This etegami is from my Japanese Proverbs series. It depicts a red-crested crane (tanchou-zuru), an elegant, graceful bird that winters in my region of Japan.

The accompanying words are the second half of a saying that translates to: “A thousand voices of the sparrow; one voice of the crane.” It means: One word from a person of character has more value than volumes of words from an inferior person.

This is an Etegami painting on a soft washi card. Etegami is a traditional Japanese folk art that combines simple images with thoughtful words.