Chest (bandaji)

A bandaji is a wooden chest or cabinet known for a distinct characteristic: the top half of its front is designed to drop open. Literally, ban in Korean translates to “half” and daji to “open and close,” so a bandaji can be referred to as a “half-opening chest.” Bandaji chests have been used for storage in many social classes, from commoners’ bedrooms to royal chambers. Normally clothing and blankets are stored inside, and heavy blankets are put on top. Bandaji can also store dry food (mostly grains), dishes, money, books, and more.
Most bandaji chests are adorned with metal decorations. Designs of bandaji chests often reflect the lifestyle of owners and also echo regional differences. For example, the delicate steel-plate ornaments on this chest are created with a technique and pattern that have only been used in the Bakcheon area (near Pyeongyang in present-day North Korea). Due to the distinctive designs of the steel plates with many holes, the nickname for this type of bandaji is sungsung-i bandaji. Sungsung is an onomatopoeic word in Korean representing what the wind sounds like when it blows rapidly through a hole.