Collecting Japanese Antiques by Alistair Seton

Author:Alistair Seton
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 978-1-4629-0588-1
Publisher: Tuttle Publishing

Fig. 297 Two-piece staircase chest, hinoki structure, steps, etc. pine, ca. 1890,88 1/2 X 71 X 26 in (225 X 180 X 66 cm). Jay Burns Collection.

Fig. 298 Staircase chest, Gifu Prefecture, keyaki front, late 19th-early 20th c.,70 X 61 1/2 X 22 1/2 in (178 X 156 x 57 cm). Photo courtesy Kurofune Antiques.

Kitchen Chests

Mizuya (literally "water room") is the Japanese word for a kitchen chest (Figs. 290, 293-296). They are approximately 6 ft high (183 cm) though chests from Kanazawa are a foot lower. Common widths are 3, 6, 9, and 12 feet (91, 183, 274, and 366 cm) (sanjaku, ikken, ikken-han, niken). The latter two are uncommon-only the rich could afford them-and made with superior materials and skill. The structurals and drawer fronts are often keyaki.

To make them easier to move, the top half has pegs fitting into niches on the lower half. The halves are not separable because of the pegs. Besides, the lower half has no top. A memorable adaptation in Mulroney and Lao's book shows the top half placed high against the ceiling and a food preparation space between that and the bottom half placed on the floor, with the drawers given a new top. An alternative, especially if one half is in good condition, but not the other, is to use only one piece. The lower profile allows one to put it in an entrance hall and perhaps use it for storing shoes (as a getabako) or as an elegant, ornamental hall table.

The large storage area behind the doors often held the individuallegged trays from which people ate while sitting on the floor. These came in non-stackable sets of 20-40, thus taking up a lot of room. As a mizuya is big, it can be turned into a drinks cabinet, bookshelf, TV or stereo area, or a dust-free display space for collectibles. The inside disappears when you close the doors-a nice trick when guests come. The drawers are handy for storage.

Mizuya with slatted doors are the pride of Ōmi, the area round Lake Biwa, but doors with one solid, often hand-sawn and perhaps recycled slab of keyaki are also attractive. Most drawer fronts are of superior wood, such as keyaki, chestnut, or box (tsuge). Since the doors were slid open and shut dozens of times a day, the softer wood grooves (unless given hard studs) below them tend to get worn down. This causes the door to drop, so a little strip of bamboo may be added to the top to stop it falling out. This remedy does not affect the look of a chest, so should not detract from its appeal.

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