Gyotaku, or fish prints, drying on a line – credit, Science History Institute, photograph by Conrad Erb CC 3.0. via Wikimedia
From its humble origins as a method of documenting noteworthy catches, for sale or for record setting, the art of fish printing, or “gyotaku” has rapidly become an international fine art phenomenon.
As Japanese as a Geisha cutting a sushi roll with a samurai sword, gyotaku is infused with all the lovely idiosyncrasies of the country—from its famous appreciation for fish, to its extreme demands of discipline and attention.
Gyotaku can be traced back to the 19th century when fishermen would smear a fish with sumi ink and press it onto washi paper to create a print of the fish. Unable to do anything half-heartedly, the Japanese fishermen gradually learned the tricks of how to make the best prints, and eventually switched from monochrome to color paints.
Since then the practice has developed into a true artform, with methods, schools, and techniques for drying and preparing the fish.
Preparation is key since a fish comes with all kinds of slime and liquid that could ruin the delicate rice paper typical of gyotaku prints. The slime has to be removed and various openings plugged to prevent water from leaking out.
Two chief methods exist: the first is known as direct gyotaku and involves only straightforward steps of drying the fish, layering on the ink or paint, and rubbing it with washi paper. The image appears in reverse.
– credit, courtesy of Elena Di Capita
The indirect method sees either paper or cloth placed over the fish and secured with rice paste to a board. This allows the artist to create a work that isn’t in reverse.
Both methods permit the fish to be eaten, and in both too the eye must be painted after, since no pigment will stick to fish’s eye. Additional innovations have seen a variety of different coloring techniques that reflect the iridescence of a fish’s scales or the density of the animal’s skin pigments during various life stages.
Japan Times spoke with the grandson of a renowned gyotaku master, Keisuke Matsunaga, who said that pigment application is a race against time and must be completed in about 30 minutes before renewed moisture from the fish begins to degrade it.
One consistent theme is that there can be nothing but the eye added afterwards. Any touch ups push the artform from printing towards painting.
Gyotaku has spread far beyond the shores of the home islands, developing in Australia, Italy, America, Hawaii, Brazil, and elsewhere.
Elena Di Capita in her studio – credit, supplied courtesy of the artist
In Italy’s seaward region of Liguria, Elena Di Capita, has expanded the horizons of gyotaku in Europe, and in fact “is the artist that brought it to Italy,” she tells GNN.
Her work is focused mainly on schools of anchovies, the most important fish in her home region. She deviates from the traditional gyotaku by mixing different biological environments and by creating huge compositions with a highly dynamic look.
A bycatch composition – credit, courtesy of Elena Di Capita
Additionally, she explains she works with bycatch, a term to describe fish caught incidentally in the pursuit of gamefish. In effect, these animals “died for nothing” and so by creating metaphorical geographies through gyotaku, she gives the fish a new meaning and a tribute to their accidental loss.
“My work with them is about giving them dignity. It’s a way to celebrate life,” she told the Times.
In the US, gyotaku is not uncommon to find in aquariums or in elementary school classrooms. Gyotaku in its most rudimentary form is something children can do and do fairly well.
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