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The Captain’s Crafts / Gyotaku

Japanese Gyotaku

Japanese Gyotaku is a traditional art form: ink is applied to a fish, then paper or fabric is gently pressed onto it to capture its natural shape, scales and fins. Each piece is made by Captain Brett Low from a real catch in Southwest Florida.
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Black grouper Japanese Gyotaku in squid ink on linen

From catch to keepsake

More photographs of original Japanese Gyotaku will be added here.

Japanese Gyotaku photo coming soon
Japanese Gyotaku photo coming soon
Japanese Gyotaku photo coming soon

The process

From catch to Japanese Gyotaku.

  1. 01

    Choose

    A fish from a legal, responsible harvest, with its fins and scales intact.

  2. 02

    Clean

    The surface is gently cleaned and dried so the ink captures the detail of the scales.

  3. 03

    Ink

    Squid ink is brushed across the body, fins and tail.

  4. 04

    Press

    Rice paper or linen is laid over the inked fish and pressed gently by hand to create the Japanese Gyotaku.

  5. 05

    Finish

    The eye is detailed by hand. The piece is signed and dated.

  6. 06

    Table

    The fish itself is then cleaned and prepared to eat.

A general outline of traditional direct-method gyotaku. Materials for each piece are listed with that piece.

Original Japanese Gyotaku

Looking for stone crab jewelry? Explore The Captain’s Crafts.