Pair Of Japanese Ceramic Cranes, Circa 1920, in Original Box (Tomobako)

A rare pair of Japanese ceramic Manchurian cranes.  The heavily potted, hollow bodied models with textured body with crest highlighted in red and breast and tail feathers in black.  The beak and eye highlighted in gold.

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There is a makers mark stamped to the underneath of each model.

The cranes come with the original box (tomobako).

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The red-crowned crane, also called the Manchurian crane, is a large East Asian crane among the rarest cranes in the world. In some parts of its range, it is known as a symbol of luck, longevity, and fidelity. 

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Tomobako is the name for the wooden boxes in which Japanese artworks, ranging from paintings, small sculptures, ceramics, porcelains and lacquer works are stored. They consist of a wooden body and a lid held together by a woven or braided ribbon. 

The boxes are most commonly made of either cedar or paulownia wood but other woods were sometimes used including chestnut, mulberry, rosewood, ebony or ironwood.

To hold the box and the lid closely together a flat cotton string is used, which is knotted above the lid in a slip knot.