#kusuri

印籠 (inrô) pill box/nested boxes, handy chart by fantastic Edo-lover Nadeshico Rin.

Inrô were first used during Sengoku period by men to carry their personal seals (印鑑 inkan) and thick red ink (朱肉 shuniku). It was then used to carry medecines (薬 kusuri), such as pills (丸薬 ganyaku), powders (散薬 sanyaku), or decoctions (煎じ薬 senjigusuri). Slowy people also added any small trinkets which could fit in.

First carried by samurai class, it then spread to chônin commoners in the Edo period. Many shapes existed, and inrô boxes could be made from many materials depending of their owners’ fortune, from paper to precious ivory. Often beautifully decorated, their designs could include raden (mother of pearl inlays), or makie (gold powder).

On the right, you can see the different part of an inrô:

根付 (netsuke) carved toggle (sometimes very intricated miniature sculptures), slipped into the obi belt

紐 (himo) cord, holding everything together

緒締 (ojime) string-fastener bead, could be made from precious coral or as decorated as netsuke

飾結び (kazari musubi) ornamental knot​, at the bottom

紐通し孔 (himodôshiana) lacing hole, to thread the cord into the boxes

蓋鬘 (futakazura) top piece, lid of the box

段 (-dan) row of boxes, ex. 一段 (ichidan) first row

Main types of inrô shapes existed, with of without visible lacing holes (紐通し付き himodôshi tsuki = visible / 隱し紐通し kakushi himodôshi = hidden). Rin details following styles on the left:

杏仁形 (kyônin gata) apricot seed shaped

楕円形 (daen gata) ellipse​ shaped

胴張形 (dôbari gata) hull shaped

丸角長方形 (marusumi chôhôkei) rounded rectangle shaped

長方形 (chôhôkei) rectangle shaped