Sendai-tansu

Zelkova clothing chests from Miyagi with lacquered finish and iron fittings.

Sendai-tansu is a style of traditional wooden chest from Sendai, Miyagi Prefecture, renowned for its sturdy zelkova (keyaki) wood construction and elaborate hand-forged iron hardware. Developed in the late Edo period under the patronage of the Date clan, each chest features richly grained wood finished with lacquer and fitted with ornate iron fittings in motifs of bamboo, plum blossoms, and other auspicious symbols. The combination of master joinery, lacquerwork, and metalwork makes Sendai-tansu a synthesis of three craft traditions in one piece.