

Where glowing embers met crisp kimono folds
Before electricity buzzed through Japanese homes, laundresses relied on this heavy iron—a brazier-style press you loaded with live charcoal. The thick cast body held heat for hours, while a sculpted wooden handle stayed cool to the touch. Soot-blackened edges, hammer marks, and mahogany patina tell stories of freshly pressed yukata and starched hakama trousers prepared for town festivals.
Today the iron becomes a striking paperweight, bookend, or conversation piece—an industrial sculpture linking past domestic craft to present-day design aficionados.
Origin: Japan
Era: Circa 1910, late Meiji into early Taishō era
Material: Cast iron body, wood handle, wrought-iron latch
Use: Historical laundry press, décor accent, doorstop, or prop
Features: Hinged lid for charcoal, tubular chimney vent, original handle lathe marks, working clasp
Dimensions: --
Condition: Very good vintage condition; working hinge, stable surface oxidation consistent with age
Its quiet heft still carries the ember-warmth of homesteads where diligence and dignity were pressed into every crease.