Journal
Hokkaido Honurake
CRAFT TERAKOYA
Hokkaido Honurake
At 45R, our clothes are made by people who dedicate themselves to their craft, carefully considering every fabric and every silhouette.
CRAFT TERAKOYA is a place to meet the people behind 45R's craftsmanship. With the people involved in making our clothes as our teachers, we explore the thoughts and stories behind each piece.
For our second lesson, we once again sat down with Norio Sugahara, who leads 45R's Knit, Cut & Sew, and BOYS collections, to learn about Hokkaido Honurake.
The Story Behind Hokkaido Honurake
How did it get its name?
Hokkaido Honurake is quite an unusual name. Is it a name unique to 45R?
“Yes. I think we first made it about ten years ago. At first, we called it Mouton Urake, because it was inspired by mouton, or sheepskin. As it continued to evolve, it eventually became Hokkaido Honurake.”
The softly brushed reverse of Hokkaido Honurake.
“I had been thinking of a name that evoked the rough seas faced by the seafaring men of Europe. But my mentor in craftsmanship suggested ‘Hokkaido,’ a distinctly Japanese name, and that’s how it became Hokkaido Honurake.
The hon is the same hon used in words like hon-maguro and hon-wasabi—it means the real, genuine thing. Urake is the Japanese term for the loop-backed knitted fabric commonly used for sweatshirts. So Hokkaido Honurake means ‘a genuine urake that protects against the harsh winds of the northern land.’”
The Roots of Hokkaido Honurake
It all began with a pair of vintage pants.
Hokkaido Honurake is incredibly dense, unlike any other urake we’ve seen. How did it come to be?
“This is where it all began. It’s a vintage piece from Europe, probably workwear.”
“When we analyzed these pants, we discovered that they couldn’t be made on modern knitting machines. Because of their unusual knit structure, we needed an old loopwheel knitting machine to recreate something like it.”
The vintage European workwear that inspired Hokkaido Honurake.
The vintage white pants Sugahara holds are visibly old, stained and worn in places. They have none of the soft, fluffy feel of ordinary urake. Instead, the fabric is thick, dense, and surprisingly heavy. It may look like urake, but the knit is so tight that even the wind could hardly get through. With these, you might be ready not just for Hokkaido, but even for the cold of the Arctic.
Knitting Hokkaido Honurake
What kind of machine is the loopwheel knitting machine used to make Hokkaido Honurake, and how is the fabric knitted?
“Well, something like this,” he says, pointing to Burumaru. “Loopwheel knitting machines probably only survive in Japan today. Even among the factories that make 45R products, only a handful still have them.”
“When we knit indigo yarn on this machine, the fibers cling to it, which means it can no longer be used for products in other colors. So at the factory, one loopwheel knitting machine is dedicated entirely to 45R’s indigo products, running all year round without a break. These machines are old, and their numbers will only continue to decline, making them rarer with each passing year.”
“To knit a special, tightly packed structure like Hokkaido Honurake, we have to run the loopwheel knitting machine—which is already slow—even more slowly. We can knit just seven meters a day. That’s only enough fabric for two or three garments.”
A traditional loopwheel knitting machine, slowly knitting fabric in the round—just seven meters a day.
Knitted slowly on an old loopwheel knitting machine—just seven meters a day. With several times more yarn packed into the knit than usual, Hokkaido Honurake becomes exceptionally dense and substantial, made to keep out the harsh winds of the northern land.
Indigo Hokkaido Honurake 908 Jacket, Autumn/Winter 2026
Indigo Hokkaido Honurake 908 Jodhpurs, Autumn/Winter 2026
Taking the time to make Hokkaido Honurake is what gives it a value unlike anything else. It is a fabric we hope will continue to be made for years to come. So how will it evolve from here?
“Each year, I’ve become more conscious of making it lighter. But I still want to keep the knit nice and dense. After all, it’s outerwear made to protect you from the harsh cold of the northern land.”
There was a quiet conviction in Sugahara’s words. Making the same thing year after year, while continuing to evolve it with each passing year. Perhaps that is what 45R’s approach to craftsmanship is all about.
