What is a tansu cabinet?

Tansu uses a unique combination of wood joinery and ornate Japanese hardware to provide cabinets which are both functional and works of art.  Tansu is Japanese word to describe wood cabinets that became widespread during the Edo period, and then flourishing during the Meiji and Taisho (1603-1926) periods. 

 

In Japan, the interior of the home is open and uncluttered by stationary furniture.  Historically, the tansu has been a functional unit that lent itself to being both utilitarian and easily transportable.   Most tansu would be stowed in separate storage areas while some larger pieces may remain in a space used for entertaining guests.

 

The many types of tansu (dansu, plural) include:

Isho-tansu clothing chest storage and chests of drawers

 

Mizuya-dansu cupboards and kitchen storage to accommodate small items, such as kitchen utensils or a variety of household items.  This cabinet is often presented in two pieces, comprised of a two chest layered on top of each other.  This can have sliding doors on the bottom and sliding doors and drawers on the top.

 

Kusuri-dansu (medicine chest) chest with numerous small drawers to store items of medicinal value;
 

Futon tansu These specialized tansu are both tall and deep to accommodate bedding and a place for clothing storage.
 

Cho-dansu (merchant chest)

This tansu is typically used in a commercial setting and has drawers and one or more sliding doors.
 

Sho-dansu This dansu is used to accommodate tools and books.

 

Choba-dansu
This dansu is used to accommodate books and ledgers.

 

Materials used
Historically, the joinery of both the buildings in Japan and their cabinetry for the inside of the homes needed to be able to withstand environmental fluctuations that included humidity, season changes, earthquakes, and typhoons.  Wood joinery provided this strength and flexibility (as demonstrated by the wood joinery used in the Osaka Gardens, Chicago, Illinois project).  Ornamental tansu hardware, which includes locks, hinges, and drawer pulls are integrated into the design of the cabinetry. 

 

The Tansu is created using a variety of woods, which are selected for their utilitarian and visual qualities. 

(above and below) tansu drawers that open from both front and back