Gyotaku is a traditional form of Japanese fish printing or rubbing, dating from the mid-19th century. It was used by fisherman to record their catch. Pronounced "gee-yo-tah- koo". There are two methods used in gyotaku, but the direct approach is the most common. The direct method or Chokusetsu-ho, is similar to block printing, only an actual fish is used to make the impression. The fish is cleaned and covered with Sumi ink. Then a silk fabric or rice paper is pressed onto the fish capturing every detail right down to the scales. The modern gyotaku artist uses a variety of techniques and adds color by way of water colors, acrylic paints and inks.