Hawaiian He'e/Octopus Gyotaku

Natural Impressions Of Hawaii creates our he'e, or octopus prints using real octopus ink! To view more of our unique gyotaku please view our online gallery at www.gyotakumaui.com

The Two Methods Of Gyotaku Fish Printing

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).

Gyotaku Fish Prints

  In Japanese Gyo=Fish, and Taku=Imprint. Traditionally gyotaku was created using rice paper and 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 color pencil, paints or pastels in order to create colorful renditions of the original species. Collage art, or the layering of papers and cut-outs, is a modernized approach to gyotaku that is being refined by a few Hawaii gyotaku artists. The collage work creates multi-layered coloring and textures, and highlights the beauty of the papers as much as the gyotaku “subject

Hawaii Gyotaku Art

 Gyotaku is a unique form of printing that uses freshly caught fish, plants and other aquatic life, to create realistic imprints on cloth or paper. It originated in Asia during the 1800’s as a methodical way to document a fishermen’s prized catch. In Hawaii gyotaku artists still use this artistic printing method to recreate life-like renditions of life under the ocean. The “subjects” are recorded for posterity, then ready to eat, as gyotaku uses non-toxic inks and paints.

Hawaii has become a creative hot spot for gyotaku, finding a niche in prints of fish that are native to the archipelago. Because of Hawaii’s rare isolation, approximately 30% of fish are unique to the island chain. These native fish prints stand out as distinctly Hawaiian Gyotaku, making the islands an ideal place to find one-of-a-kind prints.