subject: The History of Origami [print this page] The History of Origami The History of Origami
The art of origami is usually believed to have originated in Japan during the 17th century AD.
It's hard to specify precisely where and when origami developed because paper breaks down fairly quickly making it difficult to keep records. The art form in all likelihood developed in China around the first century AD and came to Japan sometime around the sixth century AD where it ultimately became a cultural tradition.
At first due to the fact that paper was high priced origami was an art form only enjoyed by the elite and was used for practical purposes such as folding letters. Samurai would gave each other little paper good luck charms known as noshi and paper butterflies were folded for Shinto weddings.
In the Edo period (1600 - 1868) new methods were created to effectively mass produce paper. This is when origami began to fully develop into the art that we know today.
Origami instructions were handed down person to person and no diagrams were recorded until in 1797 when a book called Senbazuru Orikata (How to Fold 1000 Cranes) was published. In Japanese mythology the Crane was believed to be a holy bird. As origami became more popular the tradition that one would receive a wish or gain good luck from folding 1000 Cranes developed.
When other collections of diagrams started to get released origami officially received a name.
The name origami comes from the Japanese verb oru meaning to fold and the Japanese word for paper, kami. combining the two returns the word origami.
Modern origami was developed at the start of the 20th century by Akira Yoshizawa who is commonly believed to be the grandmaster of origami. Akira Yoshizawa created the method of wet folding which involved dampening the paper before folding to give finished models more of a sculpted and three dimensional look. By 1989 he had developed over 50,000 models and released eighteen books.
In the 1980s many folders began to examine the mathematical properties of origami. With the addition of computer software it was possible to create astoundingly complex models such as the ones you see today.
Interestingly enough, Japan isn't the only country with a vibrant origami history. Origami was also developed by the Moors of Africa.
While Japanese origami is famous for creating renditions of animals, Islamic traditions did not allow for artists to create renditions of living things. This was because of the second commandment of the Ten Commandments forbidding creating graven images.
The Moors instead investigated the mathematics of origami and created complex shapes and tessellations.
When the Moors invaded Spain in the 8th century AD they brought origami with them and soon after it began to spread around Europe.
