Japanese Sculptor Carves Groceries Into Brilliant Edible Sculptures

Fish carved from broccoli by Gaku

Every culture has its own history of traditional arts. Mukimono is the Japanese tradition of carving fruit and vegetables into elaborate garnishes. Throughout the years, we've followed along as Takehiro Kishimoto—also known as Gaku—has mastered this craft. His Instagram feed is filled with incredible photos and videos of the fish, dragons, and birds he crafts from produce.

Whether it's cleverly using broccoli florets as the tail of a carp or putting a squash seed in the beak of a bird carved from the same vegetable, Gaku has a charming way of displaying his food art. Using specialized blades and tools designed for fruit carving, the artist is able to achieve incredible detail in his work. A wide variety of textures show up in his food art, from the delicate feathers of a bird to perfectly symmetrical fish gills.

Broccoli and carrots seem to be favorites of his recently, though you'll also find Gaku using apples, squash, cucumbers, and lemons occasionally. By sharing his art with the world, the sculptor hopes that the public a deeper appreciation of mukimono and Thai fruit carving.

There's one thing for certain: after looking at Gaku's fruit and vegetable carvings, the produce aisle will never look the same again.

Check out recent work by Japanese food artist Gaku, who transforms produce into elaborate carvings.

Bird carved out of a squash by Gaku

Fish carved out of a cucumber

Bird carved out of a squash by Gaku

His work sits in the tradition of Japan's mukimono, as well as Thai fruit carving.

Gaku Fruit Carving of a Lemon

Bird carved out of a carrot by Gaku

Dragon head carved out of a carrot

Dragon carved from a broccoli by Gaku

Dragon carved from a broccoli by Gaku

Bird carved from a broccoli by Gaku

He often posts photos and videos showing off the details of his fruit and vegetable carvings.

 

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A post shared by gaku carving (@gakugakugakugakugaku1)

 

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A post shared by gaku carving (@gakugakugakugakugaku1)

Gaku: Instagram

All images via Gaku.

Related Articles:

New Elaborately Carved Food Transforms Produce into Works of Art

Master Fruit Carving Artist Creates Sensational Food Art With Avocados

Artist Transforms Food into Striking Sculptures, Eats His Work Afterwards

Food Artist Hand-Carves Incredibly Intricate Patterns Into Fruit and Vegetables

Jessica Stewart

Jessica Stewart is a Staff Editor and Digital Media Specialist for My Modern Met, as well as a curator and art historian. Since 2020, she is also one of the co-hosts of the My Modern Met Top Artist Podcast. She earned her MA in Renaissance Studies from University College London and now lives in Rome, Italy. She cultivated expertise in street art which led to the purchase of her photographic archive by the Treccani Italian Encyclopedia in 2014. When she’s not spending time with her three dogs, she also manages the studio of a successful street artist. In 2013, she authored the book "Street Art Stories Roma" and most recently contributed to "Crossroads: A Glimpse Into the Life of Alice Pasquini." You can follow her adventures online at @romephotoblog.
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