The Meiji era,1868-1912 saw the restoration of the Emperor and the dissolution of the military state which had prevailed for over two hundred years. Japan was freed from the rigid class distinctions and edicts of the Edo period. The craftsman could now freely design furnishings and chests without regard to social position. Clothing chests flourished and we often identify them by the locality in which they were made: Sendai, Yonezawa, Nihonmatsu, Tsuruoka...these are a few town names synonymous with specific tansu styles. Places which crafted chests of woods, lacquers, and iron hardware in their own special way.