Rare and Beautiful late Edo period (circa 1850's) small bar tansu from Tohoki area in Japan. Made of keyaki Hardwood with Stunning original glowing finish, accented by round black iron handles with locking bar. Includes hand forged iron stand that supports and floats the piece off the ground. Great original condition. Measures 24" high x 18.5" wide x 14.5" deep.

A rare Japanese small 2 section Choba Tansu (merchant chest) made of Hinoki (Cypress) wood. All original hand forged iron hardware including the Warabite style handles. Upper section features 2 sliding doors with 5 drawers below. Lower section incorporates 7 drawers with 2 sliding doors and a hinged security door that hides 2 drawers. Originally made as a custom bespoke chest specifically tailored to the merchant's needs.

Age: Meiji Period (1880-1890)

Dimensions: 29 1/2" Wide by ...

A rare and unusual Japanese Keyaki burl choba tansu with original dark red translucent lacquer finish. The front of the chest has two hinged doors with hand forged iron fan lock plate, with two drawers below. When the chest is opened, it reveals a spacious interior with a large open compartment, a long top drawer and three smaller all burl wood drawers along the side.

Early Meiji period (1868 - 1912)

Dimensions: 25 1/2 x 15 x 25 3/4 h

Rare Antique Japanese choba tansu (merchant chest) from the Takayama region. Beautiful solid Keyaki (elm) wood with kayaki burl front sliding panels. Unusual design of drawers and locking bar. Excellent Original translucent lacquer finish. Late Edo Period (circa 1800's). Size: 32" H x 31.5" L x 15" D

A rare antique Japanese Choba Biraki Tansu made of Keyaki (Zelkova) and Kiri (Paulownia) woods. All original Urushi lacquer finish and hand forged elaborate iron hardware featuring Warabite handles, bamboo leaves framing the hinged doors and a center bamboo stalk security plate. The doors secure 5 drawers where the merchant kept valuables atop the upper side by side drawers and wares in the three drawers below.

Age: Edo Period (1750-1800)

Dimensions: 30" Wide by 26 1/4" High by ...

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. A pair of small drawers behind the lower doors with a false floor behind the lower drawer that hides a secret storage space where valu...

A rare antique Japanese merchant chest (Choba Tansu). All original hand forged iron hardware including the Kakute style handles and the full moon lock plates. Entire exterior of the tansu is Keyaki (Zelkova) with drawer backs made of Kiri (Paulownia) woods. 16 total drawers for merchant storage of valuables. Each side has two sets of handles, one for long distance carrying and one for room placement. Original natural Urushi clear lacquer finish which boasts the beautiful grain pattern of th...

An antique Japanese Kuruma Choba Tansu (wheeled merchant chest) made entirely of Kiri (Paulownia) wood. All original hand forged iron hardware including the full moon style lock plate and interior Warabite handles. Hinged doors open to a 12 sectional compartment area where valuables were organized and stored. Below are two drawers where additional storage was used. At the base lies two metal retractable pulls used to roll the tansu forward and backwards with wheels corresponding the the same ...

An antique Japanese Choba Tansu (merchant chest) made of Hinoki (Cypress) and Sugi (Cryptomeria) woods. All original hand forged iron hardware and Urushi lacquer finish. Removable hinged door opens to two large compartments where merchant books and store records were kept. Below are two drawers for additional storage. Side handles allow for easy placement of the chest in a room.

Age: Edo Period (1800-1850)

Dimensions: 25 3/4" Wide by 41 1/8" High by 17 1/4" Deep

A rare antique Japanese Tansu chest called Kodansu. Its purpose was for use as a merchant's side chest where trade records, documents, papers and business tools were stored. The front and case were made using burl Keyaki (Zelkova) wood with Hinoki (Cypress) wood completing the rest of the chest. Constructed using straight dovetail joinery with hardened wood nails. Hand forged iron hardware including the Mokko style handles.

Age: Edo Era (1800-1850)

Dimensions: 29 1/4" Wide by 1...

Antique Japanese unusual kiri wood (paulownia) tansu with original honey finish, two front doors with decorative iron hardware incised with heart designs. The interior houses ten drawers of varying size opened by hirute style handles complimenting the gorgeous natural woodgrain. Custom iron stand included. Meiji Period (1868 - 1912). Original finish and condition. Very useful storage. Size: 22.5" H (29" H on stand) 26.5" L x 16.75" D

A rare antique Japanese large Kannon Biraki Tansu made entirely of thick Kirinoki (Paulownia) wood. Using straight dovetail Japanese joinery and hardened wood nails, this specially commissioned tansu was custom designed and made for a bride's dowry. Its purpose was for storing the bride's wedding kimono and accoutrements after the ceremony . Unlike the traditional wedding kimono chest where the bottom half is usually just drawers and sometimes a hinged door, this one features a pair of slidin...

Rare Antique Korean Spirit Shrine Painting (Kam Mo Yo Je Do). Spirit House Paintings are in the collections of several major museums. This painting would have been placed in a place of reverence in the home, and on the anniversary of an ancestor's death, a slip of paper with the ancestor's name would be placed on the blank space in the open doorway of the shrine in the painting and a ritual would have been performed in front of the painting. Kammo means 'to adore with deep emotion' and Yoje mean...

Very Rare and unusual highly inlaid Korean two section chest. Decorated with nine serpentine dragons of mother of pearl and faux tortoiseshell in horn. The front Nong has a brass escutcheon in the form of a butterfly with cut out detialing in its wings. It has complete circle knob brass locks and key. The confronting 4 clawed dragons are tessellated in mother of pearl, twisted brass wires, and faux tortoiseshell in horn. The dragon's bodies continue on to decorating the sides and top of the ches...

A lovely unusual Korean wood soban tray table featuring a round top with a scalloped edge. The table has decorative apron and strong tiger legs that taper to thin ankles. This table would be perfect for serving tea to guests or could be used as stunning display stand. In very good antique condition and very sturdy, it measures 17.5" x 11" high.

Rare Korean stacking chest, called an ichung-nong (two sections), covered in beautiful beige/green genuine shagreen (manta ray skin), antiqued brass hardware with butterfly locks, inlay of grey shagreen "double happiness" characters on either side of each set of doors, interior lined in old text pages. 19th century Chosun Period

Size: 23.5" L x 14" W x 36.5" H

A celadon vase inlayed with Chrysanthemum designs by Teishitsu Gigei-In Suwa Sozan I enclosed in the original signed wooden box featuring the Imperial Art Academy Seal and titled Kiku-Zogan Hana-Ire. Tendrils of blossoming chrysanthemum climb up the sides in dark inlay on the slightly pitted celadon sueface, a perfect rendition of Korean style wares from an earlier era with the addition of the Japanese design motif. It is 10-1/4 inches (26 cm) tall and in excellent condition. Artists mark on ...

We are glad to offer you a rare and stunning Kosobe-yaki Chawan with a beautiful hand painting of pines and cranes, under thick cream colored glaze on very thinly potted clay blended with shiseki for great effect. This is likely the work of the second or third generation Shinbei, both known for their Korai-Utsushi (Korean style) wares. Finding such a delicate Chawan in such good condition from the Edo period is exceedingly rare. It comes with a shiho-san wooden box.

On the bottom is...