KUSURI TANSU
Anonymous
Japan, 1874
UNIQUE
Cedar, Iron
Height — 43.71 in (111 cm)
Width — 57.49 in (146 cm)
Depth — 11.42 in (29 cm)
Held In — Chiba Prefecture, Japan
Price — USD 9 500
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Large Japanese medicine chest (kusuri-tansu) from the Meiji period, the façade composed of an extensive grid of small drawers whose repetition gives the piece a strong architectural presence
Handwritten inscriptions reading 明治七年 remain visible on several drawer sides, identifying the year of production as 1874. The chest is constructed from cedar (sugi), a less common material for medicine chests of this type, which were more typically produced in paulownia
The drawers have been adjusted and open smoothly, with all original pulls intact. Iron side handles remain present but are fixed due to age-related oxidation

