HON Tomitaro Makino: Yamazakura [ENG/A5/Jan Start]

The Hobonichi Techo HON, a techo with a hardcover design attached to the book, now features a design with a botanical illustration by botanist Dr. Tomitaro Makino. You will be able to take joy in the beauty of Dr. Makino’s stunning botanical illustration even more in the larger A5 size.

The botanical illustration of cherry blossoms drawn with precise lines to the last detail is the first illustration of “Yamazakura,” meaning “mountain cherry,” which is the opening illustration of the first volume of his “Flora Japonica” book published in 1900. Dr. Tomitaro Makino’s drawing of the Yamazakura cherry tree as a symbolic Japanese plant is characterized by its dazzlingly detailed line drawings. The rough cloth cover is inspired from the image of a canvas.

The botanical illustrations, born from a keen eye for observation, knowledge, and experience, make this techo an ideal companion for your daily life.



The illustrations that have become one of Dr. Makino’s masterpieces were drawn about 120 years ago during the Meiji Era, using loupes and microscopes for detailed observation and creating drawings that show the entire shape of the Yamazakura branches, shapes of the petals, and structures of various parts. Using a Makie painting brush with a bundle of mouse hairs, they are expressed clearly through shading that conveys the solidity of the flower’s living petals.



Letters written below the stunning botanical illustration “PRUNUS PSEUDO - CERASUS, Lindl., α. SPONTANEA, Maxim.” represent the scientific name of the Yamazakura cherry tree. The notation “ra-ku-za-ma-ya” spelled in hiragana reflects the writing style of the Meiji Era, written from right to left, instead of left to right.

The book spine is foil-pressed in a matte silver with the year 2024 and the HON logo for easy reference when placed in your bookshelf alongside other books.

The contents are the same as the Hobonichi Techo Cousin book. The HON A5 size includes weekly pages which track a week in each two-page spread for easy planning and contain a handy time schedule.

The bookbinding on the HON has thread-stitch binding similar to the Hobonichi Techo Cousin, so it opens 180 degrees onto the table. It stays flat even if you don’t hold it down.



The book uses thin and light yet durable Tomoe River S paper. The paper has supported the Hobonichi Techo for over 20 years with its special characteristics, but it’ll be undergoing an overhaul starting with the 2024 edition techos. The paper is more resistant to bleed through, lighter despite being almost the same thickness, and has a crisper surface by adjusting the fibers of the paper.



The back of the book has informational pages, including An Interview with Myself, Seasonal Sweets to Make at Home, and Caring for Your Eyes.



As a special exclusive only for the HON, this techo comes with a pencil board. The board is A5 size and clear, with 5mm grid lines printed across it. There are measurements printed along one side in 1mm increments, which allow for use as a ruler. This is also a new type of pencil board, as it has a pen holder attached to it where users can store pens by their clips.



The Hobonichi Techo HON comes in either Japanese or English. If you love this cover, then you can pick out which language you’d like in that book.