Because of their association with immortals, both cranes and peaches are symbolic of longevity. The crane is often shown carrying an immortal on its back, and mythical peaches of immortality grow in the orchard of Xiwangmu, the queen mother of the West. The cranes and peaches thus evoke an isle of the immortals—perhaps Penglai (Japanese: Hōrai), an auspicious paradise frequently depicted throughout East Asia. In 1731 the Chinese artist Shen Nanpin went to Nagasaki to teach Japanese students the traditional Chinese style of realistic painting, resulting in the establishment of the Nagasaki school. Even after Nanpin returned to China, many works in his style continued to be imported into Japan, influencing painting styles there into the late Edo period.
