Kaidan-Dansu (Step Chest)

The kaidan-dansu, from kaidan (step) and tansu (chest), is a type of moveable furniture that flourished during Japan's Edo period. Designed for both storage and to give access to a higher floor, legend has it that owners could avoid higher taxes by pretending their houses had fewer storeys! Another suggestion is that these stairways were used in barns to allow silk worms to be nurtured closer to the thatched roof.

In this minifigure-scale LEGO version, each section is loosely connected to one another and to the base, allowing the whole display to be easily customised. All units can store or display minifigure accessories. The look is finished with a selection of ornaments including some traditional negoro-lacquerware lidded bowls.