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.
Japanese Antique Low Table 1860s-1920s / Sofa Table Wabi Sabi
Located in Sammu-shi, Chiba
This is a rare old Japanese wooden low table, believed to date from the late Meiji period to the Taisho period, circa 1860s to 1920s. The tabletop is made from a single solid slab o...
Wood
Japanese old wooden low table/wabisabi coffee table/1868-1920
Located in Sammu-shi, Chiba
This Japanese low table was crafted during the Meiji to Taisho period (1868–1920), a time when traditional Japanese craftsmanship remained deeply connected to everyday life and the n...
Wood
Japanese Antique Sofa Table or Storage Box 1860s-1920s / Side Table Wabisabi
Located in Chōsei District Nagara, JP
This is an old Japanese storage chest that also functions as a low table. It was crafted during the Meiji to Taisho periods (1860s–1920s) and made from traditional Japanese cedar (su...
Tin
Japanese antique wooden low table "Fuzukue" / Made in 1870 / Coffee table
Located in Sammu-shi, Chiba
This is a wooden fuzukue (low writing desk) made in Meiji 3 (1870). A fuzukue is a traditional low writing desk that has long been used in Japan. Rather than being used with chairs,...
Cedar
Antique Japanese wooden coffee table with a tasteful ink-wash pattern/Meiji
Located in Sammu-shi, Chiba
Long a beloved part of Japanese culture, the "fuzukue" (writing desk) originated as a piece of furniture for writing, literally meaning "a desk for writing," and has accompanied quie...
Beech
Antique Japanese lacquered glass table/19th-early 20th century/center table
Located in Sammu-shi, Chiba
This is a tool used by lacquerware craftsmen from around 1868 to 1950. Lacquerware craftsmen used wooden barrels to mix lacquer by putting vermilion...
Glass, Lacquer
$900Sale Price|25% Off
Japanese Antique Black Wooden Box 1860s-1900s/Sofa Table Tansu Mingei Storage
Located in Sammu-shi, Chiba
This is an old Japanese black wooden box. It is from the Meiji period (1860s-1900s). The material is cedar. This is black and beautiful. Afte...
Wood
$1,380
H 13.78 in W 39.77 in D 39.97 in
1910s-20s Japanese antique wabi sabi Zataku, low canter table, low coffee table
Located in 常陸大宮市, JP
Japanese antique Zataku low table for 4 people, a set of tabletop & wooden leg frame. Aimed to make as Kotatsu table (heat table with brazier) in winter. Tabletop material is ma...
Hardwood, Cedar, Wood
$2,832
H 5.32 in W 71.26 in D 21.86 in
Japanese antique long wooden low table/1868-1920/simple design sofa table
Located in Sammu-shi, Chiba
This exceptional Japanese long low table was crafted during the late Meiji to Taisho period (1868–1920). Originally used in everyday Japanese interiors, it embodies the quiet strengt...
Wood
$900Sale Price|25% Off
H 22.45 in W 30.71 in D 18.51 in
Japanese Antique Black Wooden Box 1860s-1900s/Sofa Table Tansu Mingei Storage
Located in Sammu-shi, Chiba
This is an old Japanese black wooden box. It is from the Meiji period (1860s-1900s). The material is cedar. This is black and beautiful. Afte...
Wood
$1,569Sale Price|30% Off
H 14.38 in W 42.92 in D 28.94 in
Italian Design Wooden Coffee Table with Bar Compartment, 1970s
Located in Casale Monferrato, IT
This is a stunning and sophisticated piece of mid-century furniture. 1970s Italian design often combines elegance and practicality, making this coffee table truly unique. Its rectan...
Glass, Plywood
$1,000
H 10.83 in W 35.99 in D 11.34 in
Petite Meiji Period Japanese Chestnut Low Table with Wabi-Sabi Patina, 1860–1910
Located in 常陸大宮市, JP
Japan, circa 1860–1910 (Meiji period). A small, quietly endearing antique low table crafted from solid Japanese chestnut (kuri). Modest in scale and simple in form, it reflects a tim...
Wood, Chestnut
$1,930
H 15.36 in W 45.52 in D 19.69 in
Japanese Antique Keyaki Low Table, Meiji Era (1868-1912), Wabi Sabi, Mingei
Located in Hitachiomiya-shi, 08
This Japanese antique low table was crafted in the Meiji Era (1868-1912). Made of keyaki (Japanese zelkova), the table showcases the rich grain, warmth, and durability for which thi...
Wood
Japanese Antique Low Table 1860s-1920s / Sofa Table Wabi Sabi
Located in Chōsei District Nagara, JP
This is an old Japanese low table. Its long, horizontal proportions create a calm and balanced presence, bringing a quiet sense of stability to a space. Free from excessive ornamenta...
Wood
$850
H 12.49 in Dm 23.23 in
Japanese Antique Round Low Table, Keyaki, Taisho Era (1912–1926), Wabi Sabi
Located in Hitachiomiya-shi, 08
This antique round low table was crafted in the Taisho Era (1912–1926) from Keyaki (Japanese zelkova). The solid zelkova top displays beautifully figured grain patterns, rich in char...
Wood
$1,800
H 14.97 in W 27.76 in D 18.31 in
Japanese antique wooden storage box, Late Edo period , wabi-sabi coffee table
Located in Sammu-shi, Chiba
This piece is believed to be a wooden storage chest known as a karabi-bitsu, made in Japan during the late Edo period (approximately the 18th–19th century). The karabi-bitsu is a tra...
Cedar, Cypress
$1,400
H 11.82 in W 36.03 in D 22.05 in
Organic Modern Japanese Antique Low Table 1920s-1940s / Sofa Table Wabi-Sabi
Located in Chōsei District Nagara, JP
This is an antique Japanese solid wood low table. It is believed to date from the early Showa period (1920s–1940s). From the tabletop to the legs, the entire piece is crafted from so...
Wood
$2,020
H 7.09 in W 18.11 in D 18.11 in
Japanese Antique Wooden Block Low table・Stool 1860s-1900s / Primitive Wabi Sabi
Located in 足利市, JP
This extraordinary Meiji-period low table (Banshaku-dai / Ko-tsukue) is a masterpiece of Japanese rustic minimalism, hand-carved from a single, massive block of precious Zelkova wood...
Wood
Japanese Antique Low Table, Wabi Sabi
Located in Katori-Shi, 12
This is an antique wooden low table from the Meiji period (1986-1912). The curved legs are beautiful. It was used as a workbench by craftsmen at the time. The material is high-qual...
Wood
Japanese Antique Low Table 1860s-1920s / Sofa Table Wabi Sabi
Located in Sammu-shi, Chiba
This is a low table (low table / coffee table) crafted in Japan, with a chestnut (tochi) wood top and a zelkova (keyaki) wood base. A substantial and striking piece, combining a thi...
Wood
Sold
H 11.03 in W 39.38 in D 16.54 in
Antique Japanese wooden low table with drawers made of zelkova wood / 1868-1920
Located in Sammu-shi, Chiba
This is a low table made in Japan during the Meiji to Taisho period, approximately 1868 to 1920. It is made of zelkova wood, while the inside of the drawer is made of cedar. One of t...
Wood
Japanese Antique Low Table 1860s-1920s / Sofa Table Wabi Sabi
Located in Sammu-shi, Chiba
A sculptural Japanese low table composed of two antique utilitarian objects dating from the late Meiji to early Taishō period (circa 1868–1920). Originally used in daily life, these ...
Wood
Japanese old wooden low table/wabisabi coffee table/1868-1920
Located in Sammu-shi, Chiba
This piece is a Japanese wooden low table crafted during the Meiji to Taisho period (1868–1920). It is made from tochi (Japanese horse chestnut) wood, a material valued for its su...
Wood
Japanese Antique Low Table 1860s-1920s / Sofa Table Wabi Sabi
Located in Sammu-shi, Chiba
This sculptural low table is composed of two antique Japanese utilitarian objects, created during the late Meiji to early Taishō period, approximately (1868 to 1920). The tabletop i...
Wood, Cedar
Sold
H 9.65 in W 58.67 in D 25.2 in
Antique Japanese wooden wabi-sabi coffee table / 1868-1920 / sofa table
Located in Sammu-shi, Chiba
This low table exudes a unique presence, with a tabletop made from an old Japanese workbench and legs made from beams from an old Japanese house. Th...
Wood
Sold
H 7.29 in W 52.52 in D 21.86 in
Antique Japanese Wooden Coffee Table / 1868-1920 / Wabi-Sabi Coffee Table
Located in Sammu-shi, Chiba
This low table is made using reclaimed Japanese zelkova wood. It's crafted from a single piece of zelkova wood that has quietly aged over the years. It was likely originally intended...
Wood
Sold
H 3.15 in W 45.08 in D 30.32 in
Japanese antique wooden low table covered with washi paper / Wabi-sabi workbench
Located in Sammu-shi, Chiba
This wooden low table is a wonderful item with the charm unique to Japanese antiques. It was originally used as a work board and was probably used for a long time as a tool for cutti...
Wood
Japanese antique wooden low table/1900's/Wabisabi table/Folk art
Located in Sammu-shi, Chiba
Japanese wooden low table with a quietly captivating presence. Originally crafted as a workbench for cutting fabric in traditional homes, this piece now carries the serene poetry of ...
Wood
Sold
H 22.45 in W 48.04 in D 26.58 in
Japanese Antique Large Black Box / Sofa Table Side Table /1868-1912s / Wabi-sabi
Located in Shizukuishi-cho, Iwate-gun, Iwate Prefecture
This is a large, old Japanese wooden box. It is believed to date from around the Meiji period and is made of pine and cedar. A type of folk item used in the early modern period, thi...
Wood, Cedar, Pine
Sold
H 9.06 in W 55.12 in D 16.15 in
Antique Japanese wooden coffee table / 1868-1920 / sofa table / display stand
Located in Sammu-shi, Chiba
This wooden low table, known as a fuzukue (writing desk), was made in Japan between the late Edo and Meiji periods (circa 1868-1920). A writing desk is a traditional Japanese piece of furniture, originally a small desk used while sitting on a tatami mat. While primarily used as a practical tool for writing, reading, and writing letters, its dignified presence has led to its current popularity as a decorative table and low table. This writing desk is crafted from Japanese zelkova (keyaki) wood. Zelkova is a precious wood that has long been beloved by the Japanese people and is known for its use in shrine and temple construction. Due to its solid, hard wood with particularly beautiful grain, it is often used for luxury furniture and crafts. The tabletop features the beautiful annual ring pattern, known as "bamboo shoot grain," characteristic of zelkova. Combined with the rich texture borne over time, this wood exudes a quiet, engaging charm. The tabletop is carved from a single piece of wood and shows slight warping, but is generally in very good condition. The legs are simple and sturdy, indicating they have withstood years of use. There's no wobble, making it safe to use in modern living spaces. At just 23cm high, it's perfect for pairing with a sofa or zaisu chair...
Wood
Japanese Antique Primitive Low Table 1860s-1920s / Wabi Sabi
Located in Sammu-shi, Chiba
This is a very old low table made in Japan. Its design is simple—consisting of a single slab of wood placed atop a tree stump. The materials used for both the top and base date back ...
Chestnut