I described the basic characteristics of each category by introducing the most common pieces of each category. Carved wood furniture was also a short-lived Meiji craft. It had emerged as a distinct form around 1890 when Hamamono emerged, and almost vanished just after the end of the Meiji period. The identification of export furniture makers was particularly problematic. Moreover, the production was done by a considerable number of anonymous craftsmen who worked collaboratively, and naturally most of them were not regarded as an artist.
Further research is needed into named individual craftsmen and workshops.
When Mortimer Menpes boasted about his Japanese-inspired mansion erected in Chelsea at the end of the nineteenth century, he said All is Japanese but not the Japan of the curio dealer. In this sense, most items of Meiji export furniture I have presented in this paper fall in this curio shop category. They are excessively decorated hybrid objects. Many Japanese today never recognise them as Japanese products, not only because little survives in Japan but also because their appearance is not in accordance with Japanese aesthetic. To me, however, Meiji export furniture is extremely interesting, not so much from its craftsmanship and aesthetic but more from the historical view point.