Japanese pair of cranes signed Hidenao 秀尚 (Shūshō), Meiji Period

Japanese silvered bronze okimono pair of Manchurian cranes (tancho-zuru) with details in shakudo and gilt, on a wooden base, signed with chiselled characters on a gilt oval plaque Hidenao秀尚 (Shūshō), Meiji Period.

In Japan the crane is an auspicious symbol of long life because of its fabled life span of a thousand years, luck and fidelity as cranes pair for life.

Reference: "The Golden Age of Japanese Okimono, Dr. A.M. Kanter's Collection", Metalwork pg. 254.
" Meiji no Takara, Treasure of Imperial Japan, the Nasser D. Khalili Collection", Metalwork Part II, no. 107.