Ronnie Braithwaite
AP Art History
Ms. Crouse
4/28/13
Origin and Evolution
 Japanese word ori meaning “folding
 Japanese word kami meaning “paper”
 100AD- Paper-making originated in China by Ts'ai Lun, a
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servant of the Chinese emperor. The art of paper folding
began shortly after.
600AD-Paper-making spread to Japan where origami really
took off
800-1100 AD- Origami was introduced to the West (Spain)
by the Moors who made geometric origami models.
Mid-1900s- popularized further outside of Japan
Since then, it has evoked into a modern art form
Take off in the 1900s
 Akira Yoshizawa
 Wet Folding
 The Yoshizawa–Randlett system
 his work inspired a renaissance of the art form
Origami Paper
 Often referred to as “Kami”
 Sold in prepackaged squares of various sizes
 commonly colored on one side and white on the other
 weighs slightly less than copy paper
The Paper Crane
 Most well known origami
model
 Most basic form of origami
 Created from small, basic
folds
 The crane in Japan is one of
the mystical or holy creatures
(others include
the dragon and the tortoise)
and is said to live for a
thousand years
Thousand Paper Cranes
 Ancient Japanese legend promises that
anyone who folds a thousand origami
cranes will be granted a wish by a
crane.
 Some stories believe you are granted
eternal good luck, instead of just one
wish, such as long life or recovery
from illness or injury
 popular gifts for special friends and
family
A group of Japanese
schoolchildren dedicate
their contribution of
Thousand origami cranes at
the Sadako Sasaki
memorial in Hiroshima.
Lets try it!
Origami vs Kirigami
 The use of cuts or glue are not considered origami but
kirigami
 Goal of origami: transform a flat sheet of paper into a
finished sculpture through folding and sculpting
techniques
Additional Types of Origami
 Wet Folding
•Action Origami
•Modular Origami
Origami Around the World
Money Bill Origami
 Examples of money-bill origami
Miniature Paper Crane
 Challenging miniature version of a paper crane
Flamenco Dancers
 Created using Wet Fold technique and a twisting/tying
technique
An Example of an Origami Bonsai
Bibliography
 "David Lister on Islamic Arab and Moorish Folding?". Britishorigami.info.
Retrieved April 12, 2013.
 Donna Serena da Riva. "Paper Folding in 15th century Europe".
 Hatori Koshiro. "History of Origami". K's Origami. Retrieved April 20, 2013.
 Jeremy Shafer (2001). Origami to Astonish and Amuse. St. Martin's Griffin
 Laing, Ellen Johnston (2004). Up In Flames. Stanford University Press.
 Lang, Robert J. "Origami Design Secrets" Dover Publications, 2003.
 Margalit Fox (April 2, 2005). "Akira Yoshizawa, 94, Modern Origami Master".
New York Times.
 Merali, Zeeya (June 17, 2011), "Origami Engineer Flexes to Create Stronger,
More Agile Materials", Science 332: 1376–1377.
 Rick Beech (2009). The Practical Illustrated Encyclopaedia of Origami. Lorenz
Books.
 Temko, Florence (1986). Paper Pandas and Jumping Frogs. p. 123.