Tansu are handcrafted Japanese wooden cabinetry. They have a simple elegance which has a calming peaceful affect on any room. They are utilitarian artistic pieces used to store most anything used in the home and/or business, such as clothing, kitchen items, documents, tools, medicines, shoes, tea utensils, etc., etc., etc.
Most tansu that are still readily available in Japan are approximately 100 years old. The clothing tansu are generally pristine because they were kept in store rooms and not exposed to daily living. Tansu are respected world wide for their design, joinery and hand forged ironwork. They originated in Japan in the early Edo period (1657) and were last made in the Taisho period (1923).
Many tansu were made to travel and have hand forged handles that pull up from the side or slide out of iron casings to accommodate bamboo poles shouldered for transport on foot. Clothing tansu housed the most valuable thing in the home—the silk kimono and obi and would be the first thing removed from the home in the event of fire.
For an in depth history, we recommend the following books:
“Tansu, Traditional Japanese Cabinetry” by Ty & Kiyoko Heineken
“Japanese Cabinetry, the Art & Craft of Tansu” by David Jackson & Dane Owen
“Traditional Japanese Furniture” by Kazuko Koizumi
Tansu were made to house most everything imaginable. We specialize in kimono tansu because we love using them and because they are still an excellent value. They are, for the moment, still affordable for most people. We also have kitchen tansu (misuya) which are probably the most versatile for our homes, as they are practical for any room of the house as cabinets for canned goods, clothing, linens, dinnerware, books, etc.
We also have futon tansu (used for Japanese bedding) which can easily be converted to house your entertainment center, including TV. And we have many small tansu, including merchant chests, sewing boxes, low tables, money boxes, and many others. Please feel free to email us with any questions you may have.
We personally do our own buying in Japan using a number of different sources, allowing us to offer you the best quality tansu for the best price.
Most pieces we have are turn of the century pieces (late Meiji to early Taisho era). We do find earlier pieces, but they are increasing more difficult to find and costs are rising rapidly.
I (Jan McGregor) lived in Kyoto in the early 1980’s and therefore have acquired good connections in that area. Pieces are purchased in Kyoto and the surrounding areas.
Not only do tansu add charm and peacefulness to your home, but they are a good investment. Within a few years the supply of antique tansu in Japan will be depleted. Prices continue to rise each year and soon values will increase rapidly.
We try to purchase only undamaged pieces. Because of dark warehouses and fast moving auctions, we occasionally overlook slight damage. We have carpenters who careful execute repairs when needed.
Tansu generally have many years of dirt and grime on them when they become available for purchase, plus they have been warehoused for some period of time before we find them. We wash and oil each piece thoroughly and they are ready to be used when you receive them.
Tansu are made mostly of native Japanese wood:
HINOKI (Japanese cypress) is a golden, dense and stable wood. It is used in most larger tansu, such as misuya (kitchen tansu) or kaidan dansu (step tansu). It is usually quarter-sawn for its subtle tight grain.
KAKI (Persimmon) is another dense hardwood, a member of the ebony family, and is found as veneer on smaller pieces, such as sewing boxes, kyodai (dressing tansu with mirrors) and chadansu (tea tansu).
KEYAKI (Japanese elm – Zelkova) is the most highly prized of tansu woods. It is a dense hardwood used in the best of tansu. It is always flat sawn to expose the stunning decorative grain.
KIRI (Paulownia) is often used for clothing tansu because of its ability to resist Japan’s humid summer climate. It is a lightweight, soft wood that is very stable in most any environment. The tree is fast growing, about 40 feet in 20 years. It was the custom in the Edo period in Japan to plant the kiri tree on the day of a girl child’s birth, and to harvest that same tree about 20 years later to make her wedding tansu. It is the most favored of woods in our gallery because of the beautiful golden patinas which have occurred over time.
KOKUTAN (Ebony) is also a very dense hardwood and can be occasionally found on clothing tansu. The grain can be lively and colorful (orange to black) or mostly black. They make a very dramatic statement in your environment.
KURI (Japanese Chestnut) is a beautifully grained, very dense hardwood, similar in appearance to keyaki but usually not demanding the high cost of keyaki.
KUWA (Mulberry) is a very hard dense wood with an extremely busy grain similar in appearance to burl wood. It is generally found on small pieces, but we occasionally find a large clothing tansu with kuwa veneer. These pieces are unusual and very beautiful.
SUGI (Japanese cedar – cryptomeria) is a reddish brown softwood used for many tansu carcases and back panels. It is usually flat sawn exposing the grain.
We are a member of The Museum Association which allows us to obtain a 58 percent discount with Yellow Freight. We use World Wide Moving, Inc. for crating each tansu. These associations make shipping to you affordable and safe. In most cases you will receive your tansu in 10 days or less. Please contact us for shipping estimates.