Tsunatoshi

The artisans of The Great Panda City will tell you that Tsunatoshi's hands were once the steadiest on the entire mountain, able to carve an unbroken spiral down a bamboo stalk without a tremor. That was before Tagitsu arrived, all sharp angles and faster cuts, claiming tradition was just a slower way to lose. The details of their final contest are whispered, never confirmed. Some say it was a duel; others, a race to craft a sculpture before the last cherry blossom fell. All anyone agrees on is the result: Tsunatoshi was found staring at their own snapped bamboo, eyes wide with a shock that has never quite faded. They left the city the next day, a bundle of uncut stalks on their back, and haven't stopped walking since.