Gyotaku

tall gyotaku print of an octopus with sumi ink and washi paper

One gyotaku print of a small, flat fish Another gyotaku print of the same fish, this time with slightly more detail two gyotaku prints, one scaled fish and one nonscaled two gyotaku prints, both mackerel-type fish

These are all of the images from a Gyotaku class I went to through the Japanese Culture Center. The actual class wasn't taught by someone from the JCC.

Gyotaku classroom before printing started. 3 tables all covered with plastic sheeting. One bowl of ink and some ink brushes, and a large roll of paper towels.

Here's what the classroom looked like right before we started. Everything was neatly laid out for us.

Photo of a gyotaku print in progress, one fish already inked and the impression paper on the right with the prints

Right after a fish has been inked and a print has been created.

The octopus gyotaku in progress. Specifically right after the body has been inked and posed.

Here's the octopus. I had just finished posing it and blotting it dry with towels. My hands were already dirty since this was my last print of the day. I was getting ready to ink the octopus and make my print.

The substrate for all prints was washi/rice paper, the ink was sumi ink. The key to getting a good print is working fast, particularly for wetter, or slimier fish like the octopus.

The process was actually quite accessible. Basically, you cover the fish with ink, and then immediately blot off the ink as much as you can. Then, you quickly lay your washi paper on top and press down. The goal is to smooth the paper into as many crevices to get as much detail as possible. It's messy if you don't wear gloves, but very satisfying (and smelly).