crane a name), when it was made and which order you've just purchases. I finished folding all the 1000 cranes in February 2014 (and made a little more for dedications).

As of March 2015

Made 1000 +

(Necklace: 650+ Ornament: 100 + Hanging Decoration: 300)

Sold: 362

(Necklace: 314 + Ornament: 48)

Dedicated to Ise Jingu Shrine/others: 300 (3 sets)
(Hanging Decoration 100 x 3 sets)

Sembazuru Necklaces

Price: $5 (Canada)
Size of the crane : 15mm - 20mm

Flying Cranes
(Sembazuru ornaments)

Price: 2 for $5 (Canada)
$3 each
Size of the crane : 15mm - 20mm

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* The following photos are cranes as samples of "Chiyogami" papers (out of 100 different patterns). Please note that even I folded the cranes with the same Chiyogami paper, each individual is Never the same.