There was an old Japanese Emperor who loved a geisha, but she did not love
him. She was already married to a samurai, who was off at war, but when the
war was over, her samurai returned, but he was dead, for he was killed in the
war. Though he won the war, her heart was lost in sadness forever.
The Emperor forced her to marry him, and she had no choice. But in the palace
she lived in the lap of luxury, but it had no effect on her, she was still
heartbroken.
Then the Emperor, who loved her more than anything, gave her a silver celestial
cage, a cage said to be enchanted. It was a magic bird cage, and the Emperor
on origami paper, wrote a wish of an object he wanted, a gold ring, and he
folded the origami paper into an origami bird and placed it in the cage and
locked it, and the cage transformed the origami bird into a real silver dove. And
when the dove was unlocked from the cage, the bird would fly out the window
and return by morning with the golden ring, and the morning light made the bird
vanish forever. The Emperor thought she may use it for jewels, and gold, any
treasures that she desired, and he did this to win her good favor and take her
mind off the samurai, for he wanted to have a child of his own with her. But she
was cold and he was old, and she did not return his love for her. No matter how
much gold he had, he could not buy her love, it had to be earned, but her love
belonged only to the samurai.
But one night, she wept for the samurai, and it seemed the full moon waned the
more she cried and melted the moon. And on the origami paper took her quill
and wrote her wish, “I wish for the one I love to come back to life.”
She folded the paper into a bird, and locked it into the cage, wondering if this
would work. The bird transformed into a silver dove once more. And she freed
the dove that began to sing a song so beautiful, she had to follow it. The bird led
her to his samurai’s grave, and somehow it was as if the bird told her to dig up
his grave. And so she did, and opened his coffin, and saw his young body lying
there. And the silver dove sang a song, the silver starlight song that makes a
waning moon full again, and so it made her heart full once more, when the
samurai returned to life and walked out of Death’s door.
He awoke from death and was given new breath, and he embraced his beloved
geisha. But the samurai told her that he did not die in war, it was the Emperor
that killed him, and he lied about his death.
So one night, the geisha wrote a death wish, and wished for the Emperor to die.
And so the origami bird she folded became a silver dove once more, but it turned
© 2026. Austin Art Productions Inc. All Rights Reserved.
black as dusk. And the black dove went to the Emperor’s window as she slept,
and he died in his sleep, and did not awake at dawn. And so the geisha and the
samurai escaped the kingdom with the celestial cage, and were never seen
again.
© 2026. Austin Art Productions Inc. All Rights Reserved.
Description of Illustration:
A beautiful young geisha looks at her old Japanese Emperor who loves her, but she does
not, she mourns for her samurai. But he holds an origami paper bird in his hand and
offers it to her. Between them a silver celestial bird cage.
She wears a black kimono with a silver rose pattern, and the Emperor wears a royal red
and gold robe, patterned with a gold dragons. On the desk is a quill and and bottle of ink,
a candle, and it is in the bedroom of the geisha. Through the window, the night sky is
seen with the full moon shining through it. And on the wall is a sign written in Japanese
calligraphy, saying ‘Celestial Cage’

© 2026. Austin Art Productions Inc. All Rights Reserved.