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Hi all, I have a metal kodansu cabinet, which I believe is from the Meiji period.

As far as my research has led me to believe, most kodansu cabinets were made from wood and this is unusually metal? I'd love to know more about this object whether it is about the markings on the sides or materials it might be made of, period, possible area it was made, details about kodansu cabinets? All would greatly help me.

However the great mystery is how does it open ? I currently have not figured out a way to open this box. It has a gold coloured metal "nob" (I don't know what the object is supposed to be) on the side which can be turned and clearly looks like it should be opened. I can't seem to push it up or down in any direction however. Anyway any help on this would be greatly appreciated and very exciting.

Thanks in advance,
Please let me know if you need more photos etc.

Is it iron with gold inlays? Test with a magnet. It could be an inlaid iron cabinet in a style made popular by Komai of Kyoto during the Meiji period.

Hi Rob,

Thank you for your reply. I can confirm it is magnetic and actually quite strong. The clasp( which I now believe maybe a peach) is not. And the handle is also not magnetic.

Very interesting about Komai of Kyoto. Do you think it might be from them or just in the style of ... how can I tell ?

Just a hint as to opening it.As it is iron it does tend to rust so I suggest a squirt of CRC or similar into the area where the lock reaches the body.With a bit of work on the lock you should start to get some movemnt and thus open it but it may take a little time and patience.Will probably contain three drawers with similar decoration and perhaps a signature.

Hi thanks for your response. That's some good advice I might try it. I'd be a bit concerned that I may damage the gold inlay with the spray, but maybe that is unfounded? Also the knob seems to spin freely and rotates a full 360 and more. It more feels like the mechanism isn't catching rather than its stuck with rust. Anyway it would be interesting to find a makers mark.

Does the "peach" have any holes in it where a pin or nail-like object can be inserted?
What is the round feature at the top of the peach? Does it depress or turn? If it unscrews it may have a nail-like piece attached which gets inserted into a hole somewhere.
Are it's leaves solid? In other words, could one of the leaves be a button?
Are all details of the box solid, or could something else be a button?
In my years in the antique business, we often came across unusual boxes from various countries, and they sometimes had hidden release mechanisms.
Perhaps turn the peach while tilting the box forwards, backwards, or sideways.
The fact that the box is metal indicates some level of security, yet it may be something more like "child-proofing". It does seem unusual that the box opens from the side. Cool piece.

Cheers
Gman

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