Gratefult Crane
Synopsis
Scene 1
The story begins in a small Japanese village where the people are enjoying their
day-to-day activities.
Scene 2
A beautiful crane soars with her friends until she is injured by a hunter’s arrow. A kind man finds the crane and bandages her wing.
Scene 3
On a snowy night, a mysterious woman appears at the kind man’s house. He and his wife invite the woman to come in from the cold and stay with them. The young woman thanks them for their kindness, and asks if she can weave a cloth to repay them for their kindness. She warns them never to look inside her room while she is weaving. She transforms back into a crane and weaves a beautiful cloth from her own feathers. She gives the cloth to the couple to sell at the village market.
Scene 4
The couple goes to the village to sell the cloth. The lord buys the cloth for a great sum.
Scene 5
The couple returns home and the young woman weaves another cloth. The wife cannot help but to look inside the young woman’s room. To her great surprise, the wife sees a crane weaving the cloth. When the crane is discovered, the magic is disturbed and she must leave. The couple begs her to stay, but she flies away to live once more in the wild.