Showa-era Japanese Enamel Sign "Tsurumi Vertical Pump" This original enamel sign dates from Japan’s Showa period, when industry, engineering, and infrastructure were reshaping the country at remarkable speed. At the top sits a striking trademark emblem — a stylized crane bird enclosed in a circle, accompanied by the words TRADE MARK. In Japanese symbolism, the crane represents longevity, reliability, and precision, making it a fitting emblem for industrial machinery built to last. The bold vertical lettering reads: “Tsurumi Vertical Pump.” Vertical pumps were essential equipment in mid-20th-century Japan, used in irrigation systems, factories, mines, shipyards, and municipal waterworks. These machines quietly powered the infrastructure that supported agriculture, construction, and urban expansion. Signs like this would have hung outside distributors or repair shops, signaling to workers and engineers where trusted equipment could be obtained or serviced. Founded in 1924, Tsurumi Manufacturing Co., Ltd. (TSURUMI PUMP) is one of Japan's leading pump manufacturers, a long-established industrial manufacturer with a global share, particularly in the field of submersible pumps. The company has been manufacturing pumps for drainage, irrigation, and civil engineering applications since the prewar period, and during the postwar reconstruction period, it grew rapidly as a manufacturer of machinery essential to fields such as construction sites, mines, agricultural drainage, and urban infrastructure. In Japan during the Showa period, companies that could control water were considered to be companies that supported social infrastructure, and pump manufacturers were not just machinery manufacturers, but were at the core of the infrastructure industry that supported the nation's recovery. For this reason, the Tsurumi sign at the time was not simply an advertisement, but a practical item displayed as proof of the trust placed in the company by on-site craftsmen and engineers. The visible enamel chips, edge wear, and surface marks are not flaws — they are evidence of real working life. This sign once stood outdoors among machinery, dust, rain, and labor. Its surface is a record of decades spent in active service. Today, it stands as more than advertising. It is a surviving artifact of Japan’s industrial rise, a relic from an era when mechanical innovation was the backbone of national progress. This piece is not simply decorative. It is a steel witness to the age of industry, carrying the spirit of engineering from a defining chapter of modern Japan. [Size] 45.5x11.7cm [Condition] Good vintage condition. Although it shows signs of use, the letters and designs remain clearly visible. Please check the photos. Any taxes related to international shipping must be borne by the purchaser. Occasionally, customs or the delivery company in your country may contact you for customs clearance via phone or email. Kindly ensure you are available to respond. Failure to do so may result in the parcel being returned to me, incurring additional shipping fees for reshipment. Your cooperation is greatly appreciated. I will pack the item securely, but there may be cases where the item is repackaged at customs or damaged upon arrival due to a mistake by the shipping company. If this happens, please contact me immediately. Please promptly send me a photo of the item when it arrives and a photo of the damage to the item. We will provide refunds depending on the situation.