Sosaku – Japanese Hake Inking Brush – 20mm

Sosaku 20mm Hake Brush for Woodblock Inking

The Sosaku 20mm Hake is the middle-sized horsehair brush in Michihamono’s 15mm, 20mm and 24mm range. It gives you a practical option when a small brush would need many passes, but you still want a compact tool for distributing colour. It belongs to the maker’s Japanese woodblock printing range for water-based printmaking.

A balanced size for your brush collection

Choose the 20mm size according to the area you need to ink and the way you like to work. It offers more width than the 15mm Hake while remaining narrower than the 24mm option. Keeping several sizes nearby makes it easier to match the brush to a colour shape without changing your carved design.

The brush uses horsehair with a firm body and finely split, soft tips. The tips retain paint and help it spread over the block, while the body gives the brush support during application. These are working characteristics of the Hake range, rather than a substitute for controlling the amount of colour and water you use.

Working through successive colour layers

Prepare your colour in a separate dish and add it to the block in small amounts. Work it over the printing surface, then take a proof to check the result. If you are printing an edition, record your mixture and repeat the same preparation routine between impressions.

A brush reserved for one colour can help keep mixtures clean. For a multi-colour design, consider keeping a second 20mm Hake for another colour family, or pairing it with a smaller Hake for compact areas. Use a carrying brush when you want a separate tool for transferring colour from the dish.

Specifications and storage

• Brush size: 20mm.
• Bristles: horsehair.
• Manufacturer code: 82004300.
• Contents: one individual Hake brush.

Clean after use and let the brush dry. Michihamono recommends storage with the bristles facing down.