Origami

A crane and papers of the same size used to fold it

Origami is an art of paper folding (折り紙, Japanese 'ori', to fold, and 'kami', paper). Origami only uses a small number of different folds, but they can be combined in an infinite variety of ways to make extremely intricate designs. In general, these designs begin with a square sheet of paper, whose sides may be different colors, and proceed without cutting the paper. Contrary to popular belief, traditional Japanese origami, which has been practiced since the Edo era (1603-1867), has often been less strict about these conventions, sometimes cutting the paper during the creation of the design or starting with a rectangular, circular, or other non-square sheet of paper.

The origin of Japanese origami is probably the ceremonial paper folding, such as noshi, which started in Muromachi era (1392-1573). That of European origami, represented by a little bird (Pajarita in Spanish or Cocotte in French), is probably the baptismal certificate of 16th century.

An origami design can be as simple as a party hat or paper airplane, or as complex as a model of the Eiffel Tower, a leaping gazelle or a stegosaurus that takes an hour and a half to fold. Sometimes the most complex origami models are folded from foil instead of paper, because it allows more layers before becoming impractically thick. The Japanese do not see origami as an art form, but rather as an integrated part of their culture and tradition.

The work of Akira Yoshizawa of Japan, a prolific creator of origami designs and writer of books on origami, inspired a modern renaissance of the craft. Modern origami has attracted a worldwide following, with ever more intricate designs and new techniques such as 'wet-folding,' the practice of dampening the paper somewhat during folding to allow the finished product to hold shape better, and variations such as modular origami, where many origami units are assembled to form an often decorative whole.

File:Sadako Memorial.jpg

Sadako Sasaki memorial in Hiroshima, surrounded by paper cranes

One of the most famous origami designs is the Japanese crane. The crane is auspicious in Japanese. Japan has launched a satellite named tzuru (crane). Legend says that anyone who folds one thousand paper cranes will have their heart's desire come true. The origami crane has become a symbol of peace because of this legend, and because of a young Japanese girl named Sadako Sasaki. Sadako was exposed to the radiation of the atomic bombing of Hiroshima as an infant, and it took its inevitable toll on her health. She was then, a hibakusha -- an atom bomb survivor. By the time she was twelve in 1955, she was dying of leukemia. Hearing the legend, she decided to fold 1,000 cranes so that she could live. She folded 644 before she died. Her classmates folded the remaining number and she was buried with a wreath of 1,000 cranes. While her effort could not extend her life, it moved her friends to make a granite statue of Sadako in the Hiroshima Peace Park: a young girl standing with her hand outstretched, a paper crane flying from her fingertips. Every year the statue is adorned with thousands of wreaths of a thousand origami cranes (折鶴 oridzuru in Japanese)

The tale of Sadako has been dramatized in many books and movies. In one version, Sadako wrote a haiku that translates into English as:

I shall write peace upon your wings, and you shall fly around the world so that children will no longer have to die this way.

In another version, Sadako died before she could complete her task, and her classmates folded the remaining number so that she could be buried with 1,000 cranes.

Basic instructions

Most origami folds can be broken down into simpler steps. A list of techniques is accumulating in the origami tech tree.

Mathematics of Origami

The practice and study of origami encapsulates several subjects of mathematical interest. For instance, the problem of flat-foldability (whether an origami model can be flattened) has been a topic of considerable mathematical study. See Mathematics of origami.

Variations

• Kusudama

Authors

• Makoto Yamaguchi
• Akira Yoshizawa - created the modern repertoire of folding symbols
• Tomoko Fusé - famous for boxes and unit origami
• Peter Engel - influential origami artist and theorist
• John Montroll - one of the most prolific Western artists
• Kunihiko Kasahara - devised a standardized method for creating any polyhedron
• Robert Harbin - popularised origami in Britain
• Robert J. Lang - Author of many Origami books including the new benchmark Origami Design Secrets

External links

• Joseph Wu's Origami Page
• BestPaperAirplanes.com
• The FOLDS.NET Guide to Paperfolding Instructions on the Web is laid out in the same order as the origami tech tree.

Further reading

• One Thousand Paper Cranes: The Story of Sadako and the Children's Peace Statue by Takayuki Ishii, ISBN 0440228433
• Sadako and the Thousand Paper Cranes by Eleanor Coerr, ISBN 0698118022
• Origami 1, Robert Harbin, 1969, ISBN 0340109025
• Origami 2, Robert Harbin, ISBN 0340153849
• Origami 3, Robert Harbin, 1972, ISBN 034016655X
• Origami 4, Robert Harbin, 1977, ISBN ? (rare)
• Origami Design Secrets,Robert Lang, 2003, ISBN 1568811942