The earliest style was Karuma-nagamochi or long trunk on wheels. Early in the Edo era the most valuable items from a family or business were stored in a wheeled chest that was pulled outside when the home or business caught fire. Fire was a major hazard in the Edo period. Kuruma-dansu are any chest with wheels.Sendai-dansu are known for their elaborate ironwork - commissioned from former sword makers after the Samurai were disbanded in the Meiji era. There is usually a lockable door containing two smaller drawers. Sendai-dansu are characterised by one long top drawer, with three slightly smaller drawers underneath. They originated from craftsmen in the Sendai region, and are often made of zelkova wood with drawers lined in cedar. Sendai-dansu are chests used to store kimono and clothing.Most kitchen chests will not have locks and will be a combination of sliding doors and drawers. Mizuya-dansu or daidokoro-dana were used in kitchens for the storage of plates, utensils and food items.Quite often the wood used in these chests was Kiri because it kept swords from rusting in the humid Japanese summers. These chests were long and low and owned by Samurai families. Katana-dansu were used to store swords.When the tax collectors were coming around the chest that functioned as stairs up to a separate level could be moved so that their function could be hidden. This was used to avoid taxation on other areas of a home when taxes were levied based on the size of ones home. The Kaidan-dansu (or step-chests as they are sometimes called) were often designed in several modular pieces.They are often made of Kiri wood and have many small drawers. They were used to store herbs which would be made into prescriptions by the pharmacist. Sometimes these chests open only on a single side, but others are notable for being accessible from both sides, leading to quite a wide variety of options in interior design. These chests do come in many sizes, serving everything from storage for sewing supplies, sea chests, merchant chests, and up to large ones for storage of futons and kitchen equipment. Choba-dansu Were used by Chonin - Merchants, these chests display elaborate metal hardware, and were traditionally used in shops to impress customers.