Description

Antique Japanese Choba Tansu (merchant chest) made of Keyaki (Zelkova) and Hinoki (Cypress) woods. Multiple drawers of 8 exposed and 4 hidden behind the lower sliding doors. The upper sliding doors hides a spacious storage area where the merchant kept his store records and books. All original hand forged iron hardware with construction using straight dovetail Japanese joinery and hardened wood nails. Natural darkening surrounding the metalwork where the original patina had built-up.

The Choba Tansu were a prized fixture in any merchant business. Often displayed in a prominent location of the store, it both advertised the success of the business as well as the the permanence and stability of the business owner.

Age: Meiji Period (1868-1912)

Dimensions: 36 3/4″ Wide by 37″ High by 13 3/4″ Deep