Gyotaku (pronounced GEE-OH-TAH_KOO), or "fish rubbing" (from gyo "fish" + taku "rubbing") is the Japanese tradition of making paper prints from the skin of a fish. Japanese fishermen did this to have a record of their catch. There are many tales of how this tradition began and perhaps we will never know for sure, but the oldest Gyotaku found in Japan dates to the mid 1800s.
Traditionally, prints were made using handmade rice paper and carbon-based Sumi ink. Today Gyotaku is gaining popularity here in the States with Western artists using modern mediums instead of Sumi ink and opting to add their own artistic style to the single colored prints.
There are two methods to creating Gyotaku. The method I use is called the Direct method. This is done by applying paint directly onto the skin of the fish, placing paper over the painted fish and the rubbing the length of the fish. This transfers the image of the fish to the paper.
The other method is the Indirect method. In this method the paper is laid over the fish and the ink or paint is applied to the back of the paper with a small cloth blotter. This method tends to create a more abstract image of the fish.
Each rubbing produces a unique impression of the fish (or other subject). No two are ever the same, even when created from the same fish. To sign the finished painting I use my “chop" or stamp, which is Katahana (Japanese) for my name with my written signature.
In Japan, a Gyotaku given as a gift is considered good luck.
Please visit my YouTube channel for the 5 part series on “How To Make a Gyotaku”.
Part 1 - Introduction, Tools and Paints
Part 2 - Papers for Making Gyotaku
Part 3 - Preparing the Fish
Part 4 - Making a Fish Rubbing
Part 5 - Finishing Your Gyotaku
Making an Octopus Gyotaku