Mizuya-Dansu

(kitchen cabinet)

They were used as dresser, food safe (that is why there are doors with wire-mesh) and "fridges" to keep water in pots cool ("mizu" means "cold water" in Japanese.

They are often high and generally composed of sliding doors (a pair of them are fitted with wire-mesh or wooden laths for the oldest) and several drawers to put away chopsticks and other implements. They are rarely decorated with metalworks and are in two parts.

The horizontal planks longer on the sides are characreristic of the Kansai models. Some of the mizuyas were only used as dressers and were composed of large sliding doors and small drawers (not to be confused with the monoire-dansu which is much deeper).

The vast majority of pieces found today dates back to the 19th and early 20th century. As these models were very often "recessed" into the kitchen's wall, it is possible to find some pieces from the 18th century, but it is as rare as the Japanese houses from that period.

ID Card

Name:	Mizuya-dansu
Material:	Front: (most often) zelkova, chestnut, cedar or cypress wood Other: cedar or cypress wood sometimes zelkova or chestnut wood (rare)
Dating:	From18th century to early 20th.
Size:	Lenght: big size: ± 180 cm, sometimes up to 250 cm (rare) medium size: between110 and 120 cm small size: between 70 and 100 cm Depth: between 40 and 60 cm Height: big & medium size: between 160 and 180 cm small size: between 100 and 130 cm
Origin:	Often from Kanto and Kansai area.
Value:	Big: €2,500 to €8,500 Medium: €1,500 to €3,000 Small: €750 to €1,500

 

Genuine / Fake ?

Mizuya-dansu and kaidan-dansu are the most copied models. This is due to their huge success. They are copied everywhere in Asia and even in Europe.
Some "antique dealers" do not hesitate to sand genuine ones whose colours are not particularly fashionable to stain them in the most "trendy" colour, in order to sell them at a very high price when they are reduced to less than 50% of their real value.

Be careful then about casted handles that are not handmade. Be sure that the drawers have wooden or bamboo pegs on the sides and underneath. Factory iron nails mean probably that some work has been done recently. The same can be deduced if these nails have been hidden away (ie, by woodpaste). Check if the inside is not stained in order to hide new wooden planks. Beware of common style of mizuya that you can find everywhere, copies are based on the same model. Genuine ones have always something different.

Be careful about mizuyas without the airy doors (with wire-mesh or wooden laths) except for mizuyas serving only for the crockery. In this case, they have huge sliding doors. Beware of mizuyas with huge sliding doors but without drawers. Indeed, it could be monoire-dansu (whose real depth can be up to one meter) that have been cut lengthwise in order to get two smaller pieces. Check the front side and the back to be sure this is not the case.

Other Pictures

Cupboard photo jpeg 60 K	Big size photo jpeg 145 K	Medium size photo jpeg 210 K	Edo era photo jpeg 74 K