Above: Marine fisheries specialist Chris Dewees shows examples of gyotaku. Below is a close up of gyotaku.

by JAMES WOODARD
Hokubei Mainichi

Every artist has a set of tools that they rely on to produce their work, including: palettes, paints, inks, brushes, fish ... yes, fish.

Chris Dewees, a fisheries biologist based in Davis, has been creating Gyotaku — or fish rubbing — for over four decades. He gave a talk on Sept. 4 at the Japan Information Center, located at the Consulate General of Japan in downtown San Francisco, describing the different types of printing methods, as well as the background and history of this unique art-form.

Dewees served as the statewide marine fisheries specialist for over 35 years. He recently retired, but still shares his passion for both fish and art.

“Since I was a little kid I always liked fish, I’ve always been fascinated by them,” Dewees said. “When I discovered this art form I just jumped into it. I wanted to do it.”

Dewees first encountered gyotaku when he entered graduate school in 1968. He and a friend, Tom Sharp, saw a demonstration of the art form presented by a Japanese artist.

“We had access to fish, and doing the fish printing was more fun than studying,” Dewees said, laughing. “We just sort of developed our own techniques.”

Dewees connected with Dr. Yoshio Hiyama, whose detailed 1964 book “Gyotaku Fish Print,” published by the University of Tokyo, was the first in-depth book written in English about gyotaku. Hiyama was a famous fisheries professor at the University of Tokyo and one of the founders of Gyotaku-no-kai in 1953.

This particular type of printmaking technique dates back to the mid 1800s as fishermen used the method to record the sizes of their catches.

Dewees pointed out the differences between the direct method of printing, where ink is applied directly to the fish, and indirect, where silk or paper is laid over the top of the fish and ink is applied to the paper, much like a charcoal tracing might be done.

Preserving the integrity of the fish is paramount, so caution must be exercised when applying pressure to the fish. Different fish also warrant different methods.

“The rougher the texture, the more likely I’ll use the direct method,” Dewees said.

Gyotaku will be on display until Oct. 16 at the Japan Information Center, located at 50 Fremont St. (between Mission and Market), Suite 2200.

Admission is free. Exhibit hours are Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. (closed from 12 noon to 1 p.m.).

For further information, contact Ethan Savage at (415) 356-2466 or culture@cgjsf.org.