Two-Sided Japanese Pharmaceutical Kanban Sign for Two Remedies LS#069

An exceptionally rare and visually striking double-sided wooden kanban (看板) advertising board from a Meiji era apothecary. Each side promotes a different medicinal product — Ken’nōgan (健脳丸), a “Brain Health Pill,” and Konjisui (令治水), a curative “Healing Water” for toothache and neural disorders.

Dimensions: 56" H × 23" W

Rendered in bold hand-carved and gilded lettering (kinpaku) with accents of black and red lacquer, the board features elegant calligraphy, painted detail, and a vivid profile portrait of a human head with anatomical stylization. The raised gold characters and polychrome embellishments are applied to the original hardwood panel, framed with mitered edges and iron side handles for shopfront hanging.

The inscriptions reference Osaka-based distributor Heidan Shōkai (平丹商会) and the Eizaka Nichishindō (永坂日進堂) pharmacy, both associated with popularized over-the-counter patent medicines during Japan’s modernization period. Such kanban were mounted outside pharmacies or medical shops to advertise proprietary remedies in an era when visually compelling signage competed for attention along busy urban streets.

Condition: Excellent original surface with age-appropriate wear. Traces of gilt and lacquer oxidation, minor edge abrasions, and light shrinkage to wood consistent with display and age. Structurally sound with deep, warm patina.

A superb example of Meiji-period commercial art — an impressive pharmaceutical kanban blending medical imagery, bold calligraphy, and fine craftsmanship, perfectly suited for display in a collection of Japanese folk advertising or early medical ephemera.