Hobonichi 2024 A5 Planner Cover [Tomitaro Makino: Koshinso]

Koshinso, painted in watercolour, is a perennial insectivorous plant that grows on wet rocks of the mountains in the north of the Kanto region. It was given its Japanese name after being discovered in Mt. Koshin in Tochigi Prefecture.

The botanical illustration drawn over 120 years ago on June 30, 1901, delicately depicts the light purple flowers arranged horizontally and the stems that grow out from the flowers and warp back. Unusually for Dr. Makino’s botanical illustrations, the background is painted in black.

For the A5 size cover, a lovely blooming Koshinso flower is ink-jet printed on ecru-coloured cotton fabric. The matte texture is applied even to the edges of the original drawing, reflecting the atmosphere of the botanical illustrations drawn by Dr. Makino.



Each of the two thin bookmarks is in a different colour, one in light purple and the other in light green inspired by the Koshinso flower and stem. The tips are cut diagonally.



Peek inside the outer back pocket and you will find a hidden message, “There isn’t any grass without a name. ―Tomitaro Makino.” This is an English translation of the words of Dr. Makino, showing how plant loving he was.



There are no interior pockets for this cover, to make the techo even more compact. It has a pen hook designed to hold a pen by its clip.



Written at the bottom of the cover interior is ‘Pinguicula ramosa’, the scientific name for Koshinso.



We also have a Hobonichi Pencil Board fitted for the Cousin size designed with a botanical illustration drawn by Dr. Tomitaro Makino. This is an A5 size pencil board with a botanical illustration of a Korogi-ran printed on it.



You might also like the additional products in collaboration with Dr. Tomitaro Makino’s botanical illustration that we have in our Hobonichi Spring 2024 collection.



We hope you write down many of the joys you find in your daily life just like Dr. Makino, who loved, carefully observed, and drew a vast number of illustrations for plants.