A mid-size kusuri dansu (薬箪笥), produced in Japan during the late Edo period (c.1780s–1868), formed as a disciplined grid of small drawers above larger base compartments, each fitted with iron ring pulls for the storage and measured dispensing of herbal medicines

The outer structure—top, sides, back, and bottom panels—is executed in sugi cedar (Cryptomeria japonica), a material traditionally favored for its stability and lightness. The surface has deepened to a near-black tone through oxidation and prolonged handling, with underlying brown tones emerging along the edges and lower register, reinforcing the piece’s utilitarian origin and the quiet precision of its construction