Cabinet of drawers

Very old! (1809) and striking archive cabinet of drawers in a single section section. Fully restored, cleaned and waxed.

Made of indigenous Japanese hinoki cypress wood. The cabinet is entirely lacquered in a warm deep red hue still showing the lovely natural wood grain.

Configured with eight drawers each with filing inscriptions in black ink 墨 (sumi) flanked by a pair of small ‘warabite’-shaped iron bail handles.

Inscriptions:
“一 大 (Ichi Dai) – One; Important
二 束 (Ni Taba) – Two; Bundle
三 妙 (San Myô) – Three; Exquisite
四 典 (Shi Ten) – Four; Precept
五 三 (Go San) – Five; Three
六 拾 (Roku Hiro) – Six; Gather
七 部 (Shichi Bu) – Seven; Department”

The sides are equipped with an iron totte (grip handle) and a ‘pole carrying’ handle for easy transport.

The back as well with an inscription dating the cabinet:
20th day of April of the year of the Earth snake 1809 文化六己巳歳四月二十日.

It is in a very good condition with some minimal traces of age and wear.

Dimensions:
Height 91.2 cm, Width 55.2 cm, Depth 34.2 cm.

Tansu (箪笥) are traditional Japanese mobile storage cabinets. There are many different types of cabinets; form-wise, but also for the storage of many specific objects, like katana, documents, kimono etc. Starting as first recorded in the Genroku era (1688–1704) of the Edo period (1603–1867), tansu gradually became a feature of Japanese culture and daily life. Both hard and softwoods were used by tansuya (tansu craftsmen), often in combination for a single chest. This way the chests were still light enough for transport, while also housing precious (more heavy) wood types, like keyaki. Also features such as side handles, and being built up from several parts facilitated mobility of such an ingenious piece of furniture.

When shipped we will add a certificate of authenticity.