Vintage vase "Flying cranes, mountains and trees in frost", Kutani. Porcelain, glaze, hand-painted gold, silver paint on a green background. Japan, twentieth century . The forest in Japanese art is a way of conveying philosophical overtones, reflecting the thoughts and ideas of the creator. This is perseverance, harmony of man with nature and philosophy. The display of the forest is an opportunity to show the unity of man with nature.  The mountain symbol in art is a sacred symbol for the Japanese. This is the pursuit of high things, the fragility of being and spiritual uplift, mountains are the abode of the spirits of kami in Shintoism - a sacred symbol, for many poets it was an inexhaustible source of inspiration and eternity. The crane is immortality, a symbol of a long and happy married life. Being monogamous birds, cranes mate once and for life. This is wisdom in the flesh, unity, and nobility of thought.