An antique Japanese Choba Tansu (merchant chest) made of Keyaki (Zelkova) and Sugi (Cryptomeria) woods. All original hand forged iron hardware including the Hikute style handles and wiped Urushi lacquer finish. Horizontal slats on all four sides provide strength and visual Japanese architectural design. Two sets of sliding doors with two side by side drawers...

Antique Japanese kuruma tansu (wheeled storage chest) from the Northern Sendai area closer to Iwayado. The front of the chest is made with keyaki (zelkova elm) wood with lovely grain and original red-orange translucent lacquer finish. The frame is made of sugi (cryptomeria). The large, raised iron lock plate on the top drawer depicts a pair of cranes flying in clouds. The middle two drawers are held in place with a locking bar (bo) with pine tree shaped ironwork...

Antique Japanese small tansu with locking bar. Made with keyaki (elm) wood front and sugi (cryptomeria) wood sides. Each of the five drawers are different sizes making for useful storage. Nicely detailed original black Iron hardware includes square shaped handles. Beautiful crane shaped lock on one drawer and a flower shaped lock on another. Cross bracing on the locking bar (bo) with the original locking key. Original deep reddish brown translucent lacquer finish and patina...

Rare Japanese Funa Tansu (captain's ship chest) made of Keyaki (Zelkova) wood in original medium brown finish. The upper portion has a large front drawer with kakute (squared) iron handles and decorative iron plating, lined in attractive silver rice paper. The bottom portion is very unusual because the right door opens on a hinge while the left door slides on a track revealing four small drawers also lined in silver rice paper...

An antique rare Japanese Ko Tansu (Personal Storage Chest) made of Kirinoki (Paulownia) and Suginoki (Cryptomeria) woods. Raden (Mother of Pearl) inlay over a burlap black Urushi lacquer foundation. A floral design showcasing a landscape scene of a full moon peeking over mystic clouds with birds in flight and in the water. A footbridge is being crossed by scholars with Wisteria above and Plum trees balancing out the design...

An antique Japanese Katana Tansu (sword chest) made of Kiri (Paulownia) wood. All original hand forged iron hardware including the Warabite style handles. Beautiful naturally acquired patina over its long history. Long drawer for Katana storage, short drawer for Tanto storage and a small drawer for Katana parts and polishing supplies.

Age: Early Meiji Period (1870-1880)

Dimensions: 45 3/4" Wide by 12" High by 12" Deep

An antique Japanese Mikuni Isho Tansu (Kimono chest) made of Kirinoki (Paulownia) and Hinoki (Cypress) woods. All original hand forged iron hardware including the Hirute style handles. 5 drawers allow for spacious clothes storage with a hinged security door hiding 2 small drawers where valuables were kept. Constructed using through mortise and tenon joinery and hardened wood nails...

An antique Japanese Kotansu (personal storage chest) made entirely of Kirinoki (Paulownia) wood. All original bronze hardware. A pair of sliding doors cover a spacious compartment with a split level shelf with 6 drawers of varying sizes that was used to organize storage. Constructed using straight dovetail joinery and hardened wood nails...

A very rare antique Japanese Funa Tansu (captain's ship chest) made of Keyaki (Zelkova) and Kirinoki (Paulownia) woods with a Urushi lacquer finish. All original hand made iron fittings with strapping over the top, sides and back of the chest. Unusual bottom hinged door design where the right door opens to two drawers behind and the left pho hinged door slides across revealing a small drawer and another pho drawer. This pho drawer is actually a cover that hides a Kirinoki wood pull out box...

Antique Japanese rare kuruma tansu (wheeled chest). Made of solid quartered sawn keyaki (zelkova) wood with hand forged iron hardware...

Beautiful and dramatic antique Japanese isho tansu (clothing chest) from the Nihonmatsu area, 2-sections, made with keyaki wood front and sugi wood frame, safe box with key, lovely original deep red/orange translucent lacquer finish, iron hardware, Meiji Period (1868-1912). Size: 47 1/2" high x 45 1/4" wide x 18 1/2" deep.

An antique Japanese Isho Tansu in 3 stacking sections made of Kirinoki (Paulownia) and Suginoki (Cryptomeria) woods. Original bronze hardware. Top section features 2 sliding doors, a hinged door, and three drawers where fashion accessories were stored. The center section has two hinged doors that open to three full drawers while the bottom section features three more drawers for additional storage. Each section can be used separately in different rooms of a house. Constructed with hardened ...

An antique Japanese Choba Tansu (merchant chest) made of Keyaki (Zelkova), Suginoki (Cryptomeria) and Kirinoki (Paulownia) woods. Original Urushi lacquer front with a wiped lacquer technique used on the body. Hand made iron fittings with the round sliding door handles featuring an incised design of a lucky Pine tree and an old Minka (thatched roof Japanese home). The bottom hinged door opens to reveal a set of 3 small drawers.

Merchant chests provided two important key elements for the ...

Beautiful Japanese choba tansu (merchant's chest), keyaki (elm) wood frame and front with nice hinoki (Japanese cypress) wood side bracing, nice keyaki wood grain, two compartments with sliding panels, 5 drawers, a safe box with 3 small interior drawers, iron hardware with hirute shaped drawer pulls, sliders pulls are made of bronze, Meiji Period (1868-1912) Size: 30" high x 25 3/4" wide x 13" deep.

Antique Japanese Butsudan shrine, in 3-sections secured by mortise and tenon joinery and by side ropes. The exterior is lacquered in black with gilt decorative hardware and panels. Its bottom section has three drawers, two sliding panels with gilt floral medallions, and a pull-out shelf with a gilt lotus bouquet. The front doors open with a second set of gilt mesh panels with painted floral motifs on each one. The interior has a gorgeous four-tier shrine with gilt sliding panels painted with ch...

Beautiful antique Japanese single-section tansu from Sado Island, its front frame entirely covered by iron work. It has two large main drawers with large rectangular lockplates, the top incised with a crane and the bottom with the image of two turtles, referencing the old saying Tsuru Sen-nen, Kame Man-nen (as the crane lives one thousand years, the tortoise ten thousand years) to represent longevity. The large drawers have two warabite handles mounted on rectangular backings, and bold triangula...

A charming Japanese small tansu made from kiri (paulownia) wood, with attractive, simple iron fittings. Each drawer features a round iron lock plate and gunbai style handles. Size: 22.5" height, 25" width, 13" depth

An antique Japanese Cha Tansu (Tea Chest) made of Suginoki (Cryptomeria) wood and hand lacquered with hand applied Mother of Pearl inlay. The central theme is longevity as the landscape design captures the Pine tree throughout the chest. Foliated accents highlight the front outline and sides. Four sliding doors at the top, 2 sliding doors to the bottom left, a pair of wood hinged doors to the bottom right, and two small drawers along the bottom.

Age: Meiji period (1900-1910)

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