Tansu (箪笥) are traditional Japanese mobile storage cabinets. are commonly used for the storage of clothing, particularly kimono. were first recorded in the Genroku era (1688–1704) of the Edo period (1603–1867). The two characters, tan (箪) and su (笥), appear to have initially represented objects with separate functions: the storage of food and the carrying of firewood. Since the radical for bamboo (竹) appears in each of these characters, it may be surmised that bamboo, and not wood, was the original material used in. As gradually became a feature of Japanese culture and daily life, both hard and softwoods were used by ( craftsmen), often in combination for a single chest. Woods commonly used in included Zelkova serrata (elm), Japanese chestnut, pine, Cryptomeria (cedar), Paulownia tomentosa and Chamaecyparis obtusa (cypress). are collectable, and many collectors focus on finding genuine antique. There are just a few workshops who produce in imitation of the classic antiques, due to the high cost of materials and the very low prices of second-hand. Larger chests are sometimes reduced in size, particularly futon chests, step chests and other chests with deep drawers. Some reproduction have been made in Korea using elm veneer.

Historical context

were rarely used as stationary furniture. Consistent with traditional Japanese interior design, which featured a number of movable partitions, allowing for the creation of larger and smaller rooms within the home, would need to be easily portable, and were not visible in the home except at certain times for specific situations. were typically kept in (storehouses) adjacent to homes or businesses, in (storage rooms), in (house closet alcoves), and on (a raised platform area of a shop). would also be kept on some (coastal ships). Mobility was obtained through the use of attached wheels, iron carry handles or protruding structural upper rails for lifting. Because the Edo period was feudal in its socio-economic structure, rules concerning the ownership of goods dominated all classes, from peasant to samurai. Travelling was regulated and conspicuous consumption discouraged through sumptuary laws. from this time primarily reflect the class and occupation of the owner rather than any regionally inspired originality. With the coming of the Meiji Restoration of imperial authority in 1868, and the gradual disintegration of the rigid class structure, distinctive regional characteristics in construction and design began to flourish.

Types

Edo period – class-determined

During the Edo period (1603–1867), the type of a person owned and used was largely determined by social class. Choba-dansu: These chests were used by (merchants) on the (raised platform area of a shop) to store (account books) and related business materials. These chests came in many sizes, but usually consisted of only one section with numerous compartments and a wide variety of interior configurations. If visible to the customer, the face wood and hardware could be of high quality to convey a favorable impression. Kaidan-dansu: These step chests, often of modular construction, incorporated drawers and sliding doors. Though primarily intended as stationary adjuncts to the building architecture, they were designed to be moveable if necessary. In the Tōhoku region north of Tokyo, were sometimes positioned in farmhouses for attic access and the seasonal nurturing of silkworms under the thatched roofing. This use of "structural dead space" for storage, thus leaving floor space more open, is paralleled in 19th-century America by the Shakers. Katana-dansu: A series of boxes with several long drawers for the storage of sword blades. They were used primarily by blade polishers. Most often the case wood of choice was Paulownia tomentosa to help protect blades from oxidization in the humid summer months. The light weight of the wood also made it easier to move around between samurai customers. Kusuri-dansu: Apothecary chests with many small drawers to contain medicinal herbs. Because the chests/boxes often needed to be carried by itinerant salesmen, they were often constructed with light-weight (paulownia), or (cedar) wood, and utilized iron hardware only sparingly. Nagamochi kuruma-dansu: These coffers on wheels are the oldest documented example of Japanese mobile cabinetry. Diaries from a trade delegation to Edo (modern-day Tokyo) from the Dutch East India Company settlement on Dejima Island, Nagasaki in March 1657, refer to "big chests on four wheels" that so blocked the roads, people could not escape. What Zacharias Wagenaer and his mission witnessed by chance became known as the Great Fire of Meireki, in which 107,000 people perished. Ryobiraki kasane-dansu: These chest-on-chest were used for storage of women's clothing. This design was designated as acceptable for merchant class women under the Kansei Reforms promulgated by the 's regent Matsudaira Sadanobu in 1789. In that this style of double door, two-section for clothing was already popular in Edo, the limitation to only an unlacquered finish may not have been thought excessive.

Meiji period – regional diversification

During the Meiji period (1868–1911), the design of developed further, seeing more regional diversification following the abolition of the feudal class system in Japan. Hikone mizuya-dansu: Although (kitchen chests) both of a single section and chest on chest configuration have been crafted to fit into or adjacent to home kitchen alcoves since at least the mid-Edo period, the produced in the town of Hikone on Lake Biwa in Shiga Prefecture united house storage needs and traditional architecture based upon the archaic unit of measurement. Using mortise and tenon joints with Chamaecyparis obtusa (cypress) for primary framing, craftsmen cleverly lightened the visual mass of the case by using a translucent lacquered finish for the door and drawer face woods. For the hardware, copper rather than iron was preferred. Kuruma choba-dansu: Chests on wheels, often constructed of the finest woods, became a status symbol for merchants throughout Japan in the Meiji period; though they originated in the Edo period, wheeled chests only experienced wider popularity beginning in the 1860s, as fear of official censure under sumptuary laws likely dampened previous demand. Although when now seen in Japan in the private collections of proud merchant families, are displayed in the best room of the house, this is not how they would have originally been displayed. When used for daily business activities to hold account books and impress customers, they were kept on the (raised platform area of a shop) by the owner's side, quite often chained to a sturdy post. Kyoto isho-dansu: in Kyoto style were known for a sophisticated opaque lacquering technique called. featuring lacquered flowers, auspicious symbols and motifs, well-rendered by craftsmen from Wajima on the Noto Peninsula, were a popular status symbol. Sado shima-dansu: These chests were prized as among the finest examples of tansu craftsmanship. With (sea chests) as an experience base, in the town of Ogi on Sado Island applied their skill to creating both merchant and clothing chests from the later Edo period. Other than using thick iron hardware incorporating a four diamond motif cut into the drawer handle back plates, often evidence ships' cabinet joinery, atypical of other not crafted on the coast of the Sea of Japan. Though late as a production center, makers in the town of Yahata on Sado crafted Paulownia wood chests primarily for the trousseau clothing of merchant families, with unique hardware from the early 20th century. Sakai choba-dansu: Though now land-locked for centuries, Sakai is still thought of as the "port town" for the city of Osaka. During the Meiji period, the merchant chest design associated with Sakai successfully diffused throughout Japan. Highest quality are constructed of "unfinished" cypress wood for drawer and door face woods with Cryptomeria for the case. The compartments of are known for their visually pleasing proportionality. Sendai isho-dansu: used primarily for out-of-season clothing storage. The finest examples had open-grain Zelkova serrata for the face wood with Cryptomeria for the case. They are characterized by a long top drawer with an elaborated (double-action lock), or a long vertical locking bar. Chests from Sendai were respected for their finely rendered iron hardware, commissioned from former sword fitting craftsmen. Yonezawa isho-dansu: The castle town of Yonezawa in the Tōhoku region developed a chest-on-chest style of for clothing storage, strongly influenced by the refined lacquer finishing techniques of the Mikune area of the Japan Sea coast. The distinctive engraved lock plate motif of a five-petal cherry blossom with an arabesque of ivy and the placement of the (hinged door compartment) in the top chest, rather than the lower chest, are distinguishing features.

Other types

lit. 'ship's chests' were used by the captain or owner of small coastal trading vessels licensed by the feudal shogunate to transport rice. These vessels would travel from the bountiful but remote countryside to the teeming cities on the route between Osaka and Hokkaido through the Inland Sea and up the Japan Sea coast. With the enforced closure of the country in 1633 and a prohibition against the construction of ships with a keel, more than two masts and a cargo capacity exceeding 89,760 L (2,550 bushels of rice) in 1636, the inadvertently crippled the transport of rice grown on Japanese lands, resulting in shortages and even riots in some urban areas. The problem was largely alleviated through reforms of the coastal navigation infrastructure and regulations suggested by Kawamura Zuiken in 1670. Among his implemented recommendations was the designation of reliable sea transporters of government rice as (merchants representing the interests of the shogunate). As well, he convinced the authorities to allow properly designated vessels to trade for their own account at coastal towns en route. Though most certainly an inducement to shipping traders, there was a physical constraint that stood in the way of predictable success. The ships, though impressive in construction, were usually under 90 ft in length, with a scant crew of eleven or less. Coastal townspeople were not always impressed when these mariners arrived. There is evidence that from the Kyōhō era of Edo (1716–1735), specific designs of elaborate cabinetry began to be used on the route. Well into the Meiji period, when a (1,000 ship) would arrive at a coastal town for trading, the crew would ceremoniously off load the captain/owner's personal tansu to be then positioned strategically at the place where negotiations would be held, thus lending a calculated air of affluence and respectability to the visitor's aura. evolved into three categories of design: that were intended for shipboard use were always constructed of Zelkova serrata for all exterior exposures, with Paulownia wood for interior compartments and drawer or box linings.

Types of hardware

Although decorative to the contemporary eye, hardware remained largely functional through the Meiji period. Because the joinery of cases was simple and thus flexible to facilitate structural integrity during movement from place to place, hardware placement at vulnerable points was consistent with the need for reliability. Until the introduction of iron plate pressing from England in the 1880s, all iron for hardware was forged. With the introduction of Western technology, hardware could now be easily made more decorative, with creative embellishments as well as functional ones.

Finishes

finishes fall into two categories: dry and lacquered. For a dry finish, clay or chalk powder was rubbed into the soft wood surface (Paulownia, Cryptomeria or cypress) then burnished with an Eulalia root whisk. For lacquer (Rhus verniciflua), application could be only for sealing the plain wood to enhance a natural visible grain or for the creation of a perfect opaque surface.