Mating Rituals of the Red-Crowned Cranes - Hokkaido, Japan

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Wednesday, July 29, 2020

By Japan Dreamscapes Photography Tours

I can think of no other bird gentler or more romantic than the Red-Crowned Cranes, which are one of the main species that I introduce to visiting international photographers on my annual Hokkaido Photo Tour. These gentle giants, also known as the snow ballerinas, show so much grace while performing their courtship dance. Once they have created their union as partners, they bond with those mates throughout their entire lifetime thereafter. Because this bird is monogamous, they represent loyalty a long and fruitful life and bring good fortune.

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 live 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. One pair or the entire flock will leap into the air, at the same time commencing the mating ritual ballet/dance.

The First Nations peoples of Japan, The Ainu are brilliant storytellers, and they tell the story of a variety of animals and spiritual or divine beings who are composed of or possess spiritual energy. At Ainu powwows in Hokkaido, similar to North Americans First Nations Peoples, the Ainu tell the story of one such entity, The Red-Crowned Crane, with human dancers, in which the live birds are considered to be the Kamuy (a diving being) Gods of the Marshes, and spirit dancers. At Hokkaido powwows, the mystical healing energies of the Kamuy (Gods) of the Cranes are nearly tangible as the dancers perform the sacred Ainu dances and pay tribute to other mystical beings.

The First Nations People of Japan, The Ainu and their Ancient Ceremonial Dance, Akanko Hokkaido, Japan.

Below is a rare video I filmed February 2020 while leading my Hokkaido photo tour of a pair consummating their beautiful lifelong commitment. My dry spell of unsuccessful filming the Red-Crowned Cranes mating for several years was finally broken. I have a cottage in Hokkaido, and I am often photographing and filming at one of the many riversides where the cranes roost in the marshlands in the Kussharo, Nemuro, Nakashibetsu and several other regions of Hokkaido. This February, I was at the Otowa Bridge, Tsurui village, and happily, there were about a dozen photographers on the bridge this morning. In February of 2019, I recall it was so crowded with tourists, easily over a hundred in all, and this has been the norm in recent years. Many are just the garden variety tourist without a decent camera. So, there is at least one positive effect of COVID19. It has been effective in preserving wildlife and helping maintain the bond with birding photographer lovers on beautiful and mostly calm Hokkaido. And I hope it will become the new norm that we birders enjoyed twenty years ago, but once the world returns to normal, I fear the bridge will be overcrowded again, but until then, us locals will be enjoying our solitude with The Gods of the Marshlands-Spirit Dancers; with our friends and clients.

Rare video taken by during a Hokkaido Photo Tour.

Come Photograph Snow Ballerina Performances in Hokkaido, Japan with JDS!

Tags: #hokkaido, #redcrownedcrane, #travel, #travelphotography, #ainu

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2 Comments

Thursday, December 10, 2020 9:35PM

Blain Harasymiw - Good Morning Julie: I see you lost my business card; this is Blain Harasymiw (Hair Some U). You found your way to one of my other associated websites; you can also find the mating red-crowned cranes video on my main website at www.blaininjapan.com - I, too, love this video. It is truly cool and unique. As you and your two friends were standing next to me on the morning of February 28th, 2020, I am the only one who could have shot this video from the same angle as we were standing about 5 meters apart. But I thought either you or your friend were taking a video also? How did that turn out? It sure was a beautiful morning, and I am happy we met, and you visited us in Japan when you did. In one way, you got super lucky; in the previous three years, I have avoided visiting the bridge in the am due to the Chinese and tour buses showing up at the bridge in the am, and some morning there were hundreds on the bridge! February 2020, there were about a dozen of us, I believe; it felt like ten years ago. And to be honest, I don't mind if the Chinese tourists who are not camerapersons don't' come back to Japan. I would love to see your Hokkaido images and the cranes; it was a coincidence meeting you at the cranes, then outside your lodgings, and we shared the same aircraft from Kushiro to Tokyo. But I was a little worried after I mentioned to talk with the police at the airport about something one of you forgot at the crane park. Did you ever get back what someone in your group forgot at the park?
I hope you are all doing well in Singapore and get another chance to visit us in Japan. My family team and I are at our office/house in Echizenhama Niigata, Japan, and we have only spent about a couple of weeks at our home, just outside of Tokyo. Yesterday, I got to spend another beautiful day enjoying Sea Side photography on the rocky shoreline on the Sea of Japan close to Akita; we camped out. Be well, my friend, and I hope to hear from you soon, and see you again. Namaste, Blain in Japan

Wednesday, December 09, 2020 7:17PM

Julie Edgley - Good morning. I was doing some research on red-crowned cranes mating and came across the video on this website. Was this something you took yourself or was it a client from one of your tours? I smile as I watch it as I believe I was standing very close to the person who filmed this (Blain). I'm working my way through my own photos from my trip in February and have a photo in front of me right now that is almost identical to the 0.11 second mark of the video. Even taken from almost the same angle! :-) Such a coincidence. Regards, Julie.