Tomigaya Letterpress
Japanese letterpress notebooks from Tokyo. Hand-printed, with meticulous typography—for anyone who sees writing as a ritual.
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Tomigaya Letterpress is a letterpress studio from Tokyo — founded by Hosoyamada Design Office in Shibuya with over 30 years of editorial design experience. Every notebook is made with vintage wooden type from the 1940s to 1970s, on historic letterpresses, hand-bound by a long-established bookbindery in Bunkyo Ward, Tokyo. The natural scratches and dents of the aged type leave a slightly different impression on every copy — no two are identical. Western typographic history meets Japanese craftsmanship.
Who is Tomigaya Letterpress?
Behind Tomigaya Letterpress is the Hosoyamada Design Office in Shibuya, Tokyo — a studio with over 30 years of editorial design experience. The founder became inspired by letterpress culture during a trip to New York and decided to bring this near-forgotten printing technique to Tokyo. He collected historic letterpresses and vintage wooden type originally used in Europe and America between the 1940s and 1970s, and opened a studio in Tomigaya, Shibuya — today with an attached café and regular letterpress workshops. The three main typefaces in the range — Gill Sans, Bodoni and Futura — are hand-pressed using these historic wooden type blocks. Every cover carries the visible marks of age: scratches, dents, faded ink. That is not a defect — it is the mark of genuine letterpress printing.
The Collection
Tomigaya Letterpress offers four product lines at Charles & Marie. The Typeface Notebook (Bodoni, Gill Sans, Futura) is the centrepiece: an A5 cloth-bound hardcover notebook with 365 numbered pages featuring a RISO dot grid, two ribbon bookmarks and a letterpress cover in vintage wooden type — each typeface its own typographic world. The LOVE Notebook is a tape-bound A5 notebook with heart-shaped dots inside and a letterpress cover — the most popular model worldwide and particularly strong as a gift item. The WRITE Notebook is the everyday notebook in the series: tape-bound, A5, 3.5mm dot grid for handwriting, letterpress cover in two typographic variants (RANDOM and CONDENSED). The 365×2 Notebook holds two years in one object: 736 blank pages, cloth-bound hardcover, two ribbon bookmarks — and exactly in the middle a hand-pressed letterpress special page: "STILL HALFWAY — ALREADY HALFWAY."
The Craft
Letterpress (活版印刷) is a relief printing technique using movable type: inked letterforms are pressed into the material, leaving a visible, tactile impression. Tomigaya Letterpress uses historic wooden type from the 1940s to 1970s. Their natural wear — scratches, dents, faded ink — creates a slightly different impression on every print. No copy is identical to another. The interiors of the Typeface Notebooks and the 365×2 are printed with RISO, a Japanese printing process that produces warm, slightly uneven results with great character. The binding of the hardcover notebooks is carried out by a long-established bookbindery in Bunkyo Ward, Tokyo. Every step — printing, binding, quality control — takes place in Japan.
As a Gift
Tomigaya Letterpress is one of the most compelling gift brands in the notebook segment: a product with visible craftsmanship, clear provenance and a story that explains itself on the shelf. The letterpress cover is sensory — the impression tangible, the scratches of the aged type visible. This makes Tomigaya an object that is a pleasure to give and a pleasure to receive. For birthdays, starting university, a new job, New Year, weddings, or as a gift for Japan enthusiasts. The LOVE Notebook works as an emotional gift, the 365×2 as a statement object for two years, the Typeface Notebook as a typographic object for designers and writers, and the WRITE as a quiet, lasting everyday companion.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Tomigaya Letterpress?
Tomigaya Letterpress is a letterpress studio from Tokyo (Hosoyamada Design Office, Shibuya) that produces notebooks with letterpress covers made from vintage wooden type. All products are hand-pressed and hand-bound in Japan. The studio combines Western typographic history with Japanese craftsmanship.
What is letterpress printing?
Letterpress (活版印刷) is a relief printing technique in which movable type is inked and pressed into the material. The result is a visible, tactile indentation — the impression. Tomigaya Letterpress uses historic wooden type from the 1940s to 1970s. Their natural scratches and dents make every print minimally unique.
Which Tomigaya Letterpress notebooks are available at Charles & Marie?
Charles & Marie stocks four product lines: the Typeface Notebook (Bodoni, Gill Sans, Futura — hardcover, 365 pages, RISO dot grid), the LOVE Notebook (tape-bound, A5, heart-shaped dots), the WRITE Notebook (tape-bound, A5, 3.5mm dot grid) and the 365×2 Notebook (736 blank pages, hardcover, 2-year notebook with a letterpress centre page).
What is the difference between the Typeface Notebook and the tape-bound notebooks?
The Typeface Notebook is a cloth-bound hardcover notebook with 365 pages featuring a RISO dot grid and two ribbon bookmarks — the most premium model in the range. LOVE and WRITE are tape-bound: lighter, slimmer, with a soft cardboard cover and an adhesive spine strip. Both categories have letterpress covers made from vintage wooden type, but differ in feel, purpose and weight.
Are all Tomigaya notebooks identical?
No. The vintage wooden type from the 1940s to 1970s carries natural wear marks — scratches, dents, faded ink — that leave a slightly different impression on every print. No copy is identical to another. This is the mark of genuine letterpress printing and a deliberate part of the aesthetic.
Who are Tomigaya Letterpress notebooks a good gift for?
For anyone who writes, designs or loves Japan and typography. The LOVE Notebook works particularly well as an emotional gift (birthday, Valentine's Day, friendship). The Typeface Notebook is ideal for designers and typography enthusiasts. The 365×2 is the gift for two years — for starting university, a new job, or as a statement object for a significant birthday.
Where are Tomigaya Letterpress notebooks made?
All notebooks are made in Japan. The letterpress cover is hand-pressed in the studio in Tomigaya, Shibuya, Tokyo. The binding of the hardcover notebooks is carried out by a long-established bookbindery in Bunkyo Ward, Tokyo. Every step — printing, binding, quality control — takes place in Japan.
What is RISO printing?
RISO is a Japanese printing process that works with a form of stencil printing and produces slightly uneven, warm results with great character. Tomigaya Letterpress uses RISO for the interior pages of the Typeface Notebooks and the 365×2 Notebook — the dot grid has a lively, handmade quality rather than mechanical uniformity.
Tomigaya Letterpress at Charles & Marie — letterpress notebooks from Tokyo, hand-pressed with vintage wooden type from the 1940s to 1970s. Every copy an original.
