are traditional Japanese mobile storage cabinets. are commonly used for the storage of clothing, particularly kimono.
were first recorded in the Genroku era (1688–1704) of the Edo period (1603–1867). The two characters, and, appear to have initially represented objects with separate functions: the storage of food and the carrying of firewood. Since the radical for appears in each of these characters, it may be surmised that bamboo, and not wood, was the original material used in .
As gradually became a feature of Japanese culture and daily life, both hard and softwoods were used by (craftsmen), often in combination for a single chest. Woods commonly used in included,,,, and .
are collectable, and many collectors focus on finding genuine antique . There are just a few workshops who produce in imitation of the classic antiques, due to the high cost of materials and the very low prices of second-hand . Larger chests are sometimes reduced in size, particularly futon chests, step chests and other chests with deep drawers. Some reproduction have been made in Korea using elm veneer.
were rarely used as stationary furniture. Consistent with traditional Japanese interior design, which featured a number of movable partitions, allowing for the creation of larger and smaller rooms within the home, would need to be easily portable, and were not visible in the home except at certain times for specific situations.
were typically kept in (storehouses) adjacent to homes or businesses, in (storage rooms), in (house closet alcoves), and on (a raised platform area of a shop). would also be kept on some (coastal ships). Mobility was obtained through the use of attached wheels, iron carry handles or protruding structural upper rails for lifting.
Because the Edo period was feudal in its socio-economic structure, rules concerning the ownership of goods dominated all classes, from peasant to samurai. Travelling was regulated and conspicuous consumption discouraged through sumptuary laws. from this time primarily reflect the class and occupation of the owner rather than any regionally inspired originality. With the coming of the Meiji Restoration of imperial authority in 1868, and the gradual disintegration of the rigid class structure, distinctive regional characteristics in construction and design began to flourish.
During the Edo period (1603–1867), the type of a person owned and used was largely determined by social class.
During the Meiji period (1868–1911), the design of developed further, seeing more regional diversification following the abolition of the feudal class system in Japan.
were used by the captain or owner of small coastal trading vessels licensed by the feudal shogunate to transport rice. These vessels would travel from the bountiful but remote countryside to the teeming cities on the route between Osaka and Hokkaido through the Inland Sea and up the Japan Sea coast. With the enforced closure of the country in 1633 and a prohibition against the construction of ships with a keel, more than two masts and a cargo capacity exceeding (2,550 bushels of rice) in 1636, the inadvertently crippled the transport of rice grown on Japanese lands, resulting in shortages and even riots in some urban areas.
The problem was largely alleviated through reforms of the coastal navigation infrastructure and regulations suggested by Kawamura Zuiken in 1670. Among his implemented recommendations was the designation of reliable sea transporters of government rice as (merchants representing the interests of the shogunate). As well, he convinced the authorities to allow properly designated vessels to trade for their own account at coastal towns en route. Though most certainly an inducement to shipping traders, there was a physical constraint that stood in the way of predictable success. The ships, though impressive in construction, were usually under in length, with a scant crew of eleven or less. Coastal townspeople were not always impressed when these mariners arrived.
There is evidence that from the Kyōhō era of Edo (1716–1735), specific designs of elaborate cabinetry began to be used on the route. Well into the Meiji period, when a (1,000 ship) would arrive at a coastal town for trading, the crew would ceremoniously off load the captain/owner's personal tansu to be then positioned strategically at the place where negotiations would be held, thus lending a calculated air of affluence and respectability to the visitor's aura.
evolved into three categories of design:
that were intended for shipboard use were always constructed of for all exterior exposures, with Paulownia wood for interior compartments and drawer or box linings.
Although decorative to the contemporary eye, hardware remained largely functional through the Meiji period. Because the joinery of cases was simple and thus flexible to facilitate structural integrity during movement from place to place, hardware placement at vulnerable points was consistent with the need for reliability. Until the introduction of iron plate pressing from England in the 1880s, all iron for hardware was forged. With the introduction of Western technology, hardware could now be easily made more decorative, with creative embellishments as well as functional ones.
finishes fall into two categories: dry and lacquered. For a dry finish, clay or chalk powder was rubbed into the soft wood surface (Paulownia, Cryptomeria or cypress) then burnished with an Eulalia root whisk. For lacquer (Rhus verniciflua), application could be only for sealing the plain wood to enhance a natural visible grain or for the creation of a perfect opaque surface.