Japanese Mixed Metals Box by Fujii Yoshitoyo, Meiji Period
By Fujii Yoshitoyo
Located in Newark, England
Japanese Mixed Metals Box by Fujii Yoshitoyo. This substantial rectangular box, raised upon shaped feet
Metal, Gold Plate, Silver, Brass
Japanese Meiji Period Box with Peacock by Fujii Yoshitoyo
By Fujii Yoshitoyo
Located in Newark, England
to offer this decorative Japanese mixed metals box featuring a standing peacock by Fujii Yoshitoyo
Metal, Gold Leaf
Japanese Antique Meiji Period Vesta Case by Fujii Yoshitoyo
By Fujii Yoshitoyo
Located in Newark, England
Japanese Vesta Case by Fujii Yoshitoyo. The Vesta Case extensively decorated with gold flower borders
Gold Plate, Brass
$3,068
H 1.78 in W 5.12 in D 4.34 in
Antique Japanese Meiji Period Tsuba Decorated Box and Dish by Fujii Yoshitoyo
By Fujii Yoshitoyo
Located in Newark, England
Komai Style Box and Dish Fujii Yoshitoyo. The Box of slim rectangular shape seated upon the original
Metal
Powder Compact In The Style Of Komai, Meiji Era Japan
By Fujii Yoshitoyo
Located in Saverne, Grand Est
Japan). It is signed "Yoshitoyo saku" and marked with Mount Fuji. Fujii Yoshitoyo was a first-rate
Iron
Cabinet and Two Vases in Gold Damascened Iron
By Komai
Located in Saverne, Grand Est
Fujii Yoshitoyo. A first-rate artist, he won many medals at exhibitions. Above all, he had the honor of
Iron
Japanese Komai Style Damascene Box Fujii Yoshitoyo
Located in Newark, England
river with sprigs of foliage. To the base the mark of Fujii Yoshitoyo in a gilt flare. The box from the
Metal
Japanese Meiji Period Komai Damascene Box Fujii Yoshitoyo
Located in Newark, England
featuring two opposing dragons with the Fujii mark to the base for Fujii Yoshitoyo. Circa 1900, Meiji Period
Metal
Japanese Komai Style Damascene Box Yoshitoyo
Located in Newark, England
above a broom. The base of the Komai Style box is signed Yoshitoyo saku 美豊作 who owned the Fujii
Metal, Brass
Japanese Carved and Lacquered Shibayama Cabinet, Meiji Period
Located in San Francisco, CA
An elaborate and finely detailed carved wood, and gold lacquered Shibayama cabinet (Chigaidansu). Having beautifully applied semi-precious stone and mother of pearl decoration of flo...
Mother-of-Pearl, Wood
$1,024
H 10 in W 11.75 in D 6 in
Japanese Lacquer Box with Mother-of-Pearl Inlay and Parquetry Drawers
Located in Yonkers, NY
A finely crafted Japanese tabletop cabinet from the early 20th century, this compact storage piece is richly detailed with traditional decorative techniques and export-era flourishes...
Wood
$54,549
H 0.75 in W 0.71 in D 0.6 in
A Gold And Enamel Mourning Ring For Lord Nelson By John Salter, England, 1806
Located in Royal Tunbridge Wells, Kent
An extremely rare ring that commemorates the naval hero, Horatio Nelson, who died in 1805 at the Battle of Trafalgar, fighting against the Napoleonic forces. Dr William Nelson, the a...
Gold, Enamel
$30,000
H 24.25 in W 78.5 in D 9.25 in
Clairtone Project G2 Series T11 Console Stereo System & Garrard Turntable
By Clairtone
Located in Vancouver, British Columbia
On offer is a rare completely original Clairtone G2 Series Home Stereo System from 1966 featuring two distinct exotic wooden boxes one that houses the tuner and the turntable both pr...
Aluminum
$16,500
H 74.5 in W 48 in D 14.5 in
Antique Japanese Lacquer Inlaid Hardwood Meiji Period Shibayama Shodana Cabinet
Located in Portland, OR
An exquisite antique Japanese Meiji period Shibayama Shodana cabinet, circa 1880. One of the finest antique Shibayama cabinets one will see, the cabinet is finely inlaid and overlaid...
Gold
Venetian Monumental Seated Bird Cage
Located in Queens, NY
Italian Venetian style (20th Cent) octagonal shaped painted and decorated metal and wood bird cage with 8 upholstered seat and back cushions around base. (Franco Zefferelli Collection)
Metal
Vintage Asian Marquetry Tansu Table Cabinet
Located in West Palm Beach, FL
This exquisite vintage Asian marquetry Tansu table cabinet is a masterful blend of craftsmanship and functionality. The intricate marquetry inlays form stunning geometric patterns, b...
Brass
$2,850
H 7.88 in W 12.6 in D 19.3 in
A large 19th century Japanese lacquer writing box with a secret compartment
Located in Central England, GB
This remarkable and highly decorative Japanese export large writing box is a rare high quality example with a complicated and intricate interior. The box is in very good condition c...
Lacquer
$574,500
H 84 in W 56 in D 20 in
An Imperial Japanese Meiji Shibayama Tea Cabinet by The Tokugawa Samurai Clan
Located in Long Island City, NY, NY
An Imperial Japanese Meiji Shibayama Tea Ceremony Cabinet by The Tokugawa Samurai Clan. This extraordinary Meiji-period shibayama cabinet, attributed to the Tokugawa samurai clan, s...
Mother-of-Pearl, Wood, Lacquer
$260,000
H 6.75 in W 17.5 in D 12.25 in
19th C. Gold, Damascene, Etched Steel Casket Box/Safe with Noble Coat of Arms
Located in New York, NY
An Incredible 19th Century Royal Casket Box/Safe with Coat of Arms, Made of Gold, Damascene, and Etched Steel. Charles Le Hon, a Belgian politician, lawyer and industrialist, served...
Gold, Steel
French Nécessaire de Voyage
Located in New Orleans, LA
This exceptional and rare French nécessaire de voyage is almost certainly the work of the highly respected Parisian manufacturer Pierre-Dominique Maire and the silversmith Jacques-Br...
Crystal, Silver
Louis XV Gold & Lacquer Snuff Box
Located in New York, NY
Louis XV gold & lacquer snuff box Circa Paris, France 1760/1761 With the Charge and Decharge Marks of Eloy Brichard 1756 - 1762 Circular Gold-lined box of gold-colored lacquer wit...
Gold
18th Century Gold Sewing Box with Wax Case, Scissors, Seal
Located in Paris, FR
A 18th century set presented in trapezoidal case made of light wood and inlaid with marquetry. The vanity case includes a gold wax case decorated with flutes, a dice and a wool needl...
Gold
A Kayapo Amazon Indigenous feather headdress
Located in Amsterdam, NL
Brazil, Pará, circa 1950s-1960s H. 97 x W. 106 cm Provenance: Collection Rinck Hollnberger, Munich (purchased in the 1980s)
String, Feathers
From 1868 to 1912, Emperor Mutsuhito oversaw an era of transformation in Japan. Formerly a country of feudalism and isolation, Japan entered an age of modernization influenced by newly established trade and exchange with the West. The Meiji period, or period of “enlightened rule,” also saw the global impact of the East Asian country’s culture. Japanese Meiji furniture was exhibited at expositions from Paris to San Francisco and created for export.
Prior to the Meiji era, furniture was mostly made by commission for the ruling class; now there were new domestic and international markets. European styles like Japonisme appropriated Japanese design while craftsmen in places like Wales and England employed japanning, a varnishing technique that approximated the appearance of lacquer for the surfaces of furnishings.
Meiji furniture made for Japanese homes and buildings constructed in Western styles resulted in taller tables, chairs, cabinets with large drawers and other features. The government invested in areas such as transportation and communication, and because people could freely choose occupations after the restrictions of feudalism, industries of various types were energized by expressive new ideas during those years. Art schools were formed and, for the first time, design was an area of study in the country, leading to the evolution of professional design as a career by the 1890s.
The work of Japanese designers was transmitted widely through lavishly illustrated pattern books that included designs for screens and lacquerware for the home. While screens today may be of use as decorative accents or partitions to ensure privacy in one’s space, Japanese screens were adorned with paintings and were featured in performing arts such as concerts, tea ceremonies and more. The color illustrations that characterize Meiji woodblock prints, a genre of Japanese art that grew out of 17th-century developments in printing and book publishing, depicted the sweeping changes that the era brought to East Asia.
Although it was a time of societal and cultural shifts, a bolstered interest in art and design elevated Japanese craft traditions. From colorful porcelain table lamps with silk shades and hardwood tables decorated with dark lacquer to cabinets featuring iron hardware and inlaid with mother-of-pearl, Meiji furniture showcased Japan’s artistic heritage to the world.
Find a collection of antique Japanese Meiji period case pieces and storage cabinets, decorative objects, wall decorations and more furniture on 1stDibs.