Hobonichi Techo 2026 Tomoe River Paper Review

This year, Hobonichi Techo has refined the Tomoe River paper in their Techos based on feedback from the 2025 papers. They've work with their paper makers and printers to keep that delicate balance, thin yet sturdy pages, smooth yet with that tactile feedback so many of us love.

The 2025 edition raised concerns among users after reports of ink bleed-through. Hobonichi listened carefully, investigated, and made adjustments for 2026. The result is the newTomoe River paper (52gsm), a version that feels subtly thicker, smoother to the touch, and more reliable across different writing tools.

Thanks to detailed testing by Desley (@desleyjane_plans) and Lined Musings (@linedmusings), we’ve been able to see exactly how the new paper performs.

Hobonichi 2026 Tomoe River Paper: First Impressions

Both Desley and Lined Musings described the 2026 paper as smoother and slightly thicker in feel than 2025 or the original 2022 Tomoe River, even though the gsm is unchanged. Fountain pens in particular show a lovely “pencil-like” feedback, and overall performance is better than both the original Tomoe River and the problematic 2025 batch.

Everyday Pen & Marker Performance

Gel pens (Uniball One, Muji 0.38, Zebra Sarasa Clip Gel Pens) — Clean lines, no bleed-through, with only light ghosting.
Ballpoints & technical pens — Smooth writing, no problems reported.
Brush pens (Tombow Fudenosuke hard tip) — Noticeably less ghosting than older papers.
Highlighters (Mildliners) — Minimal ghosting, even with layering. Improved over previous editions.
Dot markers & Crayola markers — Excellent results, with no bleed.
Zebra ClickArt — Still the weak spot, showing heavy ghosting as in past years.

Fountain Pen Testing on Hobonichi 2026 Paper

Fine to broad nibs (Sailor, TWSBI, Kaweco) — Smooth writing, minimal ghosting, no unexpected bleed.
Shading & sheen inks — Performed beautifully under normal use. Heavy swabs did show some bleed, but less than on 2025 paper.
Broad nibs — Expected ghosting, though overall better control compared to earlier versions.
Writing feel — Smooth yet tactile, with that satisfying sound and feedback Hobonichi fans love.

Fountain Pen Ink Swatches

As part of her testing, Lined Musings created a fountain pen ink swatch on the new Hobonichi 2026 Tomoe River S paper. The swatches were laid on thick to really push the paper’s limits, and overall performance was impressive.

There was some bleed-through with Diamine Autumn Oak, Van Dieman’s Neptune's Necklace, and Dominant Industry Autumn Forest, though this was mainly due to the heavy application of ink. Areas where ink sat on top of stamped impressions also showed bleed-through, something typical even on previous Hobonichi papers.

Inks swatched (from centre and top, clockwise):

Sailor Ink Studio 224
Diamine Autumn Oak
Sailor Ink Studio 462
Van Dieman’s Neptune's Necklace
Ferris Wheel Press Blushing Mushroom
De Atramentis Archive Ink Black
Pelikan Edelstein Golden Lapis
Ferris Wheel Press Peter Moss
Ferris Wheel Press Aurorealis
Dominant Industry Autumn Forest
Ferris Wheel Press Unfettered Flight

Mixed Media: Watercolour, Crayons & Stamping

Watercolours & Caran d’Ache crayons — The paper held layering without issues, keeping colour vibrant.
Stamping (Shachihata ink pad) — Heavy ghosting but no bleed-through, similar to previous years.
Washi & stickers — Washi tape lifts cleanly; PET stickers may still pull fibres if removed.

Hobonichi Paper Comparison: 2026 vs 2025 vs Original

2026 Tomoe River — Smoother feel, slightly thicker, less ghosting, reduced bleed-through.
2025 Tomoe River — Raised user concerns due to bleed-through under certain inks.
Original Tomoe River (2022) — Beloved for its crinkle and smoothness, though ghosting was more noticeable.

Final Thoughts

The 2026 Hobonichi Tomoe River paper is:

Smoother to the touch
More resistant to ghosting and bleed-through
Reliable across gel pens, ballpoints, highlighters, and fountain pens
Capable with mixed media like watercolours and stamping

Known weaknesses remain (Zebra ClickArt and very saturated sheen inks), but overall the 2026 version is a confident step forward.