A Good Impression - Gyotaku by Naoki

This past Wednesday, the Honolulu Japanese Junior Chamber of Commerce (HJJCC), put on another one of its Young Business Roundtable meetings at 3660. These meetings allow members to share about the businesses they work to other members and guests. It also provides a great networking opportunity. I was invited a few months ago to be one of the speakers for this event and decided it would be good for our company. There were six other really great speakers, but the one that clearly stood out was the presentation by Naoki Hayashi who does Gyotaku.

According to Naoki, about 100 years ago, fisherman began to create prints to record their catches. This technique became known as gyotaku. "Gyo" meaning fish and "taku" meaning impression, rub or print. The fisherman would put paint or ink on their catch and press a piece of rice paper (like the paper used in shoji doors) onto the fish. I guess people all over the world tell big fish stories, so this was the Japanese way to somewhat verify their stories.

Naoki has a philosphy on the work, which he classifies as true Gyotaku. He'll only create prints of fish that will be eaten. The print should not only reflect the image of the prized catch, but also represent the meal the fish provided, which was shared between friends and family.

It was a real treat to watch and listen to Naoki as he showed us how a Gyotaku is created. It is a relatively simple process or at least he made it look like it. He brought in this HUGE barracuda (Hawaiian name: kaku) head to use for his demo. I forget how heavy the fish was, but it was the largest one I've ever seen. Barracudas have razor sharp teeth, can be vicious and have been know to attack. On the left, Naoki is prying the barracuda's mouth open to show the teeth, making for a better telling Gyotaku piece. He actually punctured his finger (again) while doing this.

If you don't believe how sharp the teeth are, check out this close up of the barracuda's mouth. There is a small cloth wedged in its mouth to keep it open for the Gyotaku. You really don't want to get bitten by those teeth!

The next step in the process is painting the fish with black paint. I always wondering if it was safe eating a fish that was painted for a Gyotaku print. Naoki quickly addressed that in his presentation. He uses non-toxic acrylic paints, which he says is probably fine in the practically negligible quantity that you would eat, but thinks drinking the bottle would probably not be a good idea.

Once the fish is painted, Naoki uses an old t-shirt to gently dab away all the excess paint. This allows for a thin layer of paint left that will show the details of the fish's body in the impression. Too much paint and it will be just a blob in the shape of a fish. The eye is wiped clean of any paint, it will be painted again in detail on the actual print.

The next step is to place the rice paper onto the fish. Make sure you don't wait too long to put the paper on. Generally the paint will begin to dry in about 5 minutes. Naoki says that any kind of paper can be used in the process and for people to be as creative as they want. He said you can even use a newspaper, where perhaps there is a story about the fish you caught. Through trial, error and personal preference, Naoki found that rice paper worked best for him. Once the paper is on the fish, Naoki gentlry rubs the paper so that it presses onto the fish, leaving a good impression on the paper. The paper is then removed from the fish.

Naoki uses his memory and diving experiences to determine placement of the print(s) on the paper. Often his pieces represent the underwater scene he'd seen or could imagine. This gives life and movement to the print. Once the black paint is dried, he begins to paint in the colors of the fish as they are found in nature. Naoki explaind that when the eye of the fish is painted on the print, it brings the impression to life. In this photo of the barracuda impression, the eye is yet to be painted.

I must say, Naoki was very entertaining and funny throughout his presentation. It really was a treat to watch him work or what he considers as having fun and playing. He often asked by schools to demonstrate the art of Gyotaku and to teach ocean awareness. You can also schedule a visit to his studio if you are interested in seeing more of his work. He will also be having small classes for people interested in learning more about the art.

More of Naoki's pieces can be seen at the Gyotaku Restaurant on King Street. Naoki also mentioned that he is doing a wall in the soon to be renovated Roy's Restaurant in Hawaii Kai.

Contact info:
Gyotaku by Naoki
(808) 234-6555 (Kaneohe studio) or (866) GYOTAKU (496-8258) toll-free

Sorry folks, I've been a bit busy, so I'm behind on my posts. I also apologize about the photo resolution. I shot them with my Blackberry and for some reason they were not taken in the highest resolution.

Shout out to my buddy Ryan Moriguchi who always takes me fishing on his boat. Sorry I can't crew for you too often these days!