An antique Japanese Choba Tansu (merchant chest) made entirely of old growth Kiri (Paulownia) wood. All original patina and hand forged iron hardware including the Warabite style handles. Designed with 6 exterior drawers, 2 sliding doors and a hinged security door that hides 2 interior drawers. A spacious storage area and shelf behind the sliding doors stored the merchant's books and business records.

Age: Edo Period (1800-1850)

Dimensions: 31" Wide by 31" High by 16 5/8" Deep

An antique Japanese Choba Tansu (merchant chest) made of Keyaki (Zelkova) and Hinoki (Cypress) woods. Original wiped lacquer technique finish and hand made iron hardware. The lock knobs feature a Plum Blossom design and the design of the handles is a straight Gumbai. Sliding side by side doors open to a spacious area where once merchant books and records were stored.

A rare feature of this chest are the hidden compartments under the four bottom side by side drawers...

Beautiful antique Japanese choba tansu, merchant's storage chest, all original finish with keyaki (elm) wood panels on the front finished in a medium brown, sugi (cryptomeria) wood frame finished with a black lacquer, iron hardware, safe box with two small drawers on the inside, Edo Period (early 1800's). Size: 33 1/2" high x 36" wide (37 1/4" wide including side handles) x 15 1/2" deep.

Antique Japanese choba tansu (merchant's chest) with interesting features such as semi circle corner hardware, cross plating over sliding doors, squared locks, and mokko (melon) style handles. Several areas of the tansu feature the same symbol burned into the wood. Very attractive, Meiji period piece. (1868-1912) Size: 34" H, 32.25" W, 15.5" D

Japanese small choba tansu, constructed of Kiri (paulownia) and Sugi (cypress) natural finish wood. With hand-forged iron hardware and plates. The choba has hirute handles, with foliate edge motif lock plates, small pair of sliding middle doors with slats, and a corner bottom safe box with two small drawers inside.

Late Edo / Early Meiji Period (circa 1850's)

Dimensions: 23 3/4" x 14" x 24" H

An antique Japanese Choba (merchant) Tansu, constructed of hinoki (cypress) natural finish wood. With hand-forged iron hardware and plates. The Choba has iron handles, lock plates, a pair of sliding doors and three drawers in the middle, a pair of sliding doors with slats at the bottom, and a corner bottom safe box with three drawers inside and a small secret drawer.

Date: Meiji Period (1868 - 1912)

Dimensions: 35" high x 15" deep x 33.5" wide

An antique Japanese Choba (merchant) Tansu of hinoki wood and iron hardware. The top section has one large drawer with two handles. The middle section has two sliding doors with slats. The lower section has 5 drawers with a safe drawer with two interior drawers.

Date: Meiji (1868 - 1912)

Dimensions: 34.5"long X 35"tall X 14"wide

An antique Japanese Choba Tansu (merchant chest) from the Niigata region of Japan. The front section is made of burled keyaki (Zelkova) and the sides are sugi (Crytomeria). The tansu has a pair of burled wood sliding doors over two burled drawers with heavy iron locks. Exceptional burled Keyaki wood.

Date: Early Meiji - 1870's

Dimensions: 34" tall X 32" wide X 20" deep

Antique Japanese merchant's chest (choba tansu), made of sugi (cryptomeria) wood with dark red lacquer finish, 4 exterior drawers and safe box with 2 small interior drawers, beautiful heavy iron hardware including elaborate bracing on front frame, wooden bracing on sides and back, from the Mikuni area, Edo Period (late 18th/early 19th century). Size: 32 1/2" high x 38" wide x 18" deep.

A rare antique Japanese Choba Kotansu (merchant small chest) made of Hinoki (Cypress) and Suginoki (Cryptomeria) woods. All original hand forged iron hardware. Removable hinge doors behind which hides a removable horizontal bar that securely latches the left door in place. Spacious storage behind the doors where the merchant kept his store books and records. Two upper drawers were used to keep money and valuables. Beautiful original calligraphy on the sides and back of the tansu...

An antique Japanese Chobako (merchant storage box) made of Kusunoki (Camphor) and Kirinoki (Paulownia) woods. All original hand forged iron hardware including the Hikute handles. Beautifully constructed using straight dovetail Japanese joinery and hardened wooden nails. The hinged front door opens to five interior doors where merchant papers, records and small valuables were kept.

Age: Late Edo Period (1800-1850)Dimensions: 13 1/2" Wide by 15" High by 19 3/4" Deep

An antique Japanese Chobako (merchant storage box) made entirely of Kirinoki (Paulownia) wood. All original hand forged iron hardware. Eight drawers of varying sizes for the storage of paper, writing brushes, inkstone, money, receipts and other merchant paraphernalia. Constructed using straight dovetail Japanese joinery and hardened wooden nails...

A rare antique Japanese Chobako (merchant desk) made entirely of Hinoki (Cypress) wood. All original patina and hand forged iron hardware including the Kakute and Warabite style handles. The front features opposing hinged security doors with 2 left drawer and 3 right drawers with a set of larger 3 drawers in between. The top has 3 hinged doors, one that housed the inkstone, one that kept the ink for the family seal and one large storage compartment...

An antique Japanese Chobako (merchant storage box) made of Kurinoki (Chestnut) and Suginoki (Cryptomeria) woods. All original hand made iron fittings including the Hirute drawer handles and the Warabite carrying handle. It features unique Cherry blossom escutcheons behind the drawer handles and a coin slot at the top that drops into the top left drawer. The other 5 drawers were used to safely keep small store valuables...

An antique Japanese Chobako (merchant safe-keep box) made entirely of Kiri (Paulownia) wood with original hand forged iron hardware. Acquired a beautiful 200+ year old age patina. Hinged door secures 3 drawers behind which lies a secret box located behind the side by side drawers above.

Unusual side footing purposely made to provide air flow under the box...

An antique Japanese Chobako (merchant box) made of thick Hinoki (Cypress) and thick Suginoki (Cryptomeria) woods. Straight dovetail joinery with hardened wooden nail construction. Original bronze and iron hardware. Two different sized coin slots at the top of the box. Includes a working key.

Age: Meiji Period (1868-1912) Dimensions: 10 7/8" Side x 12" High x 11 7/8" Deep

An antique Japanese Choba Tansu (merchant chest) made of Kiri (Paulownia) and Sugi (Cryptomeria) woods. All hand forged iron hardware including the Kakute handles. It has a configuration of 9 drawers, a pair of Biraki-Do (hinged doors) hiding a center shelf and a thief's door behind which lies two more small drawers. Two side lift-up handles through which a bamboo pole would go allowing two persons to carry this tansu from place to place...

An antique Japanese Choba (merchant's chest) from the Mikuni area with a keyaki wood front. The top section is two sliding panels of natural urushe lacquer finish. The bottom section consists of two medium sized drawers with a small door adjacent and a hinged door. The hinged door has two interior drawers behind it. The hardware is an ornate lock plate and square handles (kakute)...