Artist’s Studio
42″ x 22″ x 16″
Bronze
2001
This piece tells the tragic and beautiful Japanese folktale about a crane, or “Tsuru” in Japanese. In the story, a young man observes a group of boys abusing a crane by a lake and chases them away, allowing the bird to fly away freely. The next day, the young man meets a beautiful woman named Tsuru in his village and they fall in love. He discovers that she has a secret and unique skill for weaving a fabric softer than anyone has been able to before.
Before agreeing to marry him, she asks that he respect her privacy and allow her to weave without ever observing or interrupting her. As long as he does that, she promises to love him unconditionally forever, and agrees. Her weavings are so unique and beautiful that they are sought after from all across Japan, but after a few years, he notices that she has started becoming depleted and worn. Out of concern for her, one evening, he goes to her private workspace and pulls the curtain back, only to reveal the crane pulling feathers out of her body and using them in her weaving. The bird looks at him, ashamed, and flies out the window, never to return again.
For this sculpture, Tsuru is portrayed with the delicate elegance of a crane, perched atop a boulder, holding herself in a pose that embodies a sense of privacy and gentleness.