aloha... welcome to kondogyotaku.net please browse around and check out the gallery... limited editon reproductions are available for purchase online at the kondogyotaku storefront!!! they make great gifts and are made here in hawaii... new prints are scheduled to be added for 2010!! please continue to check back as more will be added to the site soon...
click here to view the gyotaku store...

what makes kondogyotaku.net different??? gyotaku fish prints available for sale are made here in hawaii from fish caught by myself or my friends...on occasion i do commissioned work, and so some of the gyotaku does come from other people i may have not formerly known, i find the bonus of this business is the added joy of meeting new people who share a similar love for the ocean and that within...each fish has a story, each gyotaku preserves that story, and each art piece allows us to share that story with our friends, families, and everyone who sees it... for original gyotaku, the finished product available for sale to the public is made of museum quality materials, and made to last for generations... currently featured in the gallery are several of my original gyotaku...
click here to view>>>

a special edition of Hawaii's state fish, the Humuhumunukunukuapua'a, was created to be presented as gifts to dignitaries throughout Japan from the state of Hawaii... also, another print was presented to the United States Japan ambassador from the Japan American Society... thanks to Milton Kwok from the Dept. of Business, Economic Development and Tourism (DEBDT) and to Ed Hawkins from the Japan American Society of Hawaii, for working together with me on these projects... limited edition reproductions are now available for purchase in the online store...
pictures of the gyotaku presentations can be viewed here...
click here to view gyotaku presentations>>>

a special gyotaku class was setup at the kapolei public library in 2008... i had the priviledge to work along with Lea Domingo in providing a hands on instructional session for the community... after a short discussion about the history and process of gyotaku, everyone was able to try and make a gyotaku with some aholehole and ta'ape that i had caught earlier... we managed to accomodate an overbooked class made up of young and old, guys and gals, and several families!!
click here to view pictures>>>

i was invited to fuse art with poetry in the october 2006 issue of the Santa Fe Poetry Broadside... i had the privilege of collaborating with author and poet Margarita Engle... Margarita's haiku style of poetry about her experiences with the ocean were combined with gyotaku... when the haiku and gyotaku are put together the two artists are able to depict beautiful scenes of the curiousity and lure of the ocean and its inhabitants... many "mahalos" to Margarita and to editor CarrieAnn Thunnel... i enjoyed being a part of this project, to those who enjoyed viewing the art and poetry, keep your eyes open and look for possible future collaborations... i will keep all posted... the art and poetry can be viewed at:
http://sfpoetry.org/october2006.html>>> click here to view >>>

gyotaku was featured in the october/november 2004 issue of HanaHou! Hawaiian Airlines inflight magazine... i was among four featured gyotaku artists, and had the privilege of being able to contribute to author Catherine Lo's article...
click here to read gyotaku article>>>

the art of gyotaku... while this may be a commercial site open for business, i think that you will find the most extensive information on the internet about gyotaku available here at kondogyotaku.net... this site was originally designed to showcase my gyotaku art, but has spanned to include educational material highlighting the art of gyotaku in general...
in japan, gyotaku was originally practiced by fishermen to preserve records of their catches... for myself, gyotaku provides an accurate sized picture, a beautiful art piece, and an enhanced appreciation of the beauty and variety of life that can be found in the ocean... learn about the gyotaku process and find out the steps and materials involved in creating an original gyotaku...
click here to learn>>>

custom gyotaku is also available... if you have a request for a specific species of fish, or a certain sized gyotaku... i can print a custom gyotaku for you...
also, if you have a special catch that deserves more than just a photograph, i can print your "trophy"... and you'll still be able to enjoy eating your fish!!!
click here for more info>>>

gyotaku always starts with a fish... the first step in creating a gyotaku is catching a fish... gyotaku allows you to take an exact print of the fish and share the catch with others through this beautiful art... each gyotaku is unique and most would agree that a print is more special than a photograph... however, a photograph can capture the people you caught the fish with or the place that your fish was caught so i would have to say that the two go hand in hand... regardless of how many personal gyotaku i have made for my special catches, i still have a photo album... and i always enjoy sharing my personal photos with others...
click here to view photo album>>>

about me... my name is Dane Kai Kondo... i am currently 28 years old, of japanese ethnicity, and have lived in honolulu, hawaii for my entire life...
(for more info... and a picture for those who want to know what i look like before buying something from me)...
click here>>>

there are many people that i would like to thank in helping me... among them are Mom and Dad... Ryan T., Laurent S., Uncle Tony for helping out with the first step of the gyotaku process, catching the fish!!! Aunty Kay for helping me with everything... Ryo F. for japanese translation... Roy F., Roy and Elaine K. and the pacific gallery guys for making my art look even better... and all of my friends...rei

kondogyotaku.net is listed in the following art directories...
click here to view directory links >>>