Re: The Crane's Return of Favor
The design is based off of the famous Japanese folklore, 鶴の恩返し (tsuru no ongaeshi - The Crane's Return of Favor).
There was an elderly couple living in a town. One winter day, when the husband was walking home through the snow, he spotted a crane stuck in a trap. Feeling sorry for it, he let it free. Late that night, a beautiful young girl came knocking at the couple's door. She claimed to have gotten lost and asked to stay for a night, so they let her in.
The stormy snowy days continued, and the young girl took care of the elders and made them happy. Then one day, she asked the husband if she could have some thread to weave some cloth, so he bought some for her. When she was about to begin her weaving, she told them, "Please, never open the door to my working room." After she finished weaving the cloth, she told the husband to go to the city and sell it there. The husband obliged. The cloth was a huge hit due to its immense beauty, and the elderly couple became very wealthy. However, the mystery behind the girl's weaving bugged them until one day, the elderly man opened the door to her room while she was weaving.
Instead of the girl, he saw a withered crane using its own feathers to weave the beautiful fabric. The girl explained that she was the crane that had been saved one winter day by the elderly man. The couple begged her to stay but the saddened girl turned back into a crane and flew away into the sky.
-Translated the story from the Japanese Wikipedia page.
This is why the crane in my design is crying.. it is sad to have to leave the people she cared about. :'( It's hard to see in general, but hopefully the detailed views will help that :x
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