History - after the Meiji Era
In the Meiji Era, along with the modernization of Japanese society, which meant the end of the class society, Iwayado-Tansu (chest of drawers) became popular among ordinary families. Its fine furnishing with carefully painted lacquer and elaborately engraved metal fittings were accepted by people throughout and the products were shipped to almost all the provinces in the Tohoku (north-eastern) region of Japan.
After a short slump in sales, Iwayado-Tansu spread to the metropolitan area of Tokyo and sales boomed well beyond the wave of modern art or sense of modernization. The craftsmen's confidence to maintain the traditional arts and crafts had been successful. An exhibition of Iwayado-Tansu which was held at a department store in Tokyo in the mid 1960's, was an epoch-making event to introduce the quality of Iwayado-Tansu among the people in the urban area.
It is our honor that the arts and crafts of Iwayado-Tansu funiture were nationally recognized and declared as one of the Japanese Traditional Crafts by the government in 1985. Rather than a hindrance problem, its traditional style is the reason for its popularity. Iwayado-Tansu is accepted by urban dwellers in their modern rooms for its sophisticated sense of tradition.
