The internet is filled with things. Here is one of them.
A Theory About the Evolution of the One Bam Tile2026 Jun 9mahjongtreasures.com
In Mahjong's 'bamboo' suit, each of the tiles depicts a number of bamboo sticks corresponding to the tile's value: e.g. 3 Bamboo shows three sticks of bamboo, 4 Bamboo shows four, and so on. Except 1 Bamboo, which depicts... a bird. Why?
Nobody really knows. But this website proposes a theory, complete with having found very old examples of the 1 Bamboo tile artwork and its evolution from something sometimes resembling a bamboo sprout into a crane or peacock.
So what's the answer? Maybe the Mahjong tile makers just like it that way.
In Mahjong's 'bamboo' suit, each of the tiles depicts a number of bamboo sticks corresponding to the tile's value: e.g. 3 Bamboo shows three sticks of bamboo, 4 Bamboo shows four, and so on. Except 1 Bamboo, which depicts... a bird. Why?
Nobody really knows. But this website proposes a theory, complete with having found very old examples of the 1 Bamboo tile artwork and its evolution from something sometimes resembling a bamboo sprout into a crane or peacock.
So what's the answer? Maybe the Mahjong tile makers just like it that way.