Chinese goods; imported goods
Historical term for goods imported from China, especially during the Heian through Muromachi periods. Often refers to high-quality ceramics, textiles, and art objects.
secondhand goods; old furniture
Only with reading からもの
Archaic sense restricted to the reading からもの. Used in older texts to refer to used or secondhand items, especially furniture.
During the Muromachi period, Chinese goods were highly prized.
This tea bowl is a fine example of imported Chinese ware.
Old Edo-period records mention shops dealing in secondhand goods referred to as からもの.
Edo-period seller of foreign goods
Standard kanji spelling for the historical term referring to Chinese or imported goods.
From 唐 (kara, 'China' or 'foreign') + 物 (mono, 'thing'). The reading からもの is the most common; とうぶつ and とうもつ are alternative Sino-Japanese readings, with とうもつ marked as obsolete.