With the Tsuru, I wanted to create a kite that was capable and accessible on a 'human scale', meaning that it works in the hands of someone with less than super-human skills and reflexes.

As a designer, I have the mixed blessing/curse of not being an exceptional flyer. I'm probably an average flyer, but have a pretty good eye for what works, as well as a fair lay understanding of the physics. I like the larger inputs. I find it much easier, and more enjoyable to learn the 'how' with a tool that works for me. I learn something from the Tsuru is every time I fly it, at a pace and touch that feels right to me.

Check out the videos below for a little taste of the Tsuru in the hands of an exceptional flyer. Please keep in mind that while he's getting some very cool stuff out of the kite, your mileage may vary, I know mine would! It is nice to know that level of performance is available when I'm ready for it though.

I don't consider the Tsuru to be a trick kite, but a 'performance kite'. It was conceived and crafted with the mid-level to advanced flyer in mind, along with pairs and teams. An important goal was to gear the kite towards the kind of flying we do for a crowd at a festival, because I believe that flying for and with other people is the way to grow kiting.

From graphics to performance, if it couldn't be appreciated by the grandfather and his 12 year old granddaughter, it wasn't part of the original design brief. The fact that an exceptional flyer can pull more from it than I ever envisioned is a delight for this old stitcher.

About the Tsuru's name

I've long used the analogy of a well designed kite as being like a finely crafted tool. It should have a natural, almost organic feel that inspires confidence and allows the user to tap their finer talents. It should be neutral in balance, but capable of cutting like a scalpel or hitting like a sledge when needed. When I started thinking of a name for the new kite, I wanted something that said tool, but with a little more class than the word has in English. So, what do we do but search Google for "tool in other languages? " The first thing that made me sit up straight was Tsūru, which is a western transcription of the Japanese word for tool - ツール.

I've since learned that the word Tsūru doesn't mean tool in Japan. Tsuru (without the pronunciation mark) means crane in Japanese. The crane (tsuru) is a large, beautiful, graceful bird. That works for me too!

Pronunciation -