Rare antique Japanese choba tansu made of keyaki (elm) wood with beautiful grain. Two full width drawers, one on top and one on the bottom. The center of the chest has three small drawers in a vertical row on the right. A large compartment with an interior shelf has an unusual lift out door. Iron hardware includes cross bracing on the lift out panel and square shaped handles. Beautiful original deep brown translucent lacquer finish. Edo period: Early 19th century...

Antique Japanese single section tansu with locking bar. With Keyaki (elm/zelkova) hardwood front panels in original red lacquer finish and black lacquer frame. The top and bottom drawers feature a large iron lock plate in the form of a flying phoenix, while the middle drawers are secured by the vertical locking bar with original key. The bottom corner of the chest holds 2 small drawers behind a safe door...

Japanese two section futon tansu made with solid Keyaki (zelkova) hardwood. The top section holds a large open compartment behind two sliding Keyaki burl front panels with openwork carvings. Below are three drawers with mokko shaped iron pulls. The bottom section has another pair of sliding panels with horizontal slats. Behind the left panel are two large drawers and behind the right panel are two drawers and a small safe door with ornate iron plates, holding a third drawer inside...

Stunning original 92 drawer Japanese Kusuri Tansu (apothecary chest). Originally used to store herbs and spices for healing the body. Made of 100% hinoki wood (Japanese Cypress wood). Has a warm natural finish. Hand forged pulls located on each drawer.

Edo Period C. early 19th Century

36 1/2" high X 38" wide X 9" deep

Antique Japanese Ryukyu Cha Tansu (display and storage chest for tea items). Lacquered black and inlaid with Mother of Pearl (Raden) in intricate and extraordinarily fine designs of noblemen and scholars in pavilion gardens. The upper portion has a compartment with four sliding panels. Below this are two open shelves inlaid with larger designs of birds on a blossoming dogwood branch...

An antique Japanese Sado Island Kasane Tansu made of Kiri (Paulownia) and Sugi (Cryptomeria) woods. All original hand forged iron hardware (including Warabite handles) and wiped Urushi lacquer finish. The metalsmith showcased his talent adding Chrysanthemum corners to each drawer front and Mum backplates to each handle. As if that were not enough, the tansu maker added iron plating to the front frame showcasing the individual drawers...

A rare Japanese antique Sado Island Child's Kimono Tansu made of Kirinoki (Paulownia) and Suginoki (Cryptomeria) woods. Original natural Urushi wiped lacquer finish with hand forged iron hardware. The lock plates feature cranes and sea turtles that symbolize longevity and the drawer corners feature stylized clouds.

Children's kimono tansu are quite rare to find since they had to be custom made by the tansu maker...

A rare antique Japanese Kyushu Choba Tansu (merchant chest from Kyushu island) made of Keyaki (Zelkova) and Suginoki (Cryptomeria) woods. The frame of the chest was made using Suginoki wood measuring a very thick 1 1/ 8". Constructed with straight dovetail Japanese joinery and hardened wooden nails. It has 5 drawers and a pair of hinged doors that open to a spacious storage area with a split level shelf. All original hand forged iron hardware...

An antique Japanese Kyoto Mizuya Tansu (kitchen chest) in 2 sections made of Keyaki (Zelkova) and Hinoki (Cypress) woods. All original hand forged iron hardware with bronze sliding door handles and Warabite style drawer handles. 3 sets of sliding doors each set progressively larger with removable shelf behind each set. Side slats provide strength, stability and visual architectural design...

Antique Japanese rare kuruma tansu (wheeled chest). Made of solid quartered sawn keyaki (zelkova) wood with hand forged iron hardware. The upper portion of the chest has a large compartment opened by sliding panels with horizontal slats and heavy iron latch...

Very unusual antique Japanese matching pair of black lacquer gyosho bako (peddler's boxes). Each has a full height door with eight hand forged brass hinges in stunning original patina. One box opens to a large compartment. The other opens to a series of 5 drawers of different sizes. Each box has a square hole for a carrying pole.
This piece would have been used to carry and store a merchants livelihood. Selling objects or services carried out by the tools store inside. A Thick hard...

Japanese choba from Sakata area, Japan. Made entirely of Keyaki wood (elm) with burl wood. Heavy iron hardware, including elaborately cut lock plates with square shaped handles, the side has warabite shaped handles. The pulls for opening the sliding panels are inlaid with mother of pearl and edge with carved persimmon. Interior has one shelf. Well crafted joinery and tenons original lacquered finish in excellent condition.

Age: Late Meiji Period (1868 - 1912)

Size: 29....

A rare and beautiful kiri (paulownia) wood tansu from the Matsumoto region of Japan. The tone and texture of the wood grain pairs nicely with the elaborate iron hardware. Its drawers pull open with sturdy iron "mokko" melon style handles with large incised backplates. Two drawers towards the bottom of the piece secure into place with a short locking bar. The drawer interiors are been lined with old rice paper. All original finish and hardware and in excellent condition. Edo Age c1850. Size: 4...

Unusual Japanese two-section choba tansu (merchant's chest), made with Kiri (paulownia) front hardwood, Sugi (cedar) sides, and two large Keyaki (elm) sliding door panels with a roomy, shelved interior space. Each drawer opens with hirute style iron handles and a simple squared lock. Its sides are reinforced with horizontal slats.

Meiji period (1868-1912)

Size: 47.5" L x 16" W x 64" H

Japanese antique single section isho tansu (clothing chest) made with dramatic keyaki (elm) wood burl on the front and sugi (cryptomeria) frame. The tansu is has a beautiful translucent light color lacquer finish on the front. The sides and top are lacquered a more opaque deep reddish brown. Two small drawers line the top portion of the chest. Under this, are three large drawers. The right hand side of the chest has two more small drawers; one above and one below the safe box door. Inside ...

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

Antique Japanese unusual funa tansu (funa-dansu, ship merchant's safe box). Rare side-by-side configuration with a safe on the right and a compartment with sliding panels on the left. The right side safe box opens with a hinged door heavily decorated with iron work. A ivy leaf in circle mon (Itowa-ni tsuta) in the center with a ring for opening and a fan motif on the lock itself. The interior has 3 drawers in a vertical row, all with square handles and the bottom drawer with a lock. To th...

An antique Japanese Tohoku Todana Mizuya Tansu made of Keyaki (Zelkova) and Suginoki (Cryptomeria) woods. Original wiped Urushi lacquer finish. With two sets of vertical ribbed sliding doors, the upper section has triple level storage and the bottom section has a split level storage separated by shelves.

The Todana Mizuya was used in northern Japan as either a kitchen chest or a linen cabinet making it a versatile and functional cabinet for the Japanese home.

Age: Edo period (18...