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.
Antique Japanese Black Mizuya Tansu Chest with Lattice Sliding Doors Late 19th C
Located in 常陸大宮市, JP
Acquired in Saitama prefecture, Japan's Kanto region, this Mizuya Tansu chest has been used to store the tableware & kitchen tools in ordinal households, dating back to the late ...
Wood, Cedar
Antique Japanese Black Mizuya Tansu Chest with Lattice Sliding Doors Late 19th C
Located in 常陸大宮市, JP
Acquired in Saitama prefecture, Japan's Kanto region, this Mizuya Tansu chest has been used to store the tableware & kitchen tools in ordinal households, dating back to the late Edo ...
Wood, Cedar
Japanese Antique Large Kuruma Tansu 1800s-1860s / Cabinet Sideboard Wabi Sabi
Located in Chōsei District Nagara, JP
This is an old, large, Japanese-made Kuruma-Tansu. Made in the Edo period (1800s-1860s), it is a powerful and dignified piece, the culmination of the skills and aesthetic sense of th...
Iron
Japanese Antique Wabi-Sabi Reddish Urushi Mizuya tansu chest, late 19th C
Located in 常陸大宮市, JP
New finds from an old Kura (traditional storehouse) from Niigata Prefecture, Tohoku area, Japan. Mizuya tansu is made of Japanese Red Pine (Akamatsu) & premium quality reddish S...
Wood, Pine, Cedar
$1,500
H 26.78 in W 26.5 in D 7.8 in
1840s-1860s Edo Japanese antique wabi sabi desk organizer Tansu chest of drawers
Located in 常陸大宮市, JP
Japanese antique shallow Tansu chest of drawers with 4 shelves - made of quality red pine & chestnut. The product of 1840s - 1860s (late Edo period) estimate from the style &...
Wood, Chestnut, Pine
$1,000
H 20.28 in W 22.84 in D 14.38 in L 20.28 in
Japanese Antique Drawer / Storage Tansu / 1912s / Wabi-Sabi Mingei
Located in Shizukuishi-cho, Iwate-gun, Iwate Prefecture
This is an antique Japanese-made drawer. It is made from cedar, and the date "Meiji 45 (1912s)" is written in ink on the bottom of the drawer at the time. Through years of use, it ...
Iron
$4,500
H 34.65 in W 72.84 in D 28.35 in
Japanese Antique Large Black Primitive Cabinet / Sideboard Tansu / Wabi-Sabi
Located in Shizukuishi-cho, Iwate-gun, Iwate Prefecture
Overview A masterful blend of historical resonance and rustic minimalism, this one-of-a-kind primitive cabinet is a testament to timeless Japanese craftsmanship. The centerpiece of t...
Cedar, Pine, Reclaimed Wood
$1,823
H 23.63 in W 33.47 in D 17.33 in
Japanese Antique Tansu 1860s-1920s / Cabinet Sideboard Wabi Sabi
Located in Sammu-shi, Chiba
Antique Japanese tansu cabinet crafted in Japan during the Meiji period (late 19th to early 20th century). The sliding doors are made o...
Wood
$4,500
H 47.45 in W 66.34 in D 17.72 in
Japanese Antique Large Tansu / Cabinet Sideboard / 1868-1912s / Wabi-Sabi
Located in Shizukuishi-cho, Iwate-gun, Iwate Prefecture
Japanese Wooden Cabinet with Reversible Sliding Doors and Aged Paper Patina A large Japanese wooden cabinet with reversible sliding doors, offering two distinct expressions within a...
Cedar, Paper
Japanese Large Black Tansu Circa 1860's / Cabinet Wabi-Sabi
Located in Sammu-shi, Chiba
This large Japanese tansu was crafted in the early 1900s and reflects a restrained yet powerful approach to utilitarian furniture. Made from solid cedar wood, the piece combines stru...
Cedar
$2,301
H 27.96 in W 31.7 in D 16.15 in L 27.96 in
Japanese Antique Tansu Cabinet Sideboard / Wabi-sabi / Taishō–Shōwa 1910-40s
Located in Sammu-shi, Chiba
This Japanese small cabinet was crafted during the Taisho to early Showa period and is made from richly grained keyaki (Japanese zelkova wood),...
Wood
$4,200
H 34.65 in W 55.91 in D 18.51 in
Japanese Antique Simple Large BK Tansu 1860s-1900s / Cabinet Sideboard
Located in Sammu-shi, Chiba
This is an antique Japanese chest of drawers. It features a simple design with only carved handles. It is a very old chest of drawers, and while it remains largely in its original c...
Cedar
$1,750
H 28.35 in W 27.56 in D 13.39 in
Japanese Antique Tansu Drawer Chest Edo Meiji Small Drawers Wabi Sabi Cabinet
Located in Sammu-shi, Chiba
This is a Japanese antique drawer chest, believed to date from the late Edo period to the early Meiji period, circa 1800s to 1900s. Constructed from solid wood, this piece has a sim...
Iron
$3,000
H 30.63 in W 66.78 in D 24.57 in
Japanese Antique Mizuya Tansu Sideboard, Meiji Era, Wabi-Sabi 1868-1912
Located in Hitachiomiya-shi, 08
This antique large Mizuya Tansu was crafted in the Meiji Era (1868–1912). Its simple sliding panel doors and dark, timeworn finish reflect the quiet beauty of wabi-sabi. The surface...
Cedar, Lacquer
$7,500
H 69.1 in W 70.48 in D 21.86 in L 69.1 in
Japanese Antique Large Tansu 1860s-1900s / Cabinet Cupboard Wabi Sabi
Located in Sammu-shi, Chiba
This large Japanese Tansu cabinet is believed to have been crafted during the late Meiji to early Taisho period. Among traditional Japanese storage furniture, examples of this scale...
Cedar
19th Century Japanese Meiji Era Tansu Merchant Chest
Located in Fort Collins, CO
Constructed from Cypress and Elm, this merchant’s chest features blackened iron hardware with two thick handles on the top of the piece for ease of transport. It features 8 drawers, ...
Iron
$1,800
H 24.61 in W 30.71 in D 14.57 in
Japanese Antique Black Drawer Chest 1860s-1900s / Tansu Sideboard Wabi Sabi
Located in Chōsei District Nagara, JP
This is an old Japanese black drawer cabinet. Quietly standing in space, it brings a deep sense of balance and quiet tension without ever appearing overly assertive. It is believed ...
Iron
$4,500
H 34.45 in W 68.12 in D 16.74 in
Japanese Antique Large Black Tansu 1860s-1900s / Sideboard Cabinet Wabisabi
Located in Chōsei District Nagara, JP
This is a large antique Japanese black Tansu cabinet. Its quiet, understated presence, with ornamentation reduced to an absolute minimum, reflects the refined aesthetic sensibility t...
Cedar
$4,500
H 31.7 in W 66.34 in D 17.72 in
Japanese Antique Large Tansu 1860s-1900s / Sideboard Cabinet Wabi Sabi
Located in Chōsei District Nagara, JP
This is a large antique Japanese Tansu cabinet dating from the Meiji period (1860s–1900s). Crafted from Japanese cedar wood, it features beautifully elongated horizontal proportions ...
Cedar
Sold
H 34.65 in W 71.07 in D 19.69 in
Japanese Antique Wabi-Sabi Reddish Urushi Mizuya tansu chest, late 19th C
Located in 常陸大宮市, JP
New finds from an old Kura (traditional storehouse) from Niigata Prefecture, Tohoku area, Japan. Mizuya tansu is made of Japanese Red Pine (Akamatsu) & premium quality reddish S...
Wood, Cedar, Pine
Sold
H 39.97 in W 50.6 in D 24.61 in
Japanese Antique Kuruma Nagamochi / Storage Sideboard / 1800-1860s Wabi-sabi
Located in Shizukuishi-cho, Iwate-gun, Iwate Prefecture
This is a storage piece of furniture that has been used in Japan since ancient times, and is called "Kuruma Nagamochi". The main materials used are Zelkova and cedar, and they were u...
Iron
Sold
H 29.14 in W 55.12 in D 30.32 in
Japanese Antique Black Tansu / Sideboard Exhibition Table / 1860-1900s Wabi-sabi
Located in Shizukuishi-cho, Iwate-gun, Iwate Prefecture
This is a storage furniture that was used very old in Japan and is called "Kurumanagamochi". It is said that if a disaster such as a fire occurs, it was placed near the entrance of ...
Wood, Cedar, Pine
Large scale Antique Japanese Sliding Door Tansu
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Unusually large late 19th/early 20th century Kyushaku - futon chest. Hinoki wood. Mortise and tenon construction. The length is 9 feet and the height is 40.5 inches. Perfect for a ...
Wood
Sold
H 23.04 in W 42.72 in L 23.04 in
Japanese Antique Tansu 1800s-1900s/Chest of Drawer Cabinet Storage Sideboards
Located in Sammu-shi, Chiba
It is an old Japanese storage shelf. It is made of cedar wood. It is an item from the Edo period to the Meiji period. (1800s-1900s) There is no useless decoration, it is simple ...
Cedar
Sold
H 30.32 in W 34.45 in
Japanese Antique Tansu 1800s-1900s/Chest of Drawer Cabinet Storage Sideboards
Located in Sammu-shi, Chiba
It is an old Japanese storage shelf. It is made of cedar wood. It is an item from the Edo period to the Meiji period. (1800s-1900s) There is no useless decoration, it is simple ...
Cedar
Japanese Sliding Door Tansu
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Edo period hinoki wood tansu with two sliding doors and one interior shelf. Original hardware. Natural patina.
Antique Japanese Tansu Chest with 15 Drawers
Located in Los Angeles, CA
19th century Japanese shop chest. Original hand forged hardware. Hinoki wood. 15 Drawers for all your storage needs! Handsome lean lines. Sturdy and functional
Iron