Japanese antique tansu with drawers and iron fittings – Meiji period – Japan, around 1900

Antique Japanese tansu with drawers and iron fittings, featuring a rectangular body and four wide stacked drawers topped by two short drawers with lock entries, and side handles for carrying. Originating from Japan, from the late Meiji period, when tansu drawers—domestic variants of merchant chests—organised clothing, textiles, and family belongings in urban homes. The tansu is central to Japanese domestic furniture: a sturdy and portable case designed to be disassembled or moved in case of fire or relocation. The large wide drawers held folded kimonos; the two short drawers in the lower body, locked, protected documents, jewellery, or money. The side handles, made of wrought iron, allowed two people to lift the piece of furniture. It is constructed from solid wood, assembled with nails and peripheral reinforcements, with hand-forged iron fittings. The handles are warabite arcs—shaped like a fern shoot—attached to a square escutcheon at each end of the drawers; the two lower drawers retain their rectangular lock entries and small ring handles. The finish is a dark natural lacquer applied over the entire surface. Details. Dimensions: Length 65 cm – Depth 38 cm – Height 62 cm. Style: Traditional Japanese, Meiji period. Materials and techniques: Solid wood; warabite fittings and lock entries in wrought iron; dark natural lacquer; nail assembly with peripheral reinforcement. Place of origin: Japan. Period: Meiji period (1868–1912) Date of manufacture: Circa 1900. Condition / Observations: Good. Some scratches or other signs of use consistent with its age. Wear consistent with age and use.