Gyotaku

My goal is to to memorialize the detailed external beauty of fish and their features with each gyotaku I print. Today, gyotaku is considered a unique art form that works well in any decor from home to business. Gyotaku art captures the memories of the catch. Every fish has a tale - what’s yours?

The History of Gyotaku

Gyotaku is an ancient Japanese printmaking technique. In Japan, Gyo means fish. Taku means rubbing. Gyotaku = fish rubbing. Pronounced ghee-yo-tah-koo. 

In the mid 1800’s Japanese fishermen used the gyotaku fish rubbing technique for making inked records of their catches to provide proof of their daily endeavors. Maybe even a few bragging rights were preserved! I use those same basic techniques to prepare my gyotaku today to preserve and memorialize a catch. It makes a special piece of wall art.

A good fish rubbing is very accurate in every detail. Therefore, gyotaku prints were used by etymologists as scientific illustrations. Gyotakus could help in studies of the external health, size and age of fish species.

My detailed gyotaku impressions use real fish to capture the exact detailed anatomy and size of the fish in a way a camera and taxidermy cannot.

The Gyotaku Technique

The process of applying inks or pigment to freshly caught fish and then directly transfer to paper is one of the earliest examples of nature printing.

Gyotaku first requires a fish. That’s the fun, often unpredictable part of gyotaku.  This is where memories are made. 

Once the ink or paint is on the fish, it is then covered with a cloth or rice paper. The fish is then gently rubbed by hand to directly transfer the ink or paint. In a good gyotaku, the fish’s size, shape, surface texture and scale patterns are captured. The eye is the last detail I paint. My signature and personalized Hanko stamp give my final approval.

The direct transfer technique gives one chance to make a good impression. Not every gyotaku is a keeper. The fish may be repainted for another rub.