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 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
Japanese Antique Paper-Covered Low Writing Desk 1857s / Low Table Wabi-Sabi
Located in Chōsei District Nagara, JP
This is a very old Japanese low writing desk covered with paper. Within its simple and restrained presence resides a quiet tension and spiritual depth that only furniture shaped by l...
Copper
Japanese Export Lacquer and Abalone Inlaid Tilt-Top Stand, Nagasaki, circa 1840
Located in Kinderhook, NY
An exquisite circa 1840 Japanese export tilt-top table or stand of Nagasaki manufacture having allover abalone inlay in black lacquer, the top with with male and female 'Japanese gre...
Brass
Contemporary Japanese Console with Folding Screen Zen Japanese Modern
Located in Shibuya-ku, Tokyo
Name: Early Dawn Collection: STILLIFE A console table that using a wooden box that stores two Japanese gold folding screens. It is a new histor...
Brass
Pair of Japanese Lacquered Trunks or Tables on Custom Stands, 19th Century
Located in San Francisco, CA
A pair of lacquered trunks with iron hardware mounted on custom-made later stands. One trunk having a single drawer at one end. The detachable lids on these trunks are linen wrapped ...
Iron
$1,000
H 12.72 in W 47.92 in D 17.49 in
Japanese Antique Low Table, Zelkova Wood, Wabi-Sabi, Circa 1900
Located in Hitachiomiya-shi, 08
This antique side table was crafted in the Late Meiji Era (1868–1912). The top is made from solid zelkova (keyaki) wood, paired with legs crafted from cedar. The surface has develope...
Cedar, Hardwood
$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
$2,200
H 13.39 in W 56.7 in D 27.56 in
Midcentury Organic Wooden Scandinavian Wabi Sabi Coffee Table, Made in 1960s
Located in Odense, DK
Wonderful unique Scandinavian organic shaped coffee table in solid wood. This vintage piece is in good condition with some traces of wear. A beautiful wabi sabi style brutalist ob...
Oak
1840s Empire Veneered Mahogany Wood Sicilian Round Tilt-Top Table
Located in Catania, Sicilia
This Sicilian tilt-top table is a distinctive piece of furniture, reflecting the design aesthetics of the Empire style popular during the early to mid-19th century, it's a testament ...
Wood
19th Century Pair of Japanese Bronze Lions Bookends, Meiji Period
Located in Buenos Aires, Olivos
This superb and rare pair of Japanese Meiji period bronze bookends are cast in solid bronze and depict a pair of Lions, with their heads raised. These finely sculpted pieces are beau...
Bronze
$900
H 23.82 in W 24.22 in D 12.6 in
Japanese Antique Black Box / Side Table Exhibition Stand / 1868-1912s/ Wabi-sabi
Located in Iwate-gun Shizukuishi-cho, Iwate Prefecture
This is an old wooden storage box made in Japan. It is thought to date from around the Meiji period and is made of cedar. It has a simple design with no metal fittings. The overall m...
Wood, Cedar
Japanese Low Table, Wabi-sabi, 1920s, Japan
Located in Tokyo, Tokyo
The antique low table, that was crafted from old Japanese wood. The top panel has been roughly shaved and showcases various marks and scratches that tell a story of its history. It...
Wood
$3,400
H 30.32 in W 55.12 in D 15.75 in
20th Century Spanish Console Fold Out Farm Table with Wood Stretcher
Located in Miami, FL
20th century Spanish console fold out farm table Works as both a dining table and console. Measure extended : 31.49 in.
Iron
$3,000
H 8.47 in W 40.16 in D 33.27 in
Japanese Antique Primitive Low Table 1860s-1900s / Sofa Table Wabi Sabi
Located in Chōsei District Nagara, JP
This is an old Japanese primitive-style low table. It dates to the Meiji period (1860s–1900s) and was originally used in everyday life, discovered in an old farmhouse. Free from orna...
Wood
Wooden Low Table, Japanese Antique, Wabi-Sabi, Mingei
Located in Katori-Shi, 12
This low table was loved by craftsmen as a "workbench" during the Meiji period. The wood grain, which has deepened with age, is reminiscent of the warm lifestyle of that time. A cu...
Wood
Wooden Low Table, Japanese Antique, Wabi-Sabi, Mingei
Located in Katori-Shi, 12
Introducing our exquisite low table, a stunning example of the beauty found in wabi-sabi and traditional craftsmanship. Originally used as a sewing workbench, this piece carries a ri...
Wood
$3,500
H 14.18 in W 41.74 in D 33.86 in
Japanese Antique Primitive Low Table 1860s-1900s / Sofa Table Wabi Sabi
Located in Chōsei District Nagara, JP
This is an antique primitive-style low table from Japan. While it stands quietly, the moment it is placed in a space it commands a powerful presence. The piece beautifully harmonizes...
Wood, Walnut
Sold
H 9.85 in W 34.45 in D 9.06 in
Japanese Antique Wabi-Sabi Low Table Edo period 1800s-1860s / Side Table
Located in Chōsei District Nagara, JP
This is an old Japanese low table, crafted during the Edo period (1800s–1860s). It is a rare piece of furniture that has survived through the centuries to the present day. Made of su...
Cedar
Sold
H 9.45 in W 36.42 in D 13.78 in
1800s - 1860s Edo Japanese antique chestnut low coffee table wabi sabi primitive
Located in 常陸大宮市, JP
New finds from Kura (traditional style warehouse) in Yamagata pref., Tohoku area, Japan. This antique low writing desk is a product of 1800s - 1860s (late Edo era), estimate from the style and conditions. Made of thick, sturdy single solid chestnut wood boards. Can be used as coffee table, display table etc. Yamagata pref. is known to rich woodcraft cultures. The most known products are bold but elaborate, premium Tansu furnitures...
Wood, Chestnut
Sold
H 10.04 in W 37.8 in D 14.57 in
1860s Edo Japanese antique wabi sabi low writing desk primitive coffee table
Located in 常陸大宮市, JP
From Tohoku area, Japan. This antique low writing desk is a product of late Edo era. estimate from the style and conditions. Made of Hinoki cypress, original urushi lacquer still rem...
Wood, Cypress
Japanese antique wooden black low table / 1850-1912 / Edo-Meiji
Located in Sammu-shi, Chiba
I have just received a very attractive Japanese low table. This is a wooden writing desk made between the end of the Edo period and the Meiji period. A writing desk is a small table ...
Cedar
Sold
H 9.26 in W 58.86 in D 30.32 in
Japanese Antique Low Table / Sofa Table / 1800-1868s / Wabi-Sabi Mingei
Located in Iwate-gun Shizukuishi-cho, Iwate Prefecture
This is an old Japanese low table. Originally, there was a box at the top of this, and it was used to store and transport household goods called "Nagamochi", and it was actively use...
Wood, Cedar, Pine
Sold
H 10.44 in W 35.83 in D 14.57 in
Japanese antique wooden wabi-sabi low table / 1850-1912 / "fu-zukue"
Located in Sammu-shi, Chiba
This wooden writing desk, known as a "Fu-zukue", dates back to the late Edo to Meiji period. Tatami culture has long been an integral part of Japanese life, where people sat on the ...
Cedar
Sold
H 10.75 in W 35.04 in D 10.83 in
Japanese antique wooden wabi-sabi low table / 1850-1912 / "fu-zukue"
Located in Sammu-shi, Chiba
This is a wooden low table made from the end of the Edo period to around the Meiji period. Since ancient times, Japan has had a tatami room culture, where people sat down to do what...
Cedar
Japanese antique wooden Wabi Sabi low table/1800-1920/sofa table
Located in Sammu-shi, Chiba
I would like to introduce a very interesting low table. This item was made during the late Edo period to the Meiji period in Japan. Originally, it is believed that a wooden drawer or...
Chestnut
Japanese old wooden low table/ wabisabi coffee table/1850-1920
Located in Sammu-shi, Chiba
This Japanese antique wooden black low table was made between the late Edo and Meiji periods. All materials are cedar wood. Cedar has been a common wood used for tools and furniture ...
Cedar
Japanese old wooden low table/ wabisabi coffee table/1850-1920
Located in Sammu-shi, Chiba
This Japanese antique wooden black low table was made between the late Edo and Meiji periods. All materials are cedar wood. Cedar has been a common wood used for tools and furniture ...
Cedar
Sold
H 11.03 in W 53.75 in D 14.38 in
Japanese Antique Old Wooden Low Table / Coffee Table 1830s-1868s Wabi Sabi
Located in Iwate-gun Shizukuishi-cho, Iwate Prefecture
This is an old Japanese desk. In the Edo period, it was used by children to learn to read and write in a place called Terakoya, and it is also called "Tenjin desk". "Tenjin" refers...
Wood
Sold
H 9.61 in W 38.27 in D 13 in
Japanese old wooden low table/wabisabi coffee table/1850-1920/sofa table
Located in Sammu-shi, Chiba
This is an antique Japanese wooden black low table made from the late Edo period to the Meiji period. All materials are cedar wood. Cedar is a tree that has been commonly used for Ja...
Cedar