Tackle Trade World - October 2023

IN MEMORY OF MASATSU MATSUNAGA THE
CREATOR AND DISSEMINATOR OF JAPANESE
COLORFUL GYOTAKU ART
Mr. Matsunaga Masatsu, the president of
Japan Toyo Gyotaku Association and a
Gyotaku master, passed away on August 5,
2023 in Osaka at the age of 84. Matsunaga
Masatsutsu has been engaged in Gyotaku art
for 62 years. He invented the direct method
of Gyotaku with color and opened up a new
field of Gyotaku art. He is known as the first
person of this school of Gyotaku and enjoys
a high reputation in Japan. Mr. Matsunaga
Masatsuki's colorful Gyotaku works cover
various types and varieties of fish, from tuna, puffer fish, octopus, etc. in the ocean, to koi, grass carp, lobster, etc. in fresh
water. emotions manifested.
Gyotaku is the art of printing or tracing images of fish or other aquatic animals on paper. Gyotaku originated in Japan and
was originally created by fishermen to record the large or rare fish they caught. Later, it gradually developed into a unique
art form with strong folk customs and cultural characteristics. There are many ways to make Gyotaku, the most common of
which are direct and indirect. The direct extension method is to smear the paint on the surface of the fish, then cover it with
paper, and press out the outline and details of the fish with your fingers. The indirect method is to first draw the outline of the
fish on the paper, and then use paint to fill in the color and texture.
The direct method of colored gyo-taku is a novel method of making gyo-taku created by Matsunaga Masatsutsu, which
turns the traditional black and white gyo-taku into colorful and lifelike works of art. The characteristic of the color gyotaku
direct painting method is to use a variety of pigments to smear the surface of the fish, and then cover and press it with paper
of different colors and textures multiple times, and finally form a layered and three-dimensional gyotaku painting. The direct
engraving method of colored fish can not only show the shape and structure of fish, but also show the vitality and personality
of fish, making it have higher artistic value and ornamental value.
Mr. Matsunaga Zhengjin is enthusiastic about promoting
Gyotaku activities. For more than 20 years from 1994 to 2016,
he came to China to participate in Yutaku development and
various Yutaku exchange activities many times, unreservedly
demonstrated and taught Gyotaku production skills to Chinese
Gyotaku enthusiasts, and published his works The book "How
to Make Colored Gyotaku" was donated to People's Sports
Publishing House for translation and publication free of charge.
Once released, this book has become a classic for Chinese Gyotaku lovers to learn how to make Gyotaku. Mr. Matsunaga
Zhengjin also became a teacher and apprentice with Mr. Xie Chunming, a well-known domestic gyotaku artist, and taught
him the essence of his color gyotaku direct technique, so that it can be carried forward in China.