Iwayado Tansu Chest - Red & Black Lacquer - 4 Drawers - Excellent Condition

*Shipping will be available between April 27th and April 30th.
*Price is firm.

Thank you for looking.

This is a Iwayado Tansu (Iwayado chest of drawers), a traditional craft representing Japan from Iwate Prefecture.

This is a top-quality product where the red-black roiro urushi lacquer has been applied 24-25 times from the primer coat until the wood grain is no longer visible.

Purchased new about 2 years ago. It has been used for a short period and is in excellent condition, but as this is an amateur inspection, there may be some overlooked areas. We appreciate your understanding of this being a used item stored at home.

Delivery will be handled by TanoMeruBin and will be set up in your designated location.
Shipping is included in the price.
*Please note that we cannot ship to remote islands, including Okinawa.

◆Manufacturer: Iwayado Tansu
◆Size: Approx. Width 81cm x Depth 45.5cm x Height 85cm
◆Materials: Exterior = Shinoki/Keyaki wood, Interior = Paulownia wood, Hardware = Nanbu ironware
◆Coating: Roiro finish


The origins of Iwayado Tansu are said to date back to the Kouwa era (1100s) when Hiraizumi flourished, during the time when Fujiwara no Kiyohira focused on promoting industry. At that time, it was not a chest of drawers as we know it today, but rather a large box-like chest, similar to a long-lasting box. Later, during the Tenmei era (1780s), the lord of Iwayado Castle, Iwaki Muramasa, seeking to break away from an economy solely reliant on rice, ordered his retainer, Mishina Mozaemon, to research the production and painting of chests of drawers and to create chests with wheels. Two blacksmiths, Kihei and Kichi, became involved, and further in the Bunsei era (around 1820s), a blacksmith named Tokubei devised carved metal fittings. These became the prototype, and the techniques of Iwayado Tansu have been passed down to the present day. In 1982, after rigorous examination, it was designated as a Traditional Craft Product by the Minister of International Trade and Industry (currently the Minister of Economy, Trade and Industry).