The History And Methods Of Gyotaku Fish Printing

Gyotaku is an Oriental form of fish printing that originated during the 1800’s. This unique art form uses freshly caught aquatic life to create prints on paper or fabric.  In famous fishing locals such as Asia, the coastal United States and Hawaii gyotaku is still used as an artistic method of documenting the size and girth of a prized catch.

In Japanese Gyo=Fish, and Taku=Imprint, therefore traditional Gyotaku art uses fish and other sea life to create unique artistic prints. The “subject” is recorded for posterity, then ready to eat, as gyotaku uses non-toxic inks or paints.

Originally this art was more commonly known as “gyo-shu” or “uo-zuri”, which means “to print” or “to rub” a fish. The oldest found gyotaku imprint was made in Japan in 1862 during the Edo era…created by a samurai warrior named Naotsuna Ujiie. After that many Japanese fishermen began to create gyotaku to preserve the records of their catch.

Most gyotaku is created using freshly caught fish or other marine life, but can also be created using cuttings from plants and trees. Bamboo and tropical flowers are a very popular specimen for Hawaiian gyotaku. Meanwhile some prints are created using rubber animal replicas made specifically for the gyotaku process. The sea turtle is a common gyotaku made from a rubber replica, as the sea turtle is an endangered species.

Traditionally gyotaku prints were created using rice paper and a carbon-based sumi ink. Today most gyotaku is printed on a variety of paper and cloth materials, and artists often substitute the sumi ink for non-toxic acrylic paints. Artists may also incorporate other mediums such as color pencils, watercolors and pastels, to create colorful renditions of the original species. In places such as Maui, Hawaii gyotaku artists have begun to incorporate collage art, layering differently colored/textured papers, which offers a unique and stylish way of present the gyotaku piece.

There are two methods for creating gyotaku, with the most common being the DIRECT method (Chokusetsu-ho) where the artist applies paint directly onto the surface of the fish. The fish is then covered with the paper (or fabric) and carefully pressed to produce an imprint, or rubbing.  The second, or INDIRECT method (Kansetsu-ho), has the fabric or paper being pasted onto the fish, and the artist applying the paint to the fabric (rather than the fish).

 In the past century, Gyotaku has gained a worldwide fan base. The Association of Gyotaku was formed in 1955, which was also the year of the very first gyotaku exhibition, held at the Matsuya Gallery in Tokyo. Not a year later the first gyotaku exhibition to be held outside of Japan, took place at the Museum of Natural History in New York City.

Gyotaku is an art form that has caught the interest of peoples from around the world. It is becoming especially popular in tourist fishing destinations, as many tourists who fish on their vacations choose to have prints made of their catch, rather than having them taxidermied. Gyotaku prints capture the imagination with their realistic depiction of life in the deep sea. Not only does gyotaku continue to evolve as new artists and cultures merge their artistic interpretation, but it is also is changing dramatically due to the variety of locations in the world where it is practiced. The primary subject of gyotaku, is fish, sea creatures and plants, which change dramatically depending on location. As gyotaku continues to expand its artistic horizons, new locations offer up a variety of different species for the canvas.

Ulua School Gyotaku Fish Print