Techo & Haramaki

by: Kody NOKOLO on 7/10/2021

Hobonichi was originally founded by Shigesato Itoi to produce high quality daily life products. Until the Hobonichi MOTHER Project in 2020, Hobonichi’s Techo and Haramaki were two of the only kinds of merchandise the company made that featured the MOTHER series starting in 2014.

What’s a Techo?

Gosh, what I wouldn’t do to have one! Imagine all the pen-based doodles I could do during math class!

The Hobonichi Techo is a notebook and life planner! Featuring a large 4mm grid for full customization and made from high quality Tomoe River paper (Tomoegawa paper), it’s fully resistant to most normal pen ink (but if you use alcohol-based ink, it might bleed through, so be careful)!

Structured with an overview section that includes the entire year, monthly pages to celebrate the change of the month and helpful informational pages in the very back, the Techo is filled with pages for each day of the year. Each day’s page includes the date, information about that day’s moon phase, and a notable quote from one of many unique sources found throughout the book.

The cover also has many useful miscellaneous things, such as a bookmark to keep track of where you are, a pen holder and clasp, and pockets for cards, such as business cards.

Ooh ooh! Do you want the one with the wonder kids, all the things that are trying to kill you, or silly Saturn people playing a game of ladder?!

Each Techo comes with a serial number at the very back of the book just to show how authentically they’re manufactured, and also come with two different sizes, A6 (Original Size) and the larger variant, A5 (“Cousin” Size). There’s also the hardcover “Techo Weeks” version!

Starting in 2012, Itoi has collaborated with the designer company ARTS&SCIENCE to bring the Techo overseas, though only available in the original size.

Notably, there are also cute Techo cover designs based on our favorite idiosyncratic JRPG series! Some featuring the clay models of the protagonists, some covered in all sorts of enemies and the crazy hypnotic battle backgrounds, and one of the Mr. Saturns playing “ladder!”

If you’d like to buy your own Techo, click this link here to learn more!

MOTHER Themed Techo

Onett Techo Cover (2014/2015)

MOTHER 2 Cast Techo Cover (2016)

Saturn Valley Techo Cover (2016)

Ness Sprite Techo Weeks (2017)

MOTHER 2 Techo Cover (2017)

MOTHER Memories Techo Cover (2017)

Mr. Saturn Techo Bags (2017)

Mr. Saturn Techo Bags (2017) …Also fits your DS Lite!

Magicant Techo Weeks (2018)

Magicant Techo Cover (2018)

“Drink Coffee Before Go?” Techo Weeks (2019)

Milky Well Techo Cover (2019)

Pixel Patterns Techo Cover (2019)

Mr. Saturn Tiles Techo Weeks (2020)

Mr. Saturn Tiles Techo Cover (2020)

MOTHER 2 Cast Leather Techo Cover (2020)

Traveling Companions Techo Weeks (2021)

Saturn Ladder Techo Cover (2021)

“An Enemy Blocked the Way!” Techo Cover (2021)

What’s a Haramaki?

We all know those kinds of clothes we get as kids from our grandmothers on holidays like Christmas: kitsch and itchy knitted sweaters. Actually, Japan has a sort of equivalent to this!

I never understood running around in such heavy armor. Wouldn’t you get tired just by walking around in the armor instead of actual battles?

Historically, the Haramaki (literally translated as “belly band”) was used during feudal era Japan as armor that fastened on the front of a soldier via cords in the back. When a Japanese soldier was often headed to war, their family would often give them a Haramaki as a sort of good-luck charm and to keep the soldier warm and improve blood circulation.

Now you might be asking, “Hey, what the heck does all this gotta do with the MOTHER series?!”

Well, hang on! Nowadays in Japan, Haramaki are sort of seen as a ‘granny’ sort of thing. Unpredictably though, Shigesato Itoi and Hobonichi have made it a unique and hip thing to wear in Japan! Despite being ‘kitsch’ and ‘old-fashioned,’ Itoi was well known for wearing Haramaki and made them a more fashionable and more popular accessory. Working with Nintendo to make video game themed Haramaki, a resurgence of a Japanese tradition was setting sail! Some notable Nintendo designs are based on Super Mario, Animal Crossing, and, of course, MOTHER! If you’d like to buy your own Haramaki, here’s a link to learn more!

Maybe someday, Granny’s ugly christmas sweaters will be seen as fashionable around the world, too.