What to do with your catch before you eat it? ...try Gyotaku!

Gyotaku - translates from Japanese to English as fish rubbing or fish print. The Japanese anglers of the mid 1800's wanted to record their catches before eating them and so would ink the fresh catch and rub a sheet of rice or mulberry paper onto the fish, then lift off the paper and Voila! instant fish art. it takes a little practice and there are plenty of YT videos and other tutorials out there. I have six on my office wall, have given several away as gifts and have sold a couple.

Here's a couple of mine. Ink, acrylic paint, thrift store bedsheets, self carved stamps. The fish are a 28 inch P-Cod, and 13 inch rockfish.

A couple more.

The office wall shot and a single of the big grassie. The dollar is for scale - $1 = 6 inches. The fish is like 35" on a cloth of 45" wide.

Great post, Steve-O.   

Search the forum for Gyotaku and you'll find that we do have somewhat of a history with the art around here.

I try to do some Gyo along the Lost Coast - field work.     And my good friend Brandi Easter has been helping me out by hosting the Gyotaku Extravaganza at my kayakfishing tournament at Shelter Cove - I think we've gotten adults and kids on it for three years running now, and there have been some nice cash and prizes for the printing competitors.

Let's go fishing and do some Gyotaku!   

Thanks for the pictures Steve.  I like the "Yellow Eyes" the most 

Wow! 38 threads with Gyotaku in it. Got some perusing to do.  The Gopher Rockfish turned out great. I find with mine that a number of them end up in the bin.  Last year in Alaska, I printed 9 sets of a nice big Coho and every single one went into the trash.        So I washed it, filleted it and froze it! 

Thanks, guys.

That is awesome Steve-O! 

FYI, the left red stamp on the top picture is upside down.