Hobonichi 2026 Weeks: Kyohei Sakaguchi - En Route to Kumamoto Port at Dawn

He doesn’t construct buildings, yet he’s an architect. He writes, sings, photographs, and paints. Kyohei Sakaguchi has continued creating in all these forms—effortlessly, like breathing. This Weeks features one of his pastel paintings.

Living in Kumamoto Prefecture, Sakaguchi began growing vegetables on a plot he rented in a community garden in 2020. On his way to the garden and while tending his plot, he captures the scenery with his smartphone. He uses these photos as references for his pastel artwork.

This pastel painting, titled En Route to Kumamoto Port at Dawn, was created on March 22, 2024. According to Sakaguchi, it depicts “the crisp, cool morning sky before heading out to fish.” Clouds stretch across the dawn sky—those touched by light are painted in white and pale orange, while those in shadow are a soft gray.

Sakaguchi explains that the color of the clouds reflects not only the real scenery he observed, but also his own inner state—making the colors feel even more vivid.




From a distance, the artwork may resemble a photograph, but it’s actually created using pastel—a chalk-like medium that Sakaguchi dabs and layers onto white paper, then blends with his fingers.
To capture this warm, handcrafted texture, the cover material was chosen to mimic the look and feel of canvas.




The year 2026 is stamped in subtle silver foil, small and understated, a soft glint, like the morning star just before sunrise.

Specifications

Size	H: 188 x W: 94 x T: 11 mm / H: 7.4" x W: 3.7" x T: 0.4"
Weight	Approx. 140 g
Main material	Rayon / Paper
Compatible Techo Covers	Weeks Cover