Introduction to Origami

The objective of this lesson is to educate newcomers to the art of origami about its history and its several forms.

A page from Akisato Rito’s 
Sembazuru Orikata

    Origami is called the art of folding, using just one piece of paper to make different forms and shapes, from entirely aesthetic and display purposes to being useful in your everyday life. Ori means to fold in the Japanese language, while Kami means paper, hence, it is called Origami. Contrary to popular belief, origami actually originated from China in the 105 A.D., and was brought to Japan by monks on the sixth century. Before, since handmade paper was expensive, it can only be acquired by a select few. Its purpose was also mainly for religious and carnival purposes, but in the Edo period, paper had become easier to acquire as it had become cheaper, and it's purpose had shifted from entirely religious and ceremonial purposes, to also entertainment. Written instructions for paper folding first appeared in 1797, with Akisato Rito’s Sembazuru Orikata.

    Surely you were also somehow dumbfounded when you found out that origami actually originated from China, not Japan, but that doesn’t make the art form any less special. It’s still the same art of folding that we know and love, ranging from simple shapes and form to complicated forms. There are also different kinds of origamis. They’re all just folding paper, what could be so special about folding paper that it had to evolve into different types? Well first off, origami has changed so much over the years, much like everything, since people had taken liberties to add new techniques and new perspectives that are very much welcome.

    The types of origamis are: Traditional origami, Modular origami, Action origami, Golden Venture origami, Pureland origami, Strip folding, Origami tessellation, and Wet folding. I’ll only explain Traditional, Modular, and Action for now. 

    Traditional origami only consists of folding one piece of paper to achieve a desired design. There are no cutting, gluing, or any form of adhesive in the picture for this particular origami.

    Modular origami is similar to traditional origami, the only catch is that modular origami consists of many pieces of paper that interlock in the forms of tabs and pockets. If you are an experienced person in origami, this type of origami is surely able to challenge you. In this form also, there is no gluing to be done.

Last but not least, Action origami might be a favorite of children, as it involves somewhat moving pieces that is surely able to entertain them. Popular forms of action origami are birds that flap their wings with a simple tug from their tails, and frogs that jump.

 

    

Hopefully, you have been inspired to also take part in the art of paper folding, and if you want to find out more, click this link for the next lesson where we will discuss more about the types of folding involved in origami!

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