Nishijin Textile Great Wave Notebook

The Nishijin Textile Great Wave Notebook renders Katsushika Hokusai's woodblock print The Great Wave off Kanagawa (Kanagawa-oki Nami-ura) as a woven Kyoto brocade cover on a B6 dot-grid notebook by Morisan. Hokusai's towering wave, its foam curling like claws above a small Mount Fuji in the distance, is one of the most recognised images in Japanese art, first published around 1831 in his series Thirty-Six Views of Mount Fuji.

Here the scene is recreated entirely in dyed threads, the deep indigo and Prussian-blue water fading into pale spray as it does in the original print. The woven surface gives the wave a quiet texture a printed cover cannot, and the dot-grid pages inside suit a diary, a sketchbook, or a bullet journal.

Nishijin textile is renowned for its diverse yet limited production. It originates from the historic Nishijin district in Kyoto and boasts a heritage of over a thousand years. The crafting process starts with meticulously dyeing each white thread in the needed colors. Once dyed, the threads are carefully wound to facilitate weaving. This ensures they are intricately woven into designs that epitomize traditional Japanese artistry.

Morisan, a company that manufactures notebooks, has made Nishijin textile more accessible and affordable. They achieve this by using polyester instead of the traditional silk. Notebooks made from Nishijin textile, with over a thousand years of history in Kyoto, are highly recommended for recording daily events. They are ideal for diaries or bullet journals as they preserve your personal history.

Explore our Japanese notebook collection, crafted for exceptional writing and creative sketching.

Details

• Size: B6 - 5.0" × 7.1" (12.8cm × 18.2 cm)
• Pages: 192 Pages (96 Sheets)
• Sheet Type: Dot Grid
• Paper Type: High-Quality Paper 70k
• Paper Weight: 81.4 gsm
  
• Weight: 255g
• Material: Nishijin Textile(polyester) / Paper
• Brand: Morisan

Morisan: Preserving Nishijin Textile 'Kinran' in Japanese Notebook

"Bringing Nishijin Brocade Closer to Everyday Life"

In Japan, if you speak of tradition and history, Kyoto often comes to mind. It is the former capital and a hub of cultural heritage. Since 1921, Morisan has been a steadfast purveyor of Kyoto’s traditional craft, Nishijin textile. Among their offerings, Morisan specializes in an exquisite form of Nishijin brocade known as 'kinran.' This luxurious fabric incorporates gold threads. They are made by applying gold leaf to washi paper, slicing it into hair-thin strips, and wrapping these around threads. These are then intricately woven to create stunning patterns.

Traditionally, kinran was used in garments such as Buddhist monks' robes and costumes for Japanese dolls, but the demand for such items has diminished over time. However, Morisan has embraced a mission to integrate Nishijin brocade into contemporary life, making it more accessible and enjoyable. By substituting silk with polyester to maintain affordability, and crafting a range of everyday items from notebooks to bags, Morisan is making this opulent fabric a part of modern living.

We invite people around the world to enjoy Morisan's Japanese notebook, which embody the tradition of Kyoto's Nishijin textile artisans—a tradition that Morisan has proudly sustained for over a century.