Wooden nails, Kishū chest of drawers

A special feature of Kishū chest of drawers is that in place of metal nails, wooden nails are used in their construction. To prepare the wood nails, rice-bran is mixed with the nails and heated. This is done to remove excess moisture, and transfer oil from the rice-bran to the nails. The mixture is stirred and carefully watched, since they can easily burn and discolor.