tansu luggage

Have you ever had the urge to pack up your tansu and leave? Well if you play your cards right your tansu will already be packed. And thanks to Yokou Yamaguchi you’ll now be ale to roll your tansu right out of your house and onto an airplane.

For those unfamiliar with the traditional Japanese storage cabinetry, tansu originated in the late 1600s to store food and firewood. By the late 1800s the ornately decorated wooden chests were commonplace in almost every Japanese home. Now they’re being redesigned for the jet-setting traveler.

tansu luggage

photos courtesy shakaika

 

tansu luggage

tansu luggage

After graduating from college Yamaguchi found a job at a construction equipment manufacturer. However, the corporate environment didn’t work for him and he soon quit his job to return to his hometown: the city of Echizen. There he began immersing himself in local craftsmanship and industry, specifically the art of creating Echizen Tansu. Now, at age 40, he has his own furniture studio called furnitureholic where he spends his time creating custom-made stools, chairs and other small items.

In 2014 Yamaguchi came up with the idea to merge traditional tansu and fashion, creating an entirely new use for the cabinetry. Relying on traditional woods, metallic fixtures and lacquer, Yamaguchi continued to perfect his idea of creating a lightweight, mobile tansu than can be carried onto trains and even airplanes. “I hope this luggage becomes an icon of Echizen Tansu,” says Yamaguchi, who is currently making plans to begin selling his creation.

The tansu luggage comes in 2 types, each with a different combination of drawers. And since these are intended to be carried around outside, each drawer comes with a key.

tansu luggage

photos courtesy onmyoji tatsuya