HON Hiroko Kubota: Crescent Moon Delivery [ENG/A6/Jan Start]

This imaginative illustration depicts a fox riding a bicycle to deliver a crescent moon.

A fox rides a bicycle along the shoreline as the stars of the night sky sparkle overhead. Tied up in the basket of the light blue bicycle is what appears to be a crescent moon. We can only wonder to whom the fox is delivering the moon. This imaginative artwork by illustrator Hiroko Kubota is reminiscent of the cover of a picture book and has been created specially for the Hobonichi Techo HON.

The back of the cover shows a cat mailing a letter in a mailbox at the foot of a street lamp. Perhaps the cat’s gaze is directed at the fox on the other side.

The facial expressions of the fox and cat, the starry sky, the city off in the distance, and the surface of the water reflecting the light of the crescent moon and street light were among the things carefully considered to get just the right balance in the artwork. We went through many detailed revisions with Kubota to get it just right.

The year 2025 is foil-pressed in a slightly matte gold.

The bookbinding on the HON has thread-stitch binding similar to the Hobonichi Techo Original, so it opens 180 degrees onto the table. It stays flat even if you don’t hold it down.

H: 156 x W: 110 x T: 16 mm / H: 6.1" x W: 4.3" x T: 0.6"