Description

An extremely rare Sado Island Funa Tansu made of Keyaki Burl (Zelkova), old growth Keyaki, and old growth Kirinoki (Paulownia) woods. All original Urushi lacquer finish and hand forged handmade iron hardware including the Kakute style handles. The top drawer opens to a 4 compartment design with 2 covers. It was exterior lacquered for a smooth opening. The bottom right side hinged door opens to a small upper drawer and a bottom false drawer front that hides a wooden box for valuables. The left false hinged door is a sliding door that moves to the right to reveal another upper small drawer and bottom false drawer front that hides a money box. Iron strappings encase the body of this chest.

On the bottom is writing which traces the funabako to an interesting location. The characters are:

佐刕小木湊

[又六] 濵屋六蔵仕入

The first line says: Sashū Ogi-Minato. This means: Ogi Port, Sado Province. Ogi (“Little Tree”) is at the southern tip of Sado Island. (The character 刕 is a variant standing in for 州 here.)

The second line labels it as belonging to a warehouse or shop stock, with the number 6. It says “Hamaya”, which means “beach house”, or could be a surname or shop name, with a variant form of “Hama”.
六 (6) appears at the top, too, under 又. Possibly a shop symbol.

Age: Edo Period (1750-1800)

Dimensions: 22 1/2″ Wide by 19″ High by 17 7/8″ Deep