Origami: Origin And Folding Techniques

The word origami comes from the Japanese words for fold paper. Originally, all the different folding techniques were named different things. It was not until later when all these paper folding techniques were grouped together into the larger category of origami. Origami is an artform from Japan where paper is folded to create a three dimensional creation, often something coming from the natural world, like a bird or flower. Making a more complex model by folding paper will require a flexible (so as to be easy to fold), resilient (so as to not tear during the folding) piece of paper that is also thin. It is ideal for the paper to be thin as when making a complex build, as many layers can overlap, making it harder to fold, make good creases, and more likely to tear. It is often done with a square piece of paper.

The History of Origami

Paper was invented in 105 CE in China. Before then, things were written on parchment, which was not good folding material. In the Sixth century, bhuddist monks introduced paper from China to Japan. Very few people had paper as at the time it was a rare commodity, so origami was restricted to purely religious and ceremonial purposes. One such ceremony is the Japanese Noshi ceremony. In this ceremony, meat would be tied in a white piece of paper as something people would put on gifts as a lucky charm to bring good luck. When the Edo period (1603-1868) came, over a thousand years later, paper was produced with faster, more efficient methods, and therefore got much cheaper. Because of this, less privileged people could get paper. It was only when the Edo period came that folding paper became more common, and shifted away from being only for ceremonial purposes to also being used for entertainment and leisure activities. During this time, origami was still made by folding paper, but the paper could also be cut, unlike the modern origami rules. They were also flexible on what type of paper could be used to start with when making origami. It was not always necessary to start with small square. Books with instructions in them on how to make origami were also produced. Commonly, the item produced was a living thing like a flower or the famous crane. This differed from the folding done in China where the subject matter was usually an inanimate object, like a gold ingot, thrown on a fire at funerals. Another of the creations outside Japan was the Spanish Pajarita, for baptisms. A Japanese man named Akira Yoshizawa created wet-folding and invented better systems for writing origami instructions. Modern origami takes advantage of wet-folding, modular origami (making something in pieces then assembling them to create a final product) and computer programs to create complex designs, but is also a very popular pastime and hobby for more casual folders.

Origami techniques

The two basic kinds of folds are the mountain and valley folds. With a mountain fold, you fold the paper such that the crease is at the top, like a mountain. When doing a valley fold, you fold to achieve the opposite.

These folds are used to create all other folds. A cushion fold is a common set of folds that creates four triangles facing up. Another common fold that is often used at the start of creating an origami build is the square fold. This creates a second smaller square out of the original. This is done by creating creases along all of the square’s lines of symmetry. Then the sides are squashed in. From this square base, the squash and petal folds can be created. A fold often used at the end of the creation process is the outside and inside reverse folds, used to create details such as the head of a crane.

Other folding techniques

Origami would be entirely about geometric shapes and patterns with neat folds, but there are origami techniques called wet-folding and soft folding which add a little bit of a sculpting element to origami. Both techniques were invented by Akira Yoshizawa.

Wet folding

Regular origami will naturally degrade, but not if the wet-folding technique is used. It involves getting a thick piece of paper and wetting it to make it easier to fold. The wet-folded piece of paper will last longer when it dries. This can also create more natural shapes, good for animals and plants. Doing this requires the folder to dampen the paper with a cloth. The folds must then be done quickly, before the paper dries.

Soft folding

This involves folding something but not creasing it, or creasing it gently. This can help creations be less flat or more life like. These will not last long though, so a soft fold should also be wet-folded.