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KAIDAN DANSU
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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.