Sosaku – Japanese Hakobi Carrying Brush for Woodblock Colour

Japanese Hakobi Carrying Brush for Woodblock Colour

The Michihamono Hakobi carrying brush is a colour-transfer tool for woodblock printing. Use it to mix or dilute colour in a dish and place it onto the printing block. It complements an inking Hake or block brush, giving each stage of colour preparation its own tool.

Move colour from dish to block

Prepare your water-based colour mixture in a paint dish, then use the carrying brush to pick up a small amount and deposit it where needed on the block. A separate Hake or block brush can then distribute that colour across the printing surface. This division of tasks is useful when you want to adjust the mixture without repeatedly putting your main inking brush into the dish.

Work with small additions and check the result on a proof. Adding colour in measured steps makes it easier to recognise what changed between impressions. For several colours, keep separate carrying brushes or clean thoroughly between mixtures to reduce unwanted pigment transfer.

Shape the tip to suit your routine

Michihamono specifies nylon bristles with an untrimmed length of 30mm and a 105mm handle. The manufacturer permits cutting the tip to the size you prefer. If you choose to customise it, remove a little at a time and check the shape before cutting further, so the brush still carries the amount of colour you need.

You may prefer to keep the supplied tip intact while learning your printing routine. Try the brush on a spare block or during a test print first, then decide whether changing the tip would help your particular process.

Specifications and care

• Brush type: Hakobi carrying brush.
• Bristles: nylon.
• Untrimmed bristle length: 30mm.
• Handle length: 105mm.
• Manufacturer code: 82006100.
• Contents: one individual brush.

Clean away colour after printing and let the brush dry before storing it with your other woodblock tools.