Customer Reviews

Japanese Antique Furniture: Guide To Evaluating And Restoring

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This book contains very good detailed descriptions of pieces, plus place and time of manufacture. It includes a number of small pieces, as well as the more common tansu.

Restoration of antiques is currently questioned, but methods shown here are not appropriate. Sanding, especially with a belt or other powered sander, destroys original hand-planed surfaces. Sandpaper also adds its own scratches to metal parts; steel wool is preferable for removing loose rust. The Heinekens' book "Tansu" describes a better metal coloring than spray paint. A few nicks and scratches are part of the piece's history, and small splits in the back do not affect its usefulness. Unlike the frame-and-panel European and American furniture, many tansu were not designed to accommodate effects of humidity changes on wood dimensions, and a repaired back panel will continue to move seasonally. When pulling nails, a piece of sheet metal under the wirecutters would prevent denting metal or wood parts. Since the Clarkes were in Japan, they could have bought much more appropriate tools than the ones shown, and some of the ones shown should never be used for this work. Japanese woodworking tools were just becoming available in the US in the early 1980s, but restorers should look for them now.

I learned a lot about Japanese furniture from this book - different styles, history and how to tell a quality piece. I am going to try to restore a small piece I have using the instructions in this book. For all of the expensive books available, I learned the most from this book!

I learned a lot from this book about the types of Japanese furniture as well as fine details to help me evaluate pieces. This book is an excellent resource, particularly for the price! I plan on trying the directions for restoring a piece in the near future.