Everything You Need to Know About Sendai Tansu Japanese Chests

The traditional Japanese tansu chest from Sendai is rooted in samurai culture dating back to the time of Date Masamune!

Table of Contents:

1. Preface

2. What is Sendai Tansu?

---2.1 Origins

---2.2 The Influence of Samurai Culture

---2.3 Meiji Period to Present Day

3. How is Sendai Tansu Made?

---3.1 The Woodworker (sashimono-shi)

---3.2 The Lacquer Worker (nushi)

---3.3 The Metal Engraver (kanagu-shi)

4. The Different Kinds of Tansu and How To Differentiate them

---4.1 Sendai Tansu in the Edo Period vs Meiji Period

---4.2 Sendai Tansu vs Shiogama Tansu

5. Places to Enjoy Sendai Tansu

---5.1 Sendai

---5.2 Shiogama

We recently traveled to Shiogama to participate in a cultural event hosted as part of the "Bringing Japan Back Through the Revival of Miyagi's Traditional Handicrafts" (宮城の伝統工芸の復興を通じて世界に誇れる日本を取り戻す) project organized by Mitsuaki Hoshido-san. The handicraft that was presented to us that day was Sendai tansu, the traditional Japanese chest of drawers from Sendai. The event opened in a beautiful traditional Japanese style house known as minka (民家), which houses Café Harema on the first floor, and the Shiogama Machikado Museum on the second and third floors. Here, we learned about the history of Sendai tansu, its evolution over time, and were given a brief outline regarding how this traditional craft is made. So what even is Sendai tansu, how does it differ from other Japanese tansu chests, and what makes it so popular outside of Japan?

Sendai tansu are gorgeous traditional Japanese chests originating in northern Japan's former Sendai Domain, an area spanning all of present-day Miyagi Prefecture, small portions of southern Iwate Prefecture, and a part of northeastern Fukushima Prefecture. Generally made from chestnut, cedar, or Japanese Zelkova wood (the same trees that line Jozen-ji Street in Sendai!), they are especially known for their beautiful lacquer coating and intricately decorated, gorgeous iron fittings. They are powerful pieces, both literally and figuratively. Not only do they emit a sense of incredible weight, they are also incredibly robust and well made —to such an extent that many survived being sumberged in water for extended periods of time during the tsunami in 2011 and leaving their contents entirely unscathed!

Sendai tansu has a rich history dating back 400 years, when the legendary feudal lord, Date Masamune, still reigned over the land. Its roots can actually be traced back to the master carpenter who is believed to have built part of the windows and sliding doors of Aoba Castle during the late Edo period. This same time period was marked by a collapsing feudal system, which pushed the samurai of the Sendai Domain (and the whole country, actually) to seek other forms of work in order to make ends meet. Many chose to become craftspeople, and Sendai tansu was among the many traditional crafts the former samurai specialized in. At this time, there was only one main kind of Sendai tansu, known as yaro gata (野郎形), measuring 120 cm wide and 90 cm tall. These were created to suit the daily needs of the samurai, notably to store their valuable swords and important documents. The first drawer, however, was for safekeeping the formal attire they would wear to castles.

Sendai tansu is deeply rooted in samurai culture and the techniques used in this handicraft are actually related to sword making! Specifically, they are believed to have been developed from the techniques used in making tsuba, the lavishly decorated metal swordguard found at the end of the grip of Japanese blades (such as the katana). During the Edo period, these became more ornamental rather than functional and often had very intricate designs. This would explain why the many designs favored by the samurai, such as dragons, peony flowers, and Karashishiki Chinese lions, also appear on the metal fittings of Sendai tansu.

Woodworker Shigeharu Masuno explaining the samurai roots of Sendai tansu

Sendai tansu reached peak production from the end of the Meiji period to the middle of the Taisho period. This time period also saw an increase in the varieties of tansu created, from their shape, to the type of lacquer used, and even to the kinds of motifs chosen for the metal fittings. Whats more, Sendai tansu were extremely popular abroad and was even exported to many European countries. In fact, Sendai tansu have historically been more popular abroad as decorative pieces than they ever were in Japan —especially in European countries such as Germany. In Japan, rather than being considered as decorative centrepieces to be put on display, these were merely functional storage items, often tucked away under closet spaces, behind sliding doors, and even in the pantry area.

A Shinto altar and Sendai Tansu display dating back 130 years at Ogiwara Jozo (details below).

Sendai tansu was designated a Traditional Craft of Japan in 2015, and although the craft has dwindled in popularity and craftspeople since the post-war period, today the remaining passionate crafters, cooperative associations, and NGO's are taking on new challenges, including creating more contemporary tansu that are more suited to today's needs. The spirit of the Date clan and Date culture has been passed down many generations, and still lives on to this day through Sendai tansu.

European inspired Sendai tansu in a light wood finish

This traditional Japanese handicraft and furniture item is actually very rarely made by just one craftsperson. Instead, it is the result of the direct collaboration of three types of craftsmanship: woodwork by the sashimono-shi (指物師), lacquer work by the nushi (塗師), and hand-engraved metalwork by the kanagushi (金具師). Each craftsperson puts their heart and soul into their craftsmanship with the ultimate goal of pleasing the preferences of the client brought together through a collaborative final piece.

The woodworker takes care of finding the highest quality wood —generally preferring a wood with warm tones— and preparing it, which can mean leaving it out to withstand the elements for decades! We asked Masuno-san how he can tell good wood from bad wood; his answer was "after so many years of experience, you just know." Then they create the structure of the tansu and put it together using an ancient woodworking technique.

Sendai tansu are assembled without nails through a traditional technique of fitting wood together known as san-mai-gumi (三枚組 lit. three piece assembling) or go-mai-gumi (五枚組 lit. five pieec assembling). They also take extra care to make sure the drawers open and close smoothly and that there are no distortions in the final piece. The door panels are fitted with soridome (反り止め) wood strips which prevents the panel from bending or becoming warped, and some Sendai tansu even have a kakushi hidden compartment within the drawer for safekeeping valuables. All of these fine details really highlight the incredible skill of the craftsperson.

The lacquer worker recieves the assembled piece and coats it by hand using a special lacquer called kijiro-urushi-nuri (木地呂漆塗り). This step requires a lot of patience, repeating the process over and over to achieve a clean, sharp, and polished result. Interestingly, the brush used to coat the tansu is made out of Japanese women's hair! (unforutnately we didn't get any more details on this matter.)

The tools used by nushi Yoshikatsu Hasebe

The kijiro-nuri is Sendai tansu's signature finish that emphasizes the natural beauty of the wood grain and makes the glistening final product almost as reflective as a mirror. Thanks to this coating, the beautiful texture of the wood —which was carefully selected and prepped by the sashimono-shi— is not only preserved but also intensifies over time. The discreet color changes that Sendai tansu undergoes with the passing of time is another way to enjoy this traditional handicraft!

After coating, the items are left to dry in a cool dark space.

The metal fittings are perhaps Sendai tansu's most distinctive feature. The kanagu-shi engraves iron plates by hand, using a variety of handmade tools. While the techniques used have been handed down generations, the tools are not. Instead, they are handmade by the crafter themself to suit their own particular needs. Eikichi Yaegashi selects his tools and colorcodes them for a specific project. Once the project is completed, he removes the stickers from the tools, and will repeat the selection and colorcoding process when starting the following project.

Brief demonstration of master craftsman Eikichi Yaegashi's work flow

The result 1 minute later!

Some tools are also created solely for a particular project and never used again afterwards. The hammer below is an example of one of those tools. After using it so vigorously on a project, it got worn down to the point of becoming completely unusable! Yaegashi-san couldn't bring himself to throw it away, and still keeps it as a souvenir.

The most popular metal fittings have delicate patterns and are carefuly chiseled into the shape of dragons, peony flowers, and Karashishi Chinese lions. These motifs are traditional symbols of good luck that can be traced back to the time of the samurai. On average, 100 to 200 decorative metal fittings are made for just one single tansu! These go through various processing steps, such as rust-proofing, smoking, and coating, before achieving their final form: a gorgeous decorative metal fitting. It can take anywhere from six months up to a full year to complete these metal fittings!

Copper Karashishi Chinese lion metal fitting

Dragon metal fitting before and after cutting

Yaegashi-san also likes to experiment with more contemporary designs. One of his most recent and surprising metal fittings was a whale design! Some of our personal favorites that we were shown include goldfish and fighting rhinoceros beetles!

Craftspeople materfully use dozens of their own chisels to hammer out metal plates —generally iron, copper, or brass— measuring 0.6 to 1.2 mm thick. At the tip of each chizel strike, carvings created using considerable force and tremendous skill can be admired alongside a piece of the craftsperson's soul, which is forever engraved onto the metal slate.

The kanagu-shi is also in charge of making all of the locks and hinges for the tansu. Everything is skillfuly made by hand, even the keys! Sendai Tansu is truly the result of phenomenal craftsmanship whose collaboratory traditions can still be admired today.

Each Sendai tansu is unique, with different motifs and varying sizes. This is not only due to the creative liberties of each craftsman, but also to the time period in which they were made. Tansu made in the Edo period present stark differences than those created during the Meiji period —if you know what to look out for!

While chests from the Edo period measured just over one meter tall and were placed directly onto the ground, those from the Meiji period were lifted off of the ground and became more elongated in shape. These differences reflect the customs unique to each time period and how Sendai tansu was commonly used at that particular time. Since tansu from the Edo period were often placed in common areas where it was customary to sit on tatami mats rather than chairs, the tansu were made to fit into the alcoves of sliding doors or ontop of the tatami mats themselves. Consequentially, they were the perfect height to be used by someone kneeling or sitting on the ground. The Meiji era brought with it a sudden influx of Western culture, ideas, and items, that profoundly marked this time period and significantly changed the way Sendai tansu was made. As the use of western-style chairs became more and more widespread, tansu had to adapt to fit this lifestyle change and were thus lifted off the ground for easier use while sitting in a chair.

Tansu were suddenly made in a wide variety of sizes for new uses. Some were made specifically to be exported abroad —this was particularly the case for tansu designs with Karashishi Chinese lion metal fittings!

A Sendai tansu safe, originally known as funa-dansu created to store valuables necessary for trading ships from the Edo period to enter ports.

During the event, we had the opportunity to go on a little excursion around Shiogama, with our first stop being a visit to Tanrokuen. Here, Mrs. Tanno shared with us the various different kinds of Sendai tansu that have been passed down her family line. These included one chest made during the Edo period and five from the Meiji period. The most interesting of all was learning about the differences in “quality” among these chests. Mrs. Tanno affirms without a shadow of a doubt that “older, is in fact, better.” She particularly highlighted that her tansu made during the Edo period held up significantly better overtime than those made in later time periods. Something about the craftsmanship during that time remains unmatched in her eyes.

For those interested in more in depth details about how different time periods affected the designs of Sendai tansu, we highly recommend reading this (Japanese)!

Now, we had to research this a little deeper just to make sure we're not spreading false information. We were told that differentiating tansu made in Shiogama from others was to look at the handles.

Tansu from Shiogama have a much simpler design, characterized by a curled tip. While we haven't been able to corroborate this information through other available sources, what we do know is that this kind of handle style —called warabide (蕨手)— was typical for tansu made prior to 1910, afterwhich the designs became more sophisticated and complex. As far as we're aware, the warabide style is typical for tansu made in Shiogama (although this is not a confirmed fact!). If anyone has any resources on this matter to corroborate it further please reach out to us, it would be greatly appreciated!

Tansu from the 1910's–1930's lacked uniformity in their designs, becoming known as kongo style (lit. muddled or mixed 混合型). Here, the centre handles are often decorated with a boke (pronounced bok-eh 木瓜型) design pattern, which is characterized by a flower from the rose family with oval petals. This style of tansu was considered unbalanced due to the mixture of various motifs, patterns, and keyhole sizes.

From the 1930's onwards, handles created in an arabesque shape —known as karakusa (唐草型)— became widespread. This spiral pattern, which is traditionally found in countries like Greece, Persia, and much of the Islamic world, is believed to have been brought to Japan during the Tang Dynasty. This kind of tansu is known to be the most well-made and visually pleasing in terms of design uniformity.　The centre handles generally prefer the boke design pattern which was typically diamond in shape, similar to the picture above.

5.1.1 Monmaya

(門間屋)

Monmaya is the most well established Sendai tansu manufacturer. Founded in 1872 by Hyuga Umemura, the officially-appointed chief carpenter of the Date clan, their mission is quite unique as every step of the manufacturing process is actually carried out by one single craftsperson. This is why they can provide repair services in the case of damages to Sendai tansu. Have a look at their showroom located in the former family residence (requires a reservation) where you can also learn about the historical background of the company too!

5.1.2 Yunome

(ユノメ家具百貨店)

Originally a merchant from the Meiji period, Yunome is currently a furniture store specializing in custom furniture, including Sendai tansu! Their main store located the downtown area and features the Sendai Tansu Museum of History and Crafts (仙臺箪笥歴史工芸館) on the fourth floor.

5.1.3 Kumanodo

(仙台箪笥熊野洞)

Kumanodo is one of the several eyecatching workshops located in the Akiu Traditional Craft Village. Specializing in the art of Sendai tansu, Kumanodo is another unique store in which the entire manufacturing process, from the woodwork all the way to the metal fittings, is carried out in house. In addition to the beautiful Sendai tansu available for purchase, you can also participate in workshops and try your hand at carving and lacquering chopsticks!

5.1.4 Shokeikaku Villa

(旧伊達伯爵邸 鍾景閣)

The Shokeikaku Villa was the former residence of the Date clan until the end of the second world war, when it served as a resting place for the Showa Emperor. Today, it has been transformed into a unique dining experience allowing customers to enjoy their a lavish feast served in miniature Sendai tansu! Don't miss out on this one-of-a-kind Sendai Tansu Cuisine experience in Miyagi Prefecture's traditional handicraft!

5.2.1 Ebiya Café Harema & Shiogama Machikado Museum

(ゑびや カフェ はれま / 塩釜まちかど博物館)

Located just across from the Okama Shrine (a branch of the much larger Shiogama Shrine) is a former ryokan built in the beginning of the Meiji period. Today, this beautiful traditional Japanese inn has since been transformed into a café and museum. At the museum, you can learn about the history of the city of Shiogama and take a peep at the guest rooms of the former Ebiya Ryokan. The café has both table seating as well as tatami room seating. Popular items served here include matcha green tea, coffee, Shiogama's local sweets, and cakes. The menu changes with the seasons as to have new delicacies to look forward to any time of year!

5.2.2 Tanrokuen

(丹六園)

Founded in 1720 as a fishmonger, it has since turned into a confectionary and tea shop. A wide variety of teaware is available for purchase, as well as their highly popular shiogama sweet. It was supposedly highly beloved by feudal lord Date Masamune, who ordered a protection on the delight. It is made with high quality glutinous rice flour from Osaki and seaweed salt unique to Shiogama. The shiogama sakura version of the sweet has Shiogama Shrine's emblem imprinted on it. We highly recommend trying it with their matcha set!

5.2.3 Ogiwara Jozo

(荻原味噌醤油醸造元)

A former eatery/ryokan turned miso and soy sauce distillery with an incredible Sendai tansu display. The display is updated every three months with decor to match the seasons! The building itself was built in the late Edo period, making it more than 170 years old. An incredible Hina Doll display is set up around March 3rd for a holiday known as Hina Matsuri. Many people come from far and wide just to admire these displays each year in a custom known as hina meguri.

Don't miss out on trying their popular tamakon (玉こん), a mochi-like dish that has been marinated and simmered in soy sauce! Much of their soy sauce is the perfect accompaniment for dishes like sushi, sashimi and hiyayakko (chilled tofu) rather than for cooking, as high temperatures weakens its distinct rich flavor.

If you know of other places, do reach out to us and let us know so we can add them to this list!