Origami (pronounced or-i-GA-me) is
the Japanese art of paperfolding. "Ori" is the Japanese word for
folding and "kami" is the Japanese word for paper. That is how origami
got its name. However, origami did not start in Japan. It began in
China in the first or second century and then spread to Japan sometime
during the sixth century.
At first, there was very little paper available so only the rich could
afford to do paperfolding. The Japanese found useful purposes for their
origami. For example, the Samurai (sa-MURE-ay) would exchange gifts
with a form known as a noshi
(NO-shee).
This was a paper folded with a strip of dried fish or meat. It was
considered a good luck token. Also, the Shinto Noblemen would celebrate
weddings by wrapping glasses of sake or rice wine in butterfly forms
that had been folded to represent the bride and groom.
As easier papermaking methods were developed, paper became less
expensive. Origami became a popular art for everyone, no matter if they
were rich or poor. However, the Japanese people have always been very
careful not to waste anything. They have always saved even the tiniest
scraps of paper and used them for folding origami models.
For centuries there were no written directions for folding
origami models. The directions were taught to each generation and then
handed
down to the next. This form of art became part of the cultural heritage
of the Japanese people. In 1797,
How to Fold 1000 Cranes was published. This book contained the first written set of origami instructions which told
how to fold a crane.
The crane was considered a sacred bird in Japan.
It was a Japanese custom that if a person folded 1000 cranes, they
would be granted one wish. Origami became a very popular form of art as
shown
by the well-known Japanese woodblock print that was made in 1819
entitled "A Magician Turns Sheets of Birds". This print shows birds
being created from pieces of paper.
In 1845 another book, Window on Midwinter, was
published
which included a collection of approximately 150 origami models. This
book introduced the model of the frog which is a very well known model
even today. With the publication of both these books, the folding of
origami became recreation in Japan.
Not only were the Japanese folding paper, but the Moors, who
were from Africa, brought paperfolding with them to Spain when they
invaded that country in the eighth century. The Moors used paperfolding
to create geometric figures because their religion prohibited them from
creating animal forms. From Spain it spread to South America.
As trade routes were developed, the art of origami was introduced to
Europe and later the United States.
Today, master paperfolders can be found in many places around the world.
Akira Yoshizawa of Japan is one of these. He is considered the "father
of modern origami" because of his creative paperfolding. He also
developed a set of symbols and terms that are used worldwide in the
written instructions of origami.
The interest in origami continues
to increase today. Just as the ancient Japanese found useful purposes for their
origami models, so do we today. Origami will also be a part of our future as we look
toward the millennium. The origami crane has become a global peace symbol.
Source:http://library.thinkquest.org/5402/history.html
Source:http://library.thinkquest.org/5402/history.html
