Birds

鳥 tori

A generic bird motif. Specific birds carry their own meanings: the crane means longevity, the plover perseverance, the sparrow abundance.

Varies by bird; bird motifs since the Nara period

Birds have been part of Japanese design since the Nara period, from paired birds in Shōsōin textiles and the yūsoku toridasuki to the plovers of Heian poetry and the crane, bush warbler, cuckoo and swallow of the hanafuda calendar. Plump 'fukura-suzume' sparrows and swallows were favourite Edo townsmen's motifs. Each bird's history and meaning differ.