Japanese Mizuya Dansu in Keyaki Wood, 1930

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This antique Japanese mizuya dansu in keyaki wood is a two-part kitchen cabinet with sliding doors and textured glass. It … Read more This antique Japanese mizuya dansu in keyaki wood is a two-part kitchen cabinet with sliding doors and textured glass. It originates from Japan, from the early Shōwa period, when traditional tansu joinery took in industrial glass.The mizuya dansu was the cabinet of the Japanese kitchen: it held tableware, preparation tools and dry goods. It was built in two stacking sections so it could be moved and carried through narrow corridors.The upper section carries four sliding doors, two with textured glass and curved muntins drawing a cloud, and two of solid panel. A working shelf overhangs between the two sections. The lower section combines two central sliders of radial figure, a tall drawer with a brass pull, a hinged door and two low drawers.The keyaki of the central doors shows an open radial figure, highly prized in Japanese cabinetmaking. Structure and drawers are sugi. The sliders run in grooves cut into the wood itself, without hardware, and the recessed pulls are brass.The original dark stain survives evenly and has gained depth, with a soft sheen along the most handled edges. The textured glass is intact in all four panels. The back of vertical boards shows the wear proper to a cabinet in continuous use.At 151 cm high and only 70 across the front, it suits a kitchen, a dining room or a corridor. It sits naturally in japandi and wabi-sabi interiors, and works as well for displaying tableware as for closed storage. See less