Japanese Ryobiraki Dansu From Kanto - Late Edo Period Green Porcelain Hand-stitched by skilled rural artisans

Hand-stitched by skilled rural artisans

or as a feature console behind a sofa

it belongs to the celebrated series Ehon Ukiyo no Sugata (絵本浮世我姿 - "Picture-Book: Figures of the Floating World")

Reproduction From China

a symbol of comprehension of Buddha's teachings

Japanese Ryobiraki Dansu From Kanto - Late Edo Period Green Porcelain Hand-stitched by skilled rural artisansThis Japanese kannon biraki tansu chest dates to the very end of the Edo period (1603 1868) circa 1840 or 1850. This style of Japanese tansu is from the Kanto region and may well be from the city of Edo. Japanese tastes consider this style of tansu as refined and this style is often referred to as iki (chic). This chest is made from kiri (paulownia wood). Sumptuary law restricted chonin (townspeople) to owning unlacquered chests such as this one. This