{"id":273559,"date":"2026-04-08T13:37:12","date_gmt":"2026-04-08T11:37:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/amaruantiques.com\/?post_type=product&p=273559"},"modified":"2026-04-27T15:14:29","modified_gmt":"2026-04-27T13:14:29","slug":"small-japanese-kotansu-chest-of-drawers-with-four-drawers-japan-showa-period-circa-1960-am27027","status":"publish","type":"product","link":"https:\/\/amaruantiques.stg.uzero.cat\/en\/antique-furniture\/small-japanese-kotansu-chest-of-drawers-with-four-drawers-japan-showa-period-circa-1960-am27027\/","title":{"rendered":"Small Japanese kotansu chest of drawers with four drawers \u2013 Japan, Sh\u014dwa period, circa 1960"},"content":{"rendered":"

Small Japanese kotansu chest of drawers<\/strong> with four drawers, fronts in zelkova (keyaki) and sides in sugi, made in Japan in the mid-Sh\u014dwa period. A compact tabletop piece halfway between an auxiliary chest<\/em> and a Japanese ordering cabinet<\/em>, characteristic of 20th-century Japanese household furniture<\/em>.<\/p>\n

During the Sh\u014dwa period, small kotansu \u2014 direct heirs of the tansu tradition \u2014 became popular as auxiliary pieces for the desk or the room. They were used to keep small treasures, sewing thread, stationery, jewellery or notes in a separate drawer for each thing. Their reduced size made them frequent on top of a desk, a larger chest of drawers or a chigaidana shelf.<\/p>\n

It is built with drawer fronts in zelkova (keyaki) \u2014 prized for its spectacular grain \u2014 sides and back in sugi (Japanese cedar) and reinforcements in local wood. The four drawers are assembled with traditional joints and finished with brass pulls in the form of a horizontal handle on a recessed rectangular plate, characteristic of the Japanese workshop. The edges are finished with a thin moulding that protects the softer wood.<\/p>\n

The patina is warm and very even: the keyaki front shows all the character of the grain \u2014 wavy, with almost watery figurations \u2014 under a matte varnish that use has settled. The sides, in darker sugi, contrast with the fronts and give the piece a double chromatic reading that feels deeply Japanese. The hardware retains its original golden tone.<\/p>\n

Thanks to its compact scale and refined finish, it sits naturally in japandi, wabi-sabi, minimalist or contemporary interiors, where it works as a desk organiser, a bedroom jewellery chest, an auxiliary bathroom piece or a decorative element on top of a larger chest of drawers. Its cubic proportions introduce a Japanese accent without saturating the space.<\/p>\n

Details<\/strong><\/p>\n