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 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 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 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
$2,600
H 5.75 in Dm 7.25 in
Japanese Kyoto Fuzan Satsuma Ware Double-Handled Vase, Meiji Period, ca. 1900
Located in New York, NY
This beautiful end of Meiji Period Japanese Kyoto Fuzan Satsuma Ware double-handled vase has a gold plated intricate infinite circular relief pattern design and two images of goddess...
Porcelain
$450
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
$350
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
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
$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
Japanese Antique Door, Abstract Art Wabi Sabi, 1860s-1900s
Located in Katori-Shi, 12
Very old Japanese sliding door. The simple design conveys the charm of the material. You can feel the world of wabi and sabi. Recommended as a wall painting. It was made in the Mei...
Wood
$900
H 10.63 in W 9.65 in D 5.91 in
Japanese Antique Small drawer Black lacquer/Late Edo 1800s~1860s Wabi-Sabi Tansu
Located in 足利市, JP
This exceptional, small-scale Japanese Tansu (chest of drawers), known as a Temoto-tansu (personal or keeper's chest), dates back to the late Edo period (early to mid-19th century)....
Iron
$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 Shizukuishi-cho, Iwate-gun, 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
Antique Early Meiji Japanese Cloisonne Phoenix Bird Tray
Located in Long Island City, NY
An antique Japanese, Early Edo period, enamel copper tray. The oval shaped tray is enameled with a polychrome image of a Phoenix bird with flowers and leaves made in the Cloisonne te...
Enamel, Copper
Very Rare Antique Japanese Meiji Era (late 1800's) Cloisonné Vase Falcon 34"
Located in Portland, OR
Available from Shogun's Gallery in Portland, Oregon for over 40 years specializing in Asian Arts & Antiques. This is a unique Japanese Meiji era (c. 1890) ornate Cloisonné vase....
Copper, Enamel
Japanese Kutani Vase, circa 1900
Located in Brighton, Sussex
A good quality late 19th century Japanese Kutani vase, having the classical orange ground, dog of faux handles to either side, classical motif dec...
Porcelain
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