Artist’s Studio

42″ x 22″ x 16″

Bronze

2001

This piece tells the tragic and beautiful Japanese folktale of the crane, or tsuru in Japanese. In the story, a young man chases away a group of boys who are abusing a crane by a lake—allowing the injured bird to fly free.

The next day, he meets a mysterious and beautiful woman named Tsuru in his village, and the two fall in love. Tsuru possesses a secret and extraordinary gift: the ability to weave a fabric softer and more exquisite than any ever seen before.

Before agreeing to marry him, she asks for only one condition—that he respect her privacy and never watch her while she weaves. So long as he honors this promise, she vows to love him unconditionally. He agrees, and in time, her remarkable weavings draw admiration from across Japan.

As the years pass, however, he notices that she is becoming pale and weak. Concerned for her health, he breaks his promise and quietly peeks behind the curtain of her workspace. To his astonishment, he sees a crane—pulling feathers from her own body to weave into the fabric. The bird looks at him, ashamed, and silently flies out the window, never to return.

In this sculpture, Tsuru is portrayed with the delicate elegance of a crane, perched atop a boulder. Her pose conveys privacy, gentleness, and restraint, echoing the quiet beauty and sorrow of her story.