gyotaku

English

Etymology

Borrowed from Japanese 魚拓 (gyotaku, ぎょたく), from Middle Chinese 魚 (ngjo, “fish”) + 拓 (tʰak, “rubbing”).

Noun

gyotaku (uncountable)

1. A traditional form of Japanese fish printing.
   • 2007 August 8, Brett Martin, “First a Hook, Then Ink: An Artist’s Catch”, in New York Times‎^[1]:

     In Japan the tradition of fish printing, or gyotaku, goes back to the 1800s, when fishermen began using ink and paper to record their catch. Ms. Sessler, who studied design in college, began making her fish prints two winters ago, when her husband got home from a long fishing excursion.

Further reading

• gyotaku on Wikipedia.Wikipedia