k-chan's brother drove up to nagano on his new harley davidson bike (it's an awesome bike; got some real grunt to it) and as he was making some room to park his bike near my wood heap, i noticed an old chest of draws in the corner.
when i asked otoosan what they were doing outside, he said a friend gave them to him and that he was gonna chop them up for firewood.
me being me took a closer peek and nearly peed my pants!
i love antique furniture and couldn't believe it that he was gonna destroy these draws which have so much character, or should I say future potential!
i said that if he was gonna chop them up for firewood could i please have them, to which he replied that I was more than welcome. he wondered how i would get them back to tokyo though. good question.
i hope they will fit in my car...
while everyone was having a nap in the kotatsu (it's gotta be a national pastime), i pulled out a rag and a bucket and got to work giving my new find a good rub down.
check out what I found inside.
the top draw was lined with pages of an old newspaper dating back 45 years ago to 1965 (showa period; 昭和40年).
this simple find got me excited and i quickly pulled out the second draw to find this small envelope containing these black and white photos; all of them of landscapes from a trip to yamanashi prefecture.
in the bottom draw i found two boxes.
i was nearly too excited to even open them but my curiosity got the better of me.
the first box was empty... but it's kinda a cool box anyway with some hand written calligraphy on it.
inside the second one was this; an old weathered japanese chouchin; lantern, complete with a small white candle.
k-chan told me i should throw it away as the lantern has a family emblem on it; but i think it's too good of a find to just chuck away. what do you think?
in the next few days i'm gonna go to the local hardware store and buy some wood polish (oil) as the chest is pretty dry and needs some TLC (is "TLC" even used these days?!; i'm so outta touch...)
hope i can find somewhere for this find in my new apartment! (which i have yet to find...)
13 comments:
Oh wow...such a great great find!
Interesting that you found the pictures. That chest/drawers definitely has a story to tell. And soon enough, you'll add something to it. :) Maybe one day, in the future, someone will find it too and see what you left behind.
Something of a time machine isn't it?
What a treasure trove! And to think it was gonna get thrown away. Good save, bro! :)
No freakin' way he was going to chop them for firewood! That's almost criminal! Thank god you came along!
I love looking at old things... but I dont own any since I am interior-dummy.
Please surprise us and transform the this chest to a stylish one Mr.handy!
* gingerbee
i really like the way you think!
what you said just made my find that little extra bit more special.
thanks!!
* Life for Beginnners
we went to an antique shop today and i saved a few more goodies!
got a real bargain too!
* jen laceda
i've noticed this before, but i think out here in the countryside old "antique" stuff is often left outside to rott or worst chopped up for firewood. unlike in the cities where this kind of stuff is in demand, here it's all about replacing the old with the new.
god, if you ask me you can never replace wood with plastic!
* pascale
mmm, some people wouldn't like this kinda stuff; and that's fine, it's a personal choice.
i like it, but it depends on where you live too; i hope i can find a place for it in our future apartment; and i hope it doesn't look out of place.
you're so lucky to be moving into a new home next year! you can decorate to your hearts content!
super cool! these are the moments i live for! saving treasures other people want to throw away!
do a post after you polish it, i'd love to see an after pic.
ps. if you don't have room in the car for the chest/trunk thing, you have to leave the wife and kid in nagano! haha. :)
excellent!
you should keep it at your parents in laws place until you know how bg your place is :)
* luuworld
once I put it in my new apartment I will take an "after" photo for you.
Hehehe, I think I can fit the kid in the draws; two guys in Tokyo, sounds fun!
* Mary
Yeah, I will leave them in Nagano first, just hope they dont get chopped up!
what a beautiful piece of furniture!
i'm glad you saved it from being chopped up and fired!!
hope you are enjoying your time in japan, i guess you will be moving to tokyo soon?
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