Sashimi is probably not the first thing that springs to mind when thinking about artistic mediums, but the artful arrangement of the super fresh raw fish slices is actually not unheard of.
Japanese father of two Mikyou's designs bring this artform to a whole new level, though.
Mikyou, known on Instagram as @Mikyoui00, and his family live in the city of Matsuyama, in Ehime Prefecture. Matsuyama is a port city, so they have easy access to super fresh fish.
His family enjoys sashimi regularly, and Mikyou said his elaborate sashimi creations began with an attempt to recreate an arrangement usually made from fugu (pufferfish).
He told BuzzFeed:
"You could say that I accidentally stumbled upon the idea of my sashimi art when I tried using different kinds of fish to recreate the crane arrangement that typically only uses thinly sliced fugu."
"It ended up looking like a woman seen from behind, and things progressed from there."
Mikyou describes himself as a "total amateur" and says he honed his skills by watching videos on YouTube and lots and lots of practice.
Mikyou's arrangements have evolved quite a bit over time, becoming much more complex with practice.
He has done more traditional arrangements, like this "Sugata-zukuri" arrangement of the whole fish.
And much more complicated pieces like this woman with a lyre!
His arrangements often combine techniques like "usu-zukuri," or super thin slices of fish, with thicker cuts, vegetables, or sauces to create the images.
All of Mikyou's arrangements are created for his family to enjoy for dinner. None of the fish is wasted, and he often does all of his prep work before he starts slicing the fish so that they can be enjoyed as soon as possible for the best flavor.
"It's really easy to get fresh seafood in Matsuyama, so my family and I often eat sashimi, and we're quite picky about the flavor."
It seems his family isn't as keen on his amazing arrangements as he is.
"I'm the only one in my family who gets any enjoyment out of these creations."
It seems his family didn't used to be so unaffected by his artistry.
"I used to enjoy watching my younger son get embarrassed and upset when I would create something too pretty, but at this point, they hardly react to my creations. They just quietly eat them up."
"Pretty" is definitely part of Mikyou's repertoire.
His creations aren't limited to the cute or beautiful, though!
Even if his family isn't phased by Mikyou's talent, people the world over are enjoying it!
"Bravo, it's magnificent!"regardervraiment/Instagram
rezvani.s/Instagram
"How do you get such ideas? This is greatfomushkinaalena/Instagram
His creations are even making the rounds on Japanese news!
"I came from Smart News! Your sashimi art is amazing!"beautiful.dreamer.tm/Instagram
"I saw this on "Mētele's Dodesuka" (a Nagoya Broadcasting Network local news segment) this morning! I am always enjoy seeing your Instagram posts, so I was surprised to see them on TV! I was as happy as if I had done it"
With Mikyou making such amazing creations out of slices of fish, it seems like you really can make art with anything.
