Paper Crane Creations is the new Brain Child of Jeremy Hara. It was created to establish an entity separate from Jeremy Hara to bring all of Jeremy’s creative endeavors under one label. Paper Crane is also being used by Jeremy Hara’s art studio known as the “Paper Crane Creation Station”.

The paper crane symbolizes peace, honor, good fortune, loyalty, and longevity. It is believed in Japan that cranes are mystical creatures that live for thousands of years. It is also believed that cranes bring good luck and are protectors of the innocent. Cranes are referred to as the “bird of happiness” and it is believed that the wings of the cranes carry souls up to paradise. The loyalty of cranes comes from the fact that cranes mate for life.

Traditionally, it was believed that if one folded 1,000 origami cranes, one's wish would come true. It has also become a symbol of hope and healing during challenging times. As a result, it has become popular to fold 1,000 cranes (in Japanese, called “senbazuru”). -familypeacecenter.org

A famous story about senbazuru is that of Sadako Sasaki (see “Sadako and the Thousand Paper Cranes” by Eleanor Coerr [1977]). Sadako was a little girl who was exposed to radiation as an infant when the atomic bomb was dropped on Hiroshima. Although she survived the bomb, she was diagnosed with leukemia by the age of 12. She decided to fold 1,000 cranes, hoping that her wish to live would come true. Unfortunately, she only was able to fold 644 cranes before she passed away. Her classmates then continued to fold cranes in her honor and she was buried with a wreath of 1,000 cranes to honor her dream. There is now a statue of Sadako in Hiroshima Peace Park – a little girl standing with her hand outstretched, holding a paper crane. Every year, thousands of wreaths of senbazuru are draped over her statue. -familypeacecenter.org

Jeremy Hara first learned to fold a paper crane when he was 7 years old. His family folded 1000 cranes for his bachan (grandma) Tatsuye Hara’s funeral. Periodically throughout his life Jeremy would fold a paper crane as a form of memory test. Jeremy said “I realized I had many personal connections to the paper crane and then as I thought about the cultural symbolism, the Japanese significance, but also as a symbol of Japanese American integration, like sushi, Karate Kid, or Nintendo. These are things of Japanese origin that have been accepted into the melting pot. The paper crane also represents peace and hope in a very meaningful way to me. The idea that hope, creativity, and folded paper could bring world peace or end nuclear war…this is the kind of idea I am 100% behind.” Both of Jeremy’s parents are longtime peace activists, advocates of non-violent conflict resolution and stood for global nuclear disarmament. Jeremy Hara had this to say “My dad has been on the PSR (Physicians for Social Responsibility) Board of Directors for as long as I can remember, and my mom brought me and my brother on the Great Peace March, so in my life, the paper crane has always been a symbol of peace and hope.” When Jeremy realized the many ways the paper crane symbolized his creative endeavors as well as him as a person, he decided the branding was meant to be and Paper Crane Creations was born. The first project of Paper Crane Creations was to fold 1000 paper cranes and to begin making logos and branding.