Edo furniture was created during a flourishing time for the decorative arts owing to the stability of the Tokugawa shogunate rule in Japan. Spanning from 1603 to 1867, this era of peace and economic growth supported artistic advancements in lacquer, woodblock printing, porcelain and other artisanal trades. Because the country was largely isolated, there was little outside influence, leading to centuries of exceptional attention to the design of its furnishings and the quality of its traditional arts.
Unlike during the Meiji period that followed, with an increase in domestic and international markets, furniture during the Edo period was predominately commissioned by the ruling class, although people from across social groups benefited from the burgeoning metropolitan hubs for artisanal trades. For instance, Kyoto became a major center for lacquer art. Most furniture pieces were made from wood such as cedar or ash, including the era’s sashimono cabinets, which involved fine joinery and were rooted in the Heian period.
Sashimono cabinets, which were built by master craftsmen in a range of different wood types owing to the various trees that populate Japan, occasionally featured a stack of slender drawers as well as sliding doors. They were popular with everyone from samurai to kabuki actors. Tansu storage chests crafted from wood with metal fittings were also common in Edo-period homes. Some were designed to be easily portable while others were made to double as staircases.
Painted folding screens, called byōbu, were also fashionable, with Japanese artists inspired by nature, literature and scenes of history and daily life to create vivid works. In Buddhist temples and the palatial homes of the aristocratic class, fusuma, or large sliding panels, would sometimes be adorned with gold or silver leaf. These dividers allowed interiors to change throughout the day, closing in small spaces for personal use or reflecting candlelight to illuminate communal spaces after dark.
Find a collection of Edo tables, lighting, decorative objects, wall decorations and more furniture on 1stDibs.
Japanese Antique Copper Alloyr Tray / 1800-1900 / Gong / Wabi-Sabi Art
Located in Sammu-shi, Chiba
I bought a very attractive copper tray. This is an item that was once used as a gong. In other words, it was used as a percussion instrument. It was also used in temples. The materi...
Copper
Japanese Colorful Antique Sake Bottle / 'Kutani Ware' / 1830-1900 / Small Vase
Located in Sammu-shi, Chiba
Kutani ware is a color-painted porcelain produced around Kanazawa City in the southern part of Ishikawa Prefecture, starting in 1655. It features a colorfu...
Pottery
Japanese Parcel Gilt Copper Hibachi, Edo Period, 18th Century, Japan
Located in Austin, TX
A sublime Japanese parcel gilt copper hand warmer, hibachi, with chrysanthemum design, Edo Period, 18th century, Japan. The hand warmer, called a...
Copper
Japanese Antique Wooden Buddha Statue / 1600-1800s / Wabi-sabi
Located in Iwate-gun Shizukuishi-cho, Iwate Prefecture
Japan, 17th Century (circa 1600-1700) Carved Japanese Cedar (Sugi) A refined and deeply atmospheric seated Buddhist figure, carved in Japan during the Edo period, circa 17th century...
Cedar
$1,200Sale Price|33% Off
H 20.08 in Dm 16.54 in
Japanese Antique Shigaraki ware 17th Century / Pottery Vase Wabisabi
Located in Chōsei District Nagara, JP
This is an old pottery pot made in Japan. It is a very old pot believed to have been made in the 17th century, early Edo period, and is called Koshigaraki in Japan. Koshigaraki refe...
Pottery
$450
H 3.75 in W 3.75 in D 3.75 in
Japanese Antique Brass Sphere 1900s-1940s / Sculpture Wabi Sabi Object
Located in Chōsei District Nagara, JP
This is an old Japanese brass sphere. Measuring approximately 95 mm in diameter, it has a substantial weight when held in the hand, conveying a quiet sense of tension and presence. T...
Brass
$1,050Sale Price|30% Off
H 20.87 in Dm 17.33 in
Japanese Antique Shigaraki Ware 17th Century / Pottery Vase Vessel Wabi Sabi
Located in Chōsei District Nagara, JP
This is a ceramic jar made in Japan. It was made in the 17th Century and is a valuable piece that conveys the lifestyle and aesthetic sense of the time. Shigaraki ware is one of the...
Pottery
$600
H 12.21 in Dm 3.55 in
Japanese Antique Stone Carving Penis 1800s-1860s / Sculpture Wabi Sabi Mingei
Located in Chōsei District Nagara, JP
This is an old Japanese stone carving of a phallus, believed to have been made in the late Edo period (1800s–1860s). It is a rare and valuable a...
Stone
Japanese Antiques , Tapestries , Wabi-Sabi
Located in Katori-Shi, 12
We present to you a precious old wrapping paper from the Taisho period. This washi paper was used to wrap important items. It was made by overlapping multiple ledgers, and is chara...
Paper
$400Sale Price|20% Off
H 12.8 in W 4.34 in D 3.35 in
Japanese Old Aluminum Glove Mold 1940s-1960s / Object Wabi Sabi
Located in Chōsei District Nagara, JP
This is an old rubber glove mold made in Japan. It was made in the Showa period (1940s-1960s), and the material used is aluminum. Although it is a practical item that has been used f...
Aluminum
$1,900
H 5.91 in W 22.84 in D 5.12 in
Japanese Antique Wood-Carved Tanuki Edo period 1800s-1860s / Sculpture Wabi-Sabi
Located in Chōsei District Nagara, JP
This is an old Japanese wood-carved tanuki figure. It is believed to date back to the Edo period (1800s–1860s) and is a one-of-a-kind sculpture that has quietly survived the passage ...
Pine
$1,000
H 41.74 in W 5.91 in D 5.52 in
Japanese Antique Exhibition Stand / Sword Case / 1800-1868s / Wabi-sabi
Located in Iwate-gun Shizukuishi-cho, Iwate Prefecture
This is an old drawer for storing Japanese swords originally called "Katanatansu". It is thought to be from around the Edo period. Cedar is used for the material, and a large numbe...
Wood, Paper, Cedar
1960s Minimalist Orange Vase Sake Bottle Japan
Located in Chula Vista, CA
For your consideration, a 1960s modern minimalist aesthetic orange vase. Small bud vase Japanese sake bottle. Maker stamp ATC Dimensions: 5 H x 2 diameter. Please visit take a look...
Ceramic
$1,800
H 12 in Dm 6.25 in
Scarce Antique Japanese Mishima Karatsu Ware Glazed Sake Bottle Vase Pottery
Located in Forney, TX
A rare and beautiful nearly 300 year old Japanese pottery Mishima Karatsu (三島唐津) sake bottle tokkuri (徳利) circa 1750 Japan, Edo period (1603-1868), Saga prefecture, Karatsu kilns, M...
Pottery, Ceramic, Stoneware
Antique Japanese black-glazed tea bowl/"Karatsu ware"/17th to 18th century
Located in Sammu-shi, Chiba
This is a famous pottery tea bowl called Karatsu ware from Saga Prefecture in Kyushu, Japan. It is thought to have been fired around the early to mid-Edo period. Karatsu ware is pot...
Pottery
Sold
H 1.5 in Dm 11.03 in
Japanese antique pottery plate with willow pattern/1700-1850/Seto ware/Ishi-zara
Located in Sammu-shi, Chiba
This is a plate made in the middle to late Edo period (1700-1850) in Japan. It is a plate baked in Seto, and is called "Ishi-zara" in Japan. Seto is a kiln with a long history in Aichi Prefecture, Japan. (Seto kilns are marked with red circles on the map.) It is said to have originated around the 13th century. The kiln is still in operation today. “Ishizara” is a heavy and thick plate made of glazed earthenware with a rough sketch of gosu and iron. Regarding the name "Ishi-Zara", first of all, the meaning of the word is "Ishi = Stone" and "Zara = Plate". It is said that the origin of the name is that it was made by imitating the shape of Korean stone...
Pottery
Set '10 Pc.' of Edo Period Imari Porcelain Plates with Dragon Motive
Located in Fukuoka, JP
Superb, uniquely shaped, early Imari porcelain plate decorated with Dragon motive.Set of 10 plates. Age: late Edo period 18-19 th century Size : L....
Porcelain
Sold
H 3.27 in W 3.94 in D 3.55 in
Three-Legged Bowl Made in the Edo Period in Japan /"Shitoro Ware" / Coffee Cup
Located in Sammu-shi, Chiba
We have a unique Japanese aesthetic sense. And only we can introduce unique items through our purchasing channels in Japan and the experience we have gained so far, in such a way th...
Pottery
Sold
H 2.52 in Dm 4.53 in
Japanese Antique Pottery "Mino-yaki-chawan" 1573-1650 / Iron Glaze Small Teacup
Located in Sammu-shi, Chiba
A Mino ware bowl made in Japan from the old Momoyama period to the early Edo period (1573-1650). Mino ware produced many tea utensils. Reference materials ...
Pottery