Rare Antique Japanese Kusuridansu Apothecary Tansu Edo Period c1820s 29"W

Rare 200 Year Old Antique Japanese 32 Drawer Kusuridansu Apothecary Tansu Late Edo Period c1820s

Japan, Late Edo 江戸 Period, circa 1840s

29" W x 23.5" H x 9.5" D

This late Edo period Kusuridansu (薬箪笥) is a traditional Japanese apothecary chest, originally used by herbalists and village medicine sellers to store and organize medicinal ingredients. The cabinet is constructed in solid softwood with a dense grid of small drawers, each fitted with original hand-forged iron pulls and backing plates, showing deep surface oxidation and long use. Most drawers retain faint inked kanji inventory marks on the original paper labels, a detail consistent with functional medical storage rather than domestic furniture. The interior drawers reveal lighter, unfinished wood with visible hand-cut joinery, while the exterior surfaces display layered wear, abrasions, and patina developed over nearly two centuries of daily handling. Two full-width base drawers provide larger storage, a typical feature of working kusuridansu intended for bulk herbs or tools.

Solid wood construction with original iron hardware

Condition consistent with age and use, including surface wear, edge losses, old repairs, darkened patina, and residual paper label fragments; drawers open and close smoothly overall with expected variation

A rare and honest example of a functional Edo-period kusuridansu, valued today both as a collector’s piece and as sculptural storage with strong historical presence