Post by Deleted on Dec 25, 2018 22:26:14 GMT -5
While it is not true that the Japanese did not know about furniture (They had imported the idea of tables, chairs, desks, and other items from the mainland during the eighth century Nara period.) it is true that they have always been primarily a floor-seated culture. Starting with the high-culture of the Heian period in the ninth century, Japan returned to its traditional roots and it basically stayed there until modern times. Now this does not mean that Japan did not have any furniture, just that much of the indoor furniture was designed for the benefit of one seated on the floor. One of the most varied types of floor furniture are the low tray-tables that are generally called “zen”.
A zen is a tray, often lacquered, that has some kind of base that raises it a bit closer to the diner, and enables the fingers of the serve to get below the tray when it is being placed on or lifted from the floor. The particular type of the tray-table is determined by the type of base or legs it has. The footed “takatsuki” tray, with its tapering round base, is probably most familiar to us today, as it was used by nobility as far back as the Heian period. The butterfly-legged “chouashi-zen”, and cat’s paw legged “nekoashi-zen” are used in scrolls to denote status, as the butterfly-leg zen was more suited for higher classes and cat’s-paw-leg for retainers and servants. In later period, the broad-pedestaled “tsuigasane” gains popularity, and it is very similar to pedestals used to present offerings in temples.
I made this tsuigasane zen back in the spring, taught a class about it in the summer, and painted it in the fall, but here I am not posting about it until winter.
The tray portion measures 15 inches by 15 inches, so plenty of room for bowls. The base is about 7 inches tall, so the eater doesn't need to bend too far forward to grasp a bowl. In my research, this is a little taller than average, but well within norms for late-period.
The build is entirely thin plywood from the hardware store, so no special "gourmet" wood is required. I did use a table saw for the cutting, but only a normal blade.The rim on the tray is "kerf bent" with saw cuts at each bend that go almost all the way through, allowing a 22.5 degree bend with a smooth exterior.
The base is separate. The decorative openings were cut with the largest round-bit I had. These would be nicer with a coping saw or laser cuter. The corners on the base were mitered on the table saw, then glued together in a standard way.
The finish is regular water-based black paint, so no special curing is required for that. My goal for this project was to design a tray table that could be made affordably from easily-obtained materials. If you buy a 4 foot by 8 foot full sheet of plywood, you have enough wood for about $25 to make six of these.
A zen is a tray, often lacquered, that has some kind of base that raises it a bit closer to the diner, and enables the fingers of the serve to get below the tray when it is being placed on or lifted from the floor. The particular type of the tray-table is determined by the type of base or legs it has. The footed “takatsuki” tray, with its tapering round base, is probably most familiar to us today, as it was used by nobility as far back as the Heian period. The butterfly-legged “chouashi-zen”, and cat’s paw legged “nekoashi-zen” are used in scrolls to denote status, as the butterfly-leg zen was more suited for higher classes and cat’s-paw-leg for retainers and servants. In later period, the broad-pedestaled “tsuigasane” gains popularity, and it is very similar to pedestals used to present offerings in temples.
I made this tsuigasane zen back in the spring, taught a class about it in the summer, and painted it in the fall, but here I am not posting about it until winter.
The tray portion measures 15 inches by 15 inches, so plenty of room for bowls. The base is about 7 inches tall, so the eater doesn't need to bend too far forward to grasp a bowl. In my research, this is a little taller than average, but well within norms for late-period.
The build is entirely thin plywood from the hardware store, so no special "gourmet" wood is required. I did use a table saw for the cutting, but only a normal blade.The rim on the tray is "kerf bent" with saw cuts at each bend that go almost all the way through, allowing a 22.5 degree bend with a smooth exterior.
The base is separate. The decorative openings were cut with the largest round-bit I had. These would be nicer with a coping saw or laser cuter. The corners on the base were mitered on the table saw, then glued together in a standard way.
The finish is regular water-based black paint, so no special curing is required for that. My goal for this project was to design a tray table that could be made affordably from easily-obtained materials. If you buy a 4 foot by 8 foot full sheet of plywood, you have enough wood for about $25 to make six of these.
