Hobonichi Notebook Yamazakura A6

The Hobonichi notebook Yamazakura in A6 format combines Japanese Tomoe River paper at 52 g/m² with a botanical illustration by Dr. Tomitaro Makino – known as the father of Japanese botany. The cover features the Yamazakura (wild cherry tree), the opening illustration from the first volume of his 1900 work "Flora Japonica": intricate, meticulously detailed line drawings created with magnifying glasses, microscopes and a Makie brush made from mouse hair. Robust thread binding allows the notebook to lie completely flat – both pages can be written on without restriction.

Features

• Tomoe River Paper 52 g/m², acid-free: The extremely smooth surface allows nibs to glide with minimal resistance. Despite its light weight, the paper offers high opacity – show-through of the reverse side is greatly minimised and bleed-through is prevented.
• Ink-friendly surface: Tomoe River paper brings out the shading, sheen and colour depth of fountain pen inks impressively – wet ink behaviour remains controlled even with stub nibs or heavily pigmented inks. Not archival quality.
• 240 pages at 8 mm spine thickness: The extraordinary thinness of the paper makes this page volume possible in a handy A6 format – light enough for a trouser pocket, substantial enough for months of intensive use.
• 3.7 mm grid in four alternating ink colours: Every 60 pages the grid colour changes – red, blue, green, violet. This makes thematic organisation of the notebook easier or helps you quickly find older entries.
• Thread binding for flat opening: The book opens completely flat – no resistance, no spring-back. Two-sided writing and drawing right to the spine is no problem.
• Compatible with Hobonichi Techo Avec: The A6 format matches the Hobonichi Techo Original and can be combined with matching A6 covers – as a supplement to the Avec or as a standalone notebook in the same system.
• Archival quality: Acid-free paper and robust construction ensure the notebook doesn't yellow or become brittle even after decades.

Use & Tips

• Fountain pens and wet inks: Tomoe River 52 g/m² shows its full potential with water-based fountain pen inks – shading inks appear particularly striking on the smooth surface, sheen inks shimmer noticeably. Allow extra drying time for very wet nibs (stub nibs, flex nibs), especially when writing left-handed.
• Thematic organisation through colour changes: The four colour sections (60 pages each) can be used as natural chapters – for example for sketches, notes, references and freeform writing – without the need for tabs or stickers.
• Bullet journaling and daily planning: The 3.7 mm grid is identical to the Hobonichi Techo Original – if you already plan in the Hobonichi system, you'll find the same grid density here and can transfer proven layouts directly.
• Supplement to Hobonichi Techo Avec: The notebook works as a dedicated companion notebook to the Avec – for weekly lists, projects or blank pages missing from the calendar.
• Pencil and ballpoint: The smooth surface works very precisely with pencil; ballpoints glide smoothly. Eraser leaves no damage to the surface.
• Long-term archiving: Thanks to acid-free paper, written content remains stable over very long periods – suitable for journals, diaries or work notebooks that need to be kept indefinitely.

For Paper Enthusiasts

Tomoe River 52 g/m² is known among fountain pen users for a property that rarely occurs in other papers: the coated, extremely smooth calendered surface slightly delays ink absorption – which means colour gradations (shading) become more intensely visible and metallically shimmering inks (sheen) can unfold their lustre fully. The 3.7 mm grid of the Yamazakura notebook is identical to that of the Japanese Hobonichi Techo Original – the paper specification is also the same. The cover illustration was created during the Meiji era: Dr. Makino drew the Yamazakura using magnifying glasses and microscopes, modelling flower petals and branches with a Makie brush made from bundled mouse hair – a technique that enables the finest shading and three-dimensional depth in line drawings. Below the illustration is the scientific name of the wild cherry: PRUNUS PSEUDO-CERASUS, Lindl., α. SPONTANEA, Maxim. The Japanese characters "やまざくら" run from right to left – as was the writing convention of the Meiji era.

Technical Specifications