OOKA SHIHO: A FINE AND LARGE PAINTING OF A HAWK CHASING CRANEBy Ooka Shiho, signed and sealed by the artistJapan, c. 1830, Edo period (1615-1868)Painted in ink and polychrome on silk, with a brocade frame, lined, and mounted as a hanging scroll. Depicting a hawk, painted in shades of brown, chasing a white crane. Signed and inscribed to the lower right: 天保十二年霜月中旬、應于需圖六十三歳士豊 Tempo juuninen shimotsuki chujun, rokujusansai motome ni ojite zu su, Shiho [This is painted on commission, in the mid month of November, painted by Shiho, at the age of 63].With two seals: 獨糸（Dokushi）& 弐岳間人 (Nigaku kanjin).SIZE (image) 127 x 57.5 cm, 201 x 67 cm (including mounting)Condition: Good condition, and very minor stains, signs of repair and material loss. One roller end lost. Ooka Shiho 大岡士豊 was a talented painter and one of the best pupils of Maruyama Okyo (1733-1796)Hawks are often depicted as fierce predators, swooping down to catch their prey with their sharp talons. They are also associated with the sport of falconry, which was popular among the nobility in Japan during the Edo period (1603-1868).The crane is one of the most prominent symbols of longevity and good fortune in Asia. For at least two millennia, the Chinese have viewed them as living to a great age and as being able to navigate between heaven and earth. In turn, these attributes have made them logical companions of sennin, the Taoist Immortals. The red-crowned, or Japanese, crane depicted in this painting is said to live for 1,000 years.