Origami is the art of paper folding. The
word is Japanese, literally meaning to fold (oru) paper(kami). I
encourage you explore these pages and to make use of the resources you
find here. Happy folding!
Origami, the Japanese name for the
art of paper folding, comes from the Japanese verb oru (to fold) and the
noun kami (paper). The word "origami" is now commonly used around the
world. A finished origami figure is called a model, the method for
folding a model is called a design, and drawn instructions for a model
is called a set of diagrams. An origami artist is usually called a
paperfolder.
The only requirement for origami is a piece of paper,
making it one of the most accessible arts. Almost any paper may be used,
but standard "origami paper" is thin, strong, and holds a crease very
well. It is also usually white on one side and colored on the other
side, and is cut into 15 cm squares (about 6 inches). Some origami
artists also experiment with other materials, and have folded models out
of cardboard, various types of cloth, wire mesh, sheet metal, and even
sheets of pasta.
The basic technique of origami is folding, and many
complex folds have been developed. The simplest fold is the valley fold,
where a flat piece of paper is folded towards the paperfolder. When
this fold is unfolded, the crease line forms a valley shape. Closely
related is the mountain fold, where the paper is folded away from the
paperfolder. This crease line forms an upraised ridge, or a mountain
shape. Since these folds differ only in direction, mountain folds are
usually made by turning the paper over, folding a valley fold in the
indicated position, and then turning the paper over again. Certain
combinations of basic folds form bases, starting shapes that may be used
to fold many different models. The four most common bases, from
simplest to the more complex, are the kite base, the fish base, the bird
base, and the frog base.
The names of the bases reveal that many
paperfolders enjoy folding models of animals (including all living
creatures). Besides the many animal models, there are models of almost
all physical objects including people, faces, plants, vehicles and
buildings. Some paperfolders fold abstract or mathematical shapes, and
others specialize in modular origami, where many copies of a simple
folded shape are assembled to form large elaborate structures.
Paperfolders
are a diverse group of people ranging from artists to scientists to
therapists. Artists and craftspeople use origami as a way to express
themselves creatively. Scientists, architects, and mathematicians
explore the geometry of origami for its own beauty and for practical
applications. Therapists and teachers use origami as a tool to help
their patients recover from illness or to help their students learn.
Many people fold paper simply because it is fun.
No one really knows
when and where origami was invented. Some origami historians argue that
since the invention of paper is credited to Ts'ai Lun of China in A.D.
105, paper folding must have been invented soon after. Paper was then
introduced to Japan in the late sixth century by Buddhist monks, and
paper folding was brought along with it. In Japan, paper was considered
an expensive commodity, and it was used in many aspects of Japanese
life, most notably in architecture. Certain origami models were
incorporated into religious (Shinto) ceremonies. In fact, the word for
paper,kami, is a homonym for the word for spirit or god. The designs
associated with Shintoist ceremony have remained unchanged over the
centuries. However, since there are no known Chinese records of paper
folding, and since the oldest Japanese records date only to the 18th
century, other historians claim that origami is definitely a Japanese
invention. Regardless of its ultimate origin, Japan is recognized as the
country that most fully developed the traditional art of origami.
The
Japanese transmitted their designs via an oral tradition, with the
recreational designs being passed from mother to daughter. Because
nothing was ever written down, only the simplest designs were kept. The
first written instructions appeared in AD 1797 with the publication of
theSenbazuru Orikata (Thousand Crane Folding). One portion of the
Kayaragusa (also known asKan no mado or Window on Midwinter), an
encyclopedia of Japanese culture published in 1845, included a
comprehensive collection of traditional Japanese figures. The name
origami was coined in 1880 from the words oru (to fold) and kami
(paper). Previously, the art was called orikata("folded shapes").
Meanwhile,
paperfolding was also being developed in Spain. The secret of
papermaking reached the Arabic world in the eighth century, and the
Arabs brought it to Spain in the 12th century. The Arabs were devoutly
Muslim and their religion forbade the creation of representational
figures. Instead, they followed their mastery of mathematics and their
paperfolding was a study of the geometries inherent in the paper. After
the Arabs left Spain, the Spanish went beyond the geometric designs and
developed papiroflexia, an art this is still popular in Spain and
Argentina.
Modern origami owes a great deal to the efforts of
YOSHIZAWA Akira. After centuries of people folding the same traditional
models, Master Yoshizawa published books with completely new models
starting in the early 1950's. He, together with American Sam Randlett,
also developed the standard set of origami diagram symbols that is still
used today. Exhibitions of his work, both in Japan and around the
world, introduced origami to many people, leading to the formation of
various origami associations including the Origami Center of America
(now OrigamiUSA), and the British Origami Society. Now there are origami
masters and enthusiasts in many countries, forming a widespread but
close-knit community. Yoshizawa, who died in 2005 at the age of 94, is
still regarded as the grandmaster of origami.
Today, master
paperfolders can be found in many places around the world. New and
improved folding techniques have produced models that would have
astounded the ancients. They still manage to astound many people today.
Where once it was considered a feat to fold a representational insect
that gave the impression of a segmented body and multiple legs,
anatomically correct insects are now considered commonplace and the feat
is to create insects that are of a recognizable species. Happily, not
all paperfolders have reduced paperfolding to greater and greater
achievements of technical skill. The artistry of paperfolding is also
flourishing.
Composition and paper choice play an important role in
this newfound artistry. Yoshizawa has also led the way in this area,
producing fabulous displays that capture the life of his subjects,
whether shown as a diorama, as a mobile, or in a shadow box. He has
developed a technique known asbackcoating that is the lamination of two
layers of washi to produce a paper that is unparalleled for folding.
Also, a technique known as wet folding, where a heavily sized paper is
folded while wet, allows the folder to sculpt his model into soft curves
and 3D forms.
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