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KAIDAN DANSU
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Availablitity in US
93013 -
KAIDAN DANSU
A
freestanding staircase with built-in storage compartments, this type of chest
was used, most often in rural areas, to connect the ground floor and the loft of
a home or shop. The large two- or three-piece staircase chest would have been
used in large houses or shops, whose ceilings were higher than those of urban
houses.
As the staircase idea evolved during the late Edo period (1780-1868), clever
craftsmen also realized the space efficiency of building compartments into the
body of the staircase. In old
Japanese shops, the chest stored goods and supplies, while in homes it
was used for household articles.
Staircase chests evolved during the late Edo period in rural areas for local
use. Earlier pieces may seem ungainly at first sight, with their height
appearing disproportionately tall in relation to their width and length Since
the majority of the chests are built of cryptomeria or cypress, and since no
major changes in construction and style occurred during the Meiji era, it is
sometimes difficult to determine age, although thick wood for steps and drawer
fronts usually indicates an older chest. Also the used metal work often tells us
more about the period because of
the different styles, for example, drawer handles in the warabite or
hirute styles are earlier than the gumbai style.
Staircase
chests originated in northern Honshu-specifically, the regions around Sendai,
Niigata, and Yonezawa, and much of Iwate Prefecture. The reason for their
development in these areas probably stems from the fact that the spacious
country homes and shops in the north were constructed with a large space between
the ground floor and the loft, which necessitated a staircase. Later, production
spread tot Gifu, Toyama, Fukui, and Ishikawa prefectures as the influence of
furniture craft from the Japan Sea coast reached these regions.