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 the Senbazuru Orikata (Thousand Crane Folding). One portion of the Kayaragusa (also known as Kan 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. Today, Yoshizawa, aged 92, is regarded as the grandmaster of origami in the world.
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 as backcoating 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.
The invention of paper in China dates from ancient times. A traditionally established date has the 8th century as commencing of handmade paper into Japan from Korea.
The Nara Period (710-794) saw the centralization of political authority and its attendant bureaucracy linked to the dramatic expansion of the Buddhist priesthood create a heavy demand for paper. There are recorded over 233 different types of paper made by 20 provinces.
The Heian Period (794-1185) was the golden age of quality and variety in papermaking. The growing courtly culture created a wider demand for both official papers and luxuriously decorated sheets on which to keep diaries, write poems, etc. Each region of the country came to be known for its own special type of paper. Beautifully dyed and elaborately decorated papers from this period are still in excellent condition today and can be found in museum displays and private collections.
The Kamakura, Muromachi, and Azuchi-Momoyama Periods (1185-1600) The rise of the warrior class, the change to a feudal form of government, and a decline in the economic and political fortunes of the imperial court reduced the demand for fancy paper but stimulated increased production of good-quality utility paper by cottage industries. The development of printing, markets, and freer architectural use of paper for screen and partition coverings added a new dimension to paper consumption.
The Edo Period (1600-1868) was politically stable and allowed the pursuit of learning and official encouragement for provincial openings of print centers. For the first time both books and paper became freely available for all. Feudal lords established papermaking centers in their own domains so they could have a personal paper source. Paper was the second greatest source of tax income outside of rice. So much paper was made available that for the first time in history, paper was readily available and accessible to all classes of people. Many centers produced surplus paper which found its way into the markets of Edo (now Tokyo), Osaka, and Kyoto.
The Meiji Period (1868-Present) found western papermaking technology introduced into Japan in the 1870’s, and since the early 20th century expanse and limited production have made it difficult for artisan papermakers to compete with industrial paper manufactures.
Washi paper is produced from the bark fibers of three shrubs (kozo, gampi, and mitsumata) making up the washimakers basic raw materials. All occur naturally in most parts of Japan. Kozo and mitsumata shrubs are cultivated, but gampi bark is always gathered from the wild plant. Before bark is turned into paper it must be cropped, stripped, bleached, and boiled in lye to remove the non-fibrous materials, washed, graded, and finally pulped. Mucilage is added to the pulp to produce an emulsion in which fibers are suspended and do not knot, and the slow-draining thickened liquid permits greater control in the determination of paper thickness. Each sheet or waterleaf requires several dips into a vat of stock. After some 400-600 sheets (one block) have been molded, the sheets are pressed to remove excess water and are separated and brushed onto fine-grained wooden boards to dry. Finally the sheets are gathered, cut to size, packed, and marketed.
Washi paper is the material of the craftsman and architecture, the tea master, the painter and calligrapher; paper screens and shoji are part of every house; farmers and townsmen alike use paper umbrellas, fans, lamps, and lanterns, boxes and containers, toys, origami, and even paper clothing; paper symbolizes the purifying aspect of the god in Shinto rites. The world of Japanese paper touches every aspect of their daily life. Japan still produces a higher quality and greater quantity and variety of handmade paper than all the other countries in the world combined.
Origami’s relationship to washi goes back to the most ancient and serious ceremonial folding of paper, such as the making of shide in Shintoism, (ritually folded white paper stripes marking the areas in nature between the sacred and profane). The ceremonial folding of washi became extremely elaborate, and since Shintoism lacks the icons of most other religions, the complex cutting and folding also became highly symbolic.
Unfortunately, producing hand made washi paper is a slowly dying art in Japan. Many of today’s youth who have come from homes where washi paper is laboriously hand produced are finding a better lifestyle in the big cities. Linked to this is the fact that kozo, mitsumata, and gampi the required natural resources to produce washi paper are becoming increasingly less abundant throughout Japan. Once again the pendulum has swung to wear it is the wealthy who can afford and appreciate the value of washi. Washi is becoming the rich man’s chiyogami. Yes, the origami folders of today are discovering the beauty and versatility of washi. Often times it is reserved for only the most valued of a folder’s creation. This is true in Japan and is true worldwide.
