Antique Japanese Ko Tansu Chest (1840) Tabletop Size

Note: We will be consulting an auction house on this item but do let us know if you are interested.
 
A ‘ko tansu’ is a small portable traditional storage chest for personal use, this one perfect for setting atop a table or other cabinet. It may have been used to store scrolls, documents, ceramics, or other items for regular use.
 
Inside a set of stickers in our mother’s handwriting note that this was from the 1840s (early Meiji period), meant to hold a woman’s personal items, and was handed down by “A” and her mother (the “A” presumably referring to Alice Burr, her great grand aunt).
 
We believe it is made of paulownia wood (kirinoki) which was prized for its light color and light weight. Inside is usually sugi wood, a type of Japanese cedar, but we believe ours is all paulownia wood. The ‘warabi-te’ style drawer pull handles, braces, and the two lock plates are believed to be made of iron. All six drawers slide out easily. Note the pegs used and the dovetailing in photos, granted we can also see nails in some places as on the back of the piece. 
 
There are what appear to be some water stains on the front of the top right drawer and along one side of the cabinet. There are also some scrapes and pockmarks in the wood, and what appear to be cracks in the wood but we believe the latter are original cracks. This can only be expected in an item of such age. Otherwise, it is in remarkably good condition.
 
H 16” x L 23 ¼” x W 10 ¾”
11.2 lbs
 
Disclaimer: We have tried to make sure colors shown in photos are representative of the real colors of each item. We have tried to identify all imperfections in descriptions, but we may have missed some. If you are unhappy with your purchase, let us know.