Kitchen chest "mizuya dansu", Meiji period, ca. 1880 ·  Japan, Kyoto Style · ID: 3045072

Description

cypress “hinoki” and elm/ zelkova “keyaki”, cast iron mounts and handles, finish in blackened burned lacquer, chest-on-chest configuration, thirteen front drawers and four compartments behind sliding doors

The name “mizuya dansu” derived from the word “mizuya” (literally “place of water”). A space adjacent to the main room of a teahouse where shelving and a bamboo grate existed for cleaning and storing ceramics.

Kitchen “dansu” is a result of the transformation of eating and cooking habits in the Edo-period. The change was driven by new vegetables and other crops which allowed the Japanese to devote time to the art of making meals rather than cooking one-pot meals for survival. It is not mere coincidence that the first cookbooks arrived in the same period as the birth of kitchen cabinetry.

The extremely practical piece of furniture offers plenty of storage space. The Western world has discovered the beauty and practicality of “mizuya dansu” where they can often be found in living and dining rooms, office spaces,etc.

The simple geometry of Japanese furniture allows for integration in nearly all interiors, modern and classic alike.