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Learning Objectives 

Students will: 

• Recall information about the history, culture, and technique of Japanese nature painting.
• Analyze photographs of fish and Gyotaku fish prints.
• Identify the external parts of a fish. 
• Create Gyotaku fish prints.

Standards Alignment

National Core Arts StandardsNational Core Arts Standards

Common Core State StandardsCommon Core State Standards

Next Generation Science StandardsNext Generation Science Standards

Recommended Student Materials

Editable Documents: Before sharing these resources with students, you must first save them to your Google account by opening them, and selecting “Make a copy” from the File menu. Check out Sharing Tips or Instructional Benefits when implementing Google Docs and Google Slides with students.

• Slide: 

Videos

Additional Materials

• Whole fish (Alternative natural resources include leaves, shells, stems, flowers, vegetables, fruits, and insects; Artificial resources include rubber fish, molds, sponges, or decorative nature items.)
• Rice paper, butcher paper, construction paper, or paper suited for paint
• Non-toxic paint or newspapers with water-soluble ink
• Paintbrushes

Teacher Background

Teachers should familiarize themselves with the materials needed for this lesson. Natural resources are a great alternative to handling a fish. Leaves, shells, stems, flowers, vegetables, fruits, insects, and other natural resources can be used to produce an image. Artificial resources include rubber fish, molds, sponges, or decorative nature items.

Gyotaku (gyo = fish, taku = rubbing) was invented in the early 1800s in Japan by fishermen who wanted to record their catch. Japanese fishermen took newsprint, ink, and a paintbrush out to sea with them. Prints were brought back and displayed in the homes of the fishermen either on walls or in journals to be used as conversation pieces and to relate proud and heroic stories of the catch.

Student Prerequisites 

Familiarity with scientific classification, vertebrates, and types of fish.

Accessibility Notes

Modify handouts, text, and utilize assistive technologies as needed. Provide preferential seating for visual presentations and allow extra time for task completion. Students may require assistance in handling the fish or another natural resource.

Engage

1. Show students pictures of fish and Gyotaku prints. Display slides 2-4 of the presentation, . On chart paper or an interactive board, create a . Ask students to share what they know about fish; list these in the “K” column. Ask students: How do they breathe? Why do they have such a variety of colors? How do they move? Why do artists create works from nature?

2. Provide background information about fish. Inform students that fish are the largest group of vertebrates (animals with a skeleton) both in number and diversity. Most fish have skeletons made of bones and are known as bony fish. Bony fish, which the class will be printing, belong to the Osteichthyes class and share the same general anatomy.

3. Show the video, , to students. Discuss the parts of the fish and the functions of the mouth, eyes, gills, and fins. Distribute the resource, . Have students label the fish and describe the functions in a few words or sentences. 

Build

1. Show students images of Gyotaku prints. Have students discuss what they see. Ask students to share what they want to know about Gyotaku prints; list these in the “W” column (What I Want to Know) from the . Ask students: Who do you think made these printings? (Japanese fishermen, people in cultures that value fish.) Why would someone make prints of fish? (To record information about the fish, to remember it later.) 

2. Explain the importance of fish in Japanese culture and the history of fish printing. Gyotaku (gyo = fish, taku = rubbing) was invented in the early 1800s in Japan by fishermen who wanted to record their catch. This was their livelihood (not sport fishing as we have today) and the print allowed them to document the size and types of fish caught and still take them back to be sold or eaten. Also, because certain fish in Japan are revered, the fisherman could release these fish back into the water after taking their rubbings. Japanese fishermen took newsprint, ink, and paintbrushes out to sea with them. On occasion, old newspapers printed with water-soluble ink were also used as the ink would bleed with the moisture from the fish and record its shape (a print) on the newspaper. Prints were brought back and displayed in the homes of the fishermen either on walls or in journals to be used as conversation pieces and to relate proud and heroic stories of the catch. Japanese fishing magazines still hold contests where the judging is done by the Gyotaku. It has also developed into an art form; many now create prints for their beauty and artistic elements. 

3. Show students the video, , by Traditionalist Dwight Hwang. Discuss the method he and his wife, Hazel Hwang, used to make the print. Ask students: How did they handle the fish? What techniques did they use on each type of fish to achieve an accurate print of the species? Students can also watch the video, , by Naoki Hayashi. Hayashi is a Gyotaku artist in Hawaii. He carries on the Japanese tradition that was passed on by his father's friend. 

4. Explain that there are many ways to record information about animals:

Taxidermy: stuffing a fish or an animal for use as a type of trophy. 
Data Collection: fish are measured and weighed when caught during fishing contests. 
Cameras: pictures and videos are also used to document a catch.

Apply

1. Model the steps for fish printing for students. Tell them that they will be making their own fish printings. Before printing a fish, students should write their names in the lower corner of the paper along with the type of fish and the date. Remind students to wear gloves when handling the fish. Note: Natural resources are a great alternative to handling a fish. Leaves, shells, stems, flowers, vegetables, fruits, insects, and other natural resources can be used to produce an image. Artificial resources include rubber fish, molds, sponges, or decorative nature items.

2. Display and review the with students. Guide students through each step, modeling how to paint and handle the fish. Additional adult volunteers or older students can help with the process. Allow time for the prints to dry. Note: Amend the instructions if using a natural or artifical resource.

3. Make additional prints (optional). Students can wash off the fish between prints if different colors will be applied. Make sure the fish is dried off before printing again.

Reflect 

1. Create a classroom gallery of the prints. After the prints are dry, post them around the room. Have students engage in a gallery walk to view and discuss the prints. Ask students: When you compare the anatomy of the species, what is different? What is similar?

2. Complete “L” column (What I Learned) from the . Ask students: What else could artists record using this method?