Tsuru No Ongaeshi Story

[Bartolome Beacham]

TsurujoAnimeMangaStatisticsJapaneseName:鶴女Romanized Name:TsurujoOfficial English Name:OtsuruDebut:Chapter 912; Episode 897[1]Occupations:Tea House Owner;[2] Waitress (Former)[3]Residence:Okobore Town, Kuri, Wano Country[2]Status:AliveAge:55[4]Birthday:September 15th[4]Height:191 cm (6'3")[4]Blood Type:F[4]Japanese VA:Shino KakinumaFuni English VA:Hope Endrenyi

Tsuru has a youthful appearance for a lady of her age. She has light brown eyes and black hair in a shimada style with a gold crane-shaped hairpin. She has a prominent nose and wears lipstick. She wears a blue kimono with light blue clouds and white crane patterns. She also has large pale blue obi with teal polka dots.[1] After the Okobore Town incident, Tsuru has two burn scars on her forehead and the left side of her face.[6]

Tsuru is a very kind and compassionate woman. Upon seeing Kurozumi Tama being badly poisoned, Tsuru offered to help her.[2] She can be very forceful when helping people as shown when she angrily scolded Tama for refusing to eat the dish she prepared for her.[7] Kiku also stated Tsuru would never accept people refusing her help. Tsuru has an extremely refined and sophisticated personality as she always speaks to people in a courteous manner and is always ready to repay other people for helping her. After Zoro rescued her from some of Kaidou's thugs, she quickly offered to repay him, and that she sneaked aboard Komachiyo's tail when Zoro and Luffy retreated in order to not lose sight of them as she wished to express her gratitude.

Tsuru is the wife of Kin'emon.[5] They have known each other since childhood. During their younger years, Tsuru would threaten Kin'emon if he tried taking her money. She was deeply concerned with Kin'emon's well-being, begging him to quit living as a thug and find a normal job, and she was upset when Kin'emon disregarded her advice by claiming no one would care even if he were to die. When he thought that Tsuru was devoured by the Mountain God, Kin'emon furiously attacked the beast, stating that he had no right to live if Tsuru were to die because of his actions. She is extremely faithful to Kin'emon since she did not remarry after 20 years. Kin'emon was glad to hear that she was alright and he is concerned for her well-being as he went to rescue her after seeing Kaidou in Kuri.[9] Tsuru already knew about Kin'emon's survival after seeing Kikunojo and she kept it a secret to protect him.[8]

Like her husband, Tsuru is a loyalist of the Kozuki Family, being nostalgic of the days when the Kozuki Family ruled over Wano Country.[10] Tsuru also did her best to support the Nine Red Scabbards to overthrow Orochi and restore the Kozuki back to power.[8]

Tsuru recognized Kikunojo when the samurai reappeared in Wano, so Tsuru kept the knowledge to herself[8] and hired Kiku as an employee.[2] Kiku, who was aware that Tsuru is Kin'emon's wife, thought she had successfully deceived Tsuru.[5]

Tsuru was very grateful to Roronoa Zoro for saving her and wanted to repay her debt. She offered to treat his wounds, and she calls him "Sir Green". She was also impressed of how Zoro and Monkey D. Luffy managed to ward off Basil Hawkins.[2]

As the owner of the tea house in Okobore Town, Tsuru has the highest authority within the establishment. She is knowledgeable of herbs, utilizing Jagan Grass (邪含草, Jagan-sō?) to brew a medicinal tea to heal Tama from the poison she ingested.[2] She is also an excellent chef, able to cook delicious food from leftover ingredients.[11] She also has enough strength to manhandle Kin'emon when they were younger and strike fear into him.

Years ago during the Kozuki Family's reign, Tsuru worked as a poster girl for a mountain pass tea house. At one time 41 years ago, three customers were telling her about a moving mountain before showing her a white boar. Tsuru then caught Kin'emon taking her money and reprimanded him.[3]

After Kin'emon stole the white boar from these three men, they took Tsuru hostage. However, on the way down the mountain, they were attacked by the Mountain God. Tsuru and two of the men were swallowed by the beast. After Oden struck down the beast at the Flower Capital, Tsuru reunited with Kin'emon and embraced him.[12]

Tsuru eventually married Kin'emon.[5] When Kin'emon was sent to the future via Kozuki Toki's powers, Tsuru was left without her husband for 20 years. She remained faithful to him, as she never remarried despite the potential danger she would be in from Kurozumi Orochi's corrupt rule.

She then hid in Komachiyo's tail as Zoro and Monkey D. Luffy were confronted by Basil Hawkins and his men. When the komainu dragged the two Straw Hats away from the battle, she introduced herself to them. Upon seeing Kurozumi Tama in critical condition, she asked them to bring Tama to her tea shop where she could make medicine for her. They later arrived at Okobore Town.[2]

After healing Tama, Tsuru gave her some delicious foods to eat. Tsuru then told Luffy and Zoro the story about Okobore Town before Zoro saved her from an arrow fired by the gifter Batman. During the confusion, Tama was abducted by Gazelleman. As Zoro and Luffy joined Kiku and Komachiyo in the pursuit, Tsuru was amazed by Luffy's ability to stretch.[14]

Prior to the Fire Festival, Holed'em confronted the Okobore Town citizens concerning the Paradise Farm thefts. Assuming that Kin'emon must be alive after meeting Kikunojo, Tsuru attempted to mislead Holed'em, but the Okobore Town citizens took the blame for the thefts. Okobore Town was then burned to the ground.[20]

Tsuru survived the incident and reunited with her husband after the raid on Onigashima, and together they celebrated the Ninja-Pirate-Mink-Samurai Alliance's victory.[21] Later, Tsuru spoke with Chocho about moving back to the Flower Capital to be with Kin'emon, with Chocho encouraging her to do so.[6]

Origin: Tsuru nyōbō are an example of a common folklore trope: animal-human marriages. Stories about animal husbands or wives are found in every region in Japan. Variations of each tale exist, usually with similar plots depending on the animal involved. Tsuru nyōbō stories follow a pattern resembling the following story from Niigata Prefecture.

The next day, the man went out to gather firewood. When he returned, the woman was still there. She had cleaned the whole house. The woman stayed that night too, and the night after that. She made no mention of continuing her journey and the man did not ask her about it.

One day the woman told the man that she would like to be his wife. The man could not believe that such a beautiful woman would want to marry someone as poor as him. But she assured him that she had thought carefully about her decision, so he happily accepted. For a wedding gift, she asked him to build her a loom so that she could weave a brocade. She asked her husband to leave her alone in her workroom for seven days, and she made him promise that he would not look in on her while she worked.

After the seventh day the wife emerged from the workroom, looking gaunt. She carried a brocade equal in splendor to the first one. It would surely sell for one thousand ryō. The wife gave the fabric to her husband and looked at him with sad eyes. She confessed that she was the crane he had saved from a hunter. She had changed into a human to be by his side and repay his kindness. But since he had broken his promise and spied upon her, she could no longer stay with him. Though it was brief, she would cherish their time together forever.

She turned back into a crane and dashed into the sky. She called out sadly one last time. A flock of cranes passed overhead. The tsuru nyōbō joined the flock and flew into the distance, never to be seen again.

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