One of the things that the Splash by Lo creative department enjoys the most is finding sources of inspiration.

Sometimes the new technologies ignite the spark but other times the ancestral traditions are the ones that arouse that special curiosity that makes us pull the thread.

Now it has happened with the Gyotaku. An ancient Japanese printing technique.

Gyotaku comes from Gyo (fish) and Taku (to rub). This technique was used around 1800 by Japanese fishermen to leave a graphic record (it was impossible to take photos and label them as in current social networks) of the piece they had caught that day. It was an inventory and at the same time a fishing file.

The techinque

The printing process is very simple. With their hands they smeared the fish with a non-toxic ink and pressed it onto the rice paper. Once printed, they wrote on the same paper figures and descriptions of interest about the catch, type of fish, weight, place.

This technique not only had an informative function but also had a very important spiritual part for them because according to their beliefs, the soul of the fish was forever impregnated on paper.

Spiritual printing

The originality of this printing technique with respect to others such as xylography or stencils lies in the fact that the living being itself is used as a pattern and not a reproduction as a stamp or template, and its purpose is not decorative but informative and spiritual.

To close the circle, the fact that the sea is also the protagonist of this entire universe makes us feel identified, we are even more attracted to this printing technique.