Mingei folk art furniture makes the most of local tree resources and craft traditions. This large chest, for example, is made of 500-year-old Zelkova burl wood from the Kitakami Mountains, as well as local Nambu paulownia, and the metal fittings are crafted using Nambu ironware craft techniques. The result is a neat form that balances elegance and skilled craftsmanship with a sense of wabi-sabi. These chests can be perfectly at home in authentic Japanese rooms as well as modern Western settings.