The Crane Wife

In this legend from Japan, a poor man rescues a creane from a fisher's net. Shortly thereafter, a beautiful woman appears at the man's doodr and convinces hiim to marry her. Whenever the man complans of his poverty, his wife relieves it by retiring to a small room and emerging many hours later with fabric so beautiful that her husband is able to sell it to the Emperor for a great price. Though the wife has made her husband promise not to intrude on her while she is spinning, the man's curiosity eventually leads him to open the door to the spinning room. There she sees the wite crane wif flies awaya and never returns.