For some reason I just love funa dansu, maybe its because my family had boats during my formative years, leaving me with an inherent penchant for all things nautical (might explain why I live on an island in the middle of the Pacific). Whatever it is, this piece just screams at me. One of the 12 typical variations of cho-baku funa dansu that arose during the Meiji era, this piece has everything you want. Ample hardware (the extra plating originally was used to help secure the sashimono (joinery) because the glue used at the time was unreliable, especially in an aquarian environment, but later was used more as a theft deterant), as well as having a Kendon-buta (drop-fit door)
hiding a Keyaki strong box with a Kiri document box inside (although Paulownia was used typically for these interior boxes, so maybe it’s mis-identified). With Kakute (square hand) style external handles and the single Hirute (leech hand) handle on the interior drawer, hidden by the drop-fit door, as well as all the keys for the exterior drawers (minus the one for the interior drawer), this piece is just amazing. And the price is equally so, listed at $16,800.00, this tansu could be in a museum, or better yet, my apartment (I wish).

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Tags: Cho-bako, Funa Dansu, Hirute, Kakute, Kendan buta, Keyaki, Kiri, Meiji

This entry was posted on Monday, November 12th, 2007 at 10:24 am and is filed under Tansu. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.