Tokushima Kyodai are kyodai (dressing stands) made mainly in Tokushima City, also known as 'Awa Kyodai.' In Tokushima, woodworking has flourished alongside indigo dyeing and shijira-ori weaving, and in the Meiji period butsudan (Buddhist altars) and kyodai called 'Atakemono' thrived as a local industry. Kyodai began in the Edo period as boxes for holding hand mirrors, grew larger in the Taisho period, and in the early Showa period Western-style kyodai also began to be made. From around the Showa 30s to 50s (1955-1984) the number of makers increased greatly, and Tokushima was said to be one of the two great kyodai production areas, alongside Shizuoka. A defining feature is that paulownia is used unfinished (shiraki) for the drawers and other interior parts, with the basic structure being a box assembled from boards with notches cut into them. Kyodai were sought after as part of a bride's trousseau, and with repeated innovations in coating, products suited to each era were made. However, with changes in lifestyle, production has declined sharply. Today, makers such as Ebuchi Kyodaiten (江淵鏡台店) in Tokushima City continue to make kyodai and furniture using sashimono (joinery cabinetry) techniques.
Origin
Woodworking in Tokushima is said to have begun in 1585 (Tensho 13), when Hachisuka Iemasa established a shipyard office (Ofune Yakuba) at Atake. Shipwrights working there made sashimono and other items as side work, and this is said to be its origin. Kyodai began to be made in the Edo period as boxes for holding hand mirrors. Up to the Meiji period they were relatively small, and came to be produced in large numbers as one type of Atakemono, drawing on the skills of shipwrights and craftsmen.
History
In the Taisho period kyodai grew larger and the division of labor advanced. The work was split among four types of businesses: those making the base, those making the stand and frame that hold the mirror, those doing the coating, and those handling finishing and wholesale. In the early Showa period, Western-style kyodai began to be made. As lifestyles became more Westernized in the Showa 30s (1955-1964), kyodai with legs and a three-panel mirror, used while sitting on a chair, quickly spread. From around the Showa 30s to 50s (1955-1984) the number of businesses increased rapidly, and Tokushima came to be called one of the two great production areas, alongside Shizuoka.
Features
Almost all of the interior of an Awa Kyodai, including the drawers, is made of paulownia and finished as unpainted shiraki (plain wood). The basic structure is a box assembled from boards with notches cut into them. The exterior coating changed with the times. Before the war, black lacquer was common, and higher-grade pieces were decorated with raden (mother-of-pearl inlay), in which shell is applied. When large quantities of katsura wood arrived from Hokkaido in 1948 (Showa 23), light-colored coatings became fashionable.
Techniques
Tsukiita veneer and fukinuri
In the Taisho period, manufacturing methods using plywood were adopted, such as techniques for artificially creating wood grain and tsukiita (sliced wood veneer), in which thinly shaved wood is applied. These were finished with 'fukinuri,' a brownish-yellow lacquer finish, and marketed as the grade just below high-end products. These techniques were mainly developed in Shizuoka and were quickly adopted in Tokushima as well.
Changes in coating
In the Meiji period, inexpensive varnish began to be used in place of urushi lacquer. When lacquer (rakka) coating appeared in the late Taisho period, it replaced both urushi and varnish finishes. From 1956 (Showa 31) onward, polyester coating was introduced. In Tokushima, where there were many small factories, it was necessary to develop a viscous resin that could be applied with a brush.
Atonuri
Ebuchi Kyodaiten specializes in a coating it calls 'atonuri,' reproducing the subtle shades of color that customers want. It makes the most of this technique through a system in which everything from making the wooden body to coating and finishing is done in a single factory.
Materials Used
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Artisans & Workshops
江淵鏡台店
A kyodai and furniture maker at 1-1-40 Suehiro, Tokushima City. In the early Showa period, the first-generation owner 江渕栄 started 'Ebuchi Mokkosho' (Ebuchi Woodworks), shipping unfinished wooden bodies to the Kansai region. In 1972 (Showa 47), the second-generation owner 江淵達人 incorporated it as Ebuchi Kyodaiten Co., Ltd. and set up a system that handles everything from the wooden body to coating and finishing in-house. He has been selected as an 'Awa no Meiko' (Master Craftsman of Awa). Today the company also makes many furniture-style butsudan.
Official site →How to Buy
- 江淵鏡台店 (Original Kyodai)
- In June 2026, Ebuchi Kyodaiten launched its first original kyodai brand. It includes the 'GRACE VANITY' series, featuring a white top and smooth curves. Colors are suggested using AI, and pieces are made to order.Where to buy →PR
Hands-on Experiences
江淵鏡台店（阿波鏡台歴史館）
徳島県徳島市末広1丁目1-40
The 'Awa Kyodai History Museum,' which kyodai researchers have visited for their studies, is said to be inside Ebuchi Kyodaiten. Awa Navi states that tours and woodcraft experiences are free. It is closed on Sundays and public holidays. Please check with the shop in advance about whether the museum is open to visitors.
View details →FAQ
Q. How many kyodai were made in Tokushima?
A. According to Ebuchi Kyodaiten, at the peak in 1973 (Showa 48), 270,000 units were sold nationwide. Demand for weddings was high, and they were shipped all over Japan. However, at the time the shop spoke out through crowdfunding, sales in the previous year were said to have been about 100 units.
Q. Is a kyodai different from a dresser?
A. It is said that Shimizu Shoten (清水商店) in Tokushima City named a kyodai combining a mirror and a chest of drawers a 'dresser.' With the 1966 (Showa 41) revision of the commodity tax, dressers became taxable as chests of drawers (tansu). Following objections from the industry, those whose storage section was below a certain size came to be treated as kyodai.
Q. What kinds of kyodai were made as bridal trousseau items?
A. From the Showa 30s (1955-1964), Tokushima kyodai aimed to be high-end products. Maruni (丸二) in Tokushima City developed products using special French glass from around 1960 (Showa 35). The pure-white 'Hakucho Set' (Swan Set), made entirely of paulownia, was popular with brides who longed for a Western-style life.