Traditional Japanese decorations, Chidori, symbol of longevity

For various reasons, the Japanese folklore selected some animals to symbolize longevity. The most popular long life symbols are the crane and the turtle, because in the Japanese tradition the crane is said to live 1000 years, while the turtle is considered to have a lifespan of ten thousand years...

The plover, chidori in Japanese, is also a symbol of longevity, but because of a... linguistic coincidence: its cry onomatopoeia, chiyo, is a homonym for "chiyo" 千代, a word meaning "1000 generations". Photographed here is a paper lantern in the traditional Kyoto area of Pontocho, decorated with stylized chidori...