The crane ranks among the most popular motifs in Japanese art, considered auspicious for its association with longevity and good fortune. It is traditionally thought to live for a thousand years.Here, three cranes with mother-of-pearl wings fly over water towards a pavilion surrounded by pines. The grouping is itself auspicious, since odd numbers have been favoured in Japanese culture since at least the mid-Heian period, including in visual motifs and the dates for annual observances.

The inscription ‘Shiga Prefecture’ in gold lacquer on the base suggests the box was an official gift. It was possibly presented to Edward, Prince of Wales during his visit to Japan in 1922. The prince travelled through Shiga on his way to Gifu, where he watched the ancient art of fishing with cormorants by torchlight. Having travelled from Kyoto by mountain road, the prince took a steamer across Lake Biwa which was ‘dotted with sail boats beflagged as though for a regatta’

Text adapted from Chinese and Japanese Works of Art in the Collection of Her Majesty The Queen: Volume III and Japan: Courts and Culture (2020)