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Mini tansu

This diverse collection of small antique funa-dansu (sea chests) and choba-dansu (ledger cabinets) comes from all sides of Japan.

Like all tansu, the focus is on craftsmanship and natural materials - incredibly detailed hand-forged iron hardware atop exotic rich-grained woods. The amount of hardware on each piece would have been an indication of status, and merchants would display them with pride.

Across the ocean and centuries later, they are ideal in the bedroom or living room as combination side tables / storage chests.

Click an image below for a closer look at each of our mini tansu

Design

Tansu are a syngergistic combination of three ancient Japanese trades - carpentry, joinery, and metalworking. These artistic antiques have become increasingly popular with Western collectors in recent years, and because of their incredible craftsmanship and simple designs they are also timeless and functional pieces of furniture.

Craftsmanship

Typical of Japanese design, the focus was put on craftsmanship and the power of natural materials. Because of the multipurpose nature of Japanese rooms, almost all tansu were modular, allowing easy transporation. They were built to last centuries and when not being used were stored in the stone safehouses that was connected to most homes. Tansu were one of the few items that were intended as a permanent fixture of the home (unlike shoji which were designed with transience in mind).

The carpenter would hand-build each of the pieces, paying careful attention to the harmony of the wood grain. Tansu were often crafted out of more than one type of wood - a strong yet flexible plain sawed wood for a sturdy frame, and an expressive quartersawn wood for drawer fronts and sliding door panels.

The joiner would then join the pieces using ancient variations of mortise and tenon, dovetail and finger joints. Unlike modern day cabinetry there was no use of glue, nails, or shoddy construction. This is one of the reasons so many tansu are still available today, and are likely to last centuries more.

The final piece of the puzzle was the iron worker. Hardware had symbolic significance and the styles varied region to region. Some tansu exhibited family crests, some had clean and simple designs, while others were elaborate chests coated in stylized iron. Many of the techniques were learned from Korean metal workers that were prisoners from the war. This was expanded upon by Daikichi and Kihei who started an elaborate iron work movement that has touched much of the world.

 
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Greentea Design - Your online source for contemporary Japanese furniture, Asian furniture, and antique Oriental furniture.
388 Carlaw ave, Suite 200, Toronto, ON, Canada M4M 2T4      view sitemap