The craft of origami is more than just folding paper – it’s a true art form. This week, Tidbits’ spotlight is on this ancient skill.
• Before it was known as origami, the term was “orikata,” which translates from the Japanese words “ori” (folded) and “kari” (paper).
• Although we usually associate origami with Japan, it’s likely that it originated in China, where paper was invented around 105 AD. Paper wasn’t introduced to Japan until the 6th century. By 900 AD, paper “gold nuggets” were common at Chinese funerals. Gold paper was folded into currency, which was thrown into a fire at the end of the rites.
• The traditional paper used for origami is known as Washi. Washi is made from plant fibers, making it tougher than ordinary paper that’s made from wood pulp. The bark from a number of different trees and shrubs can be used, including the mitsumata shrub, bamboo tree, paper mulberry bush, hemp, rice, or wheat. The long, strong fibers of the gampi tree have been used for making paper since the 8th century. However, any paper can be used as long as it holds a crease.
• Most origami begins with a single sheet of square paper, although rectangles and other shapes may be used. A single complex origami design might contain hundreds of sheets. While traditional origami sculptures have no marking, cutting, gluing, or taping, a variation known as Kirigami employs cutting and folding to complete its three-dimensional design. However, Kirigami still uses no glue.
• If you can’t make a paper airplane, you might find the art of origami a little daunting! There are simple basic folds such as valley and mountain folds, reverse folds, and pleats. More complex folds have names like squash fold, rabbit ears, petal fold, radial fold, swivel fold, twist fold, and crimp fold, with many requiring at least two layers of paper.
• An ancient tradition at Japanese weddings is the practice of the 1,000 cranes, known as Senbazuru. Together, the couple folds 1,000 paper cranes to adorn their wedding site. The father of the bride also gifts her with 1,000 cranes. Legend has it that the cranes grant a wish to whoever holds them. In addition, two origami butterflies are displayed, a symbol of wedded bliss. The paper crane starts with a square sheet of paper, with both sides a kaleidoscope of different colors, prints, and patterns, or one patterned side with one blank side.
• The first instructional book for origami was published in 1797. “Senbazuru Orikata” included the concept of diagramming the folds, and included the first instructions for the tradition of 1,000 cranes.
• Samurai warriors offer each other gifts with origami sculptures attached as a token of good luck. This type of decorative origami is known as Noshi Awabi. A Japanese custom since the 12th century, Noshi Awabi is always a token of good luck, and is never gifted at funerals or burials.
• Origami isn’t all about love and symbolism. Aeronautical engineers and physicists at NASA craft scaled-down models of space equipment to ensure that all of the necessary instruments fit into the confined spaces of a spacecraft.
• Big origami, small origami! The largest paper crane was crafted in 1999, made inside a football stadium, a sculpture weighing 1,750 pounds (794 kg) with a height of 215 feet (65.5 m). The smallest was created by Japanese resident Akira Naito, a crane folded from a 0.1 x 0.1 mm square of paper, a task that required a pair of tweezers and microscope to complete.
