19th Century Japanese Meiji Period Isho-Tansu Clothing Chest With Iron Hardware

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This piece is a classic Japanese Isho-Tansu (clothing chest), likely dating from the late Meiji era (1868–1912) to the Taisho … Read more This piece is a classic Japanese Isho-Tansu (clothing chest), likely dating from the late Meiji era (1868–1912) to the Taisho era (1912–1926).

It features a traditional configuration with large full-width drawers, a split lower drawer, and a small kodansu (safe box compartment) on the bottom right with two small hidden drawers behind.

This is a Safe Box (Kodansu) where historically was used to hold jewelry, seals or private documents.

The chest is heavily accented with hand-hammered iron hardware, including highly decorative gunbai (war fan) style lock plates, protective sumi-kanagu corner brackets, and classic warabite (bracken-hand) drawer pulls.

The internal framework is crafted from lightweight, insect-resistant paulownia or Sugi (cedar) wood, which was used to protect clothing from humidity and insects.

The large decorative lock plates are in the gunbai (war fan) or gumbai-gata style, featuring incised geometric detailing and central bosses.

The drawer pulls are a classic warabite (bracken-hand) shape.

The drawer fronts feature a rich, warm reddish-brown lacquer finish (often over chestnut or cedar).

The face of the chest has a beautifully preserved patina with minor, expected surface scratches and small lacquer chips along the edges.

There is a significant shrinkage split running vertically down the back panel and another vertical split on the lower portion of the side panel. This is incredibly common for antique Tansu chests when they transition to drier Western indoor climates, as the wood expands and contracts. It does not ruin the structural integrity of the piece. See less