Portal:Origami

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The Origami Portal

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Introduction

Origami cranes

Origami (折り紙, from ori meaning "folding", and kami meaning "paper" (kami changes to gami due to rendaku)) is the art of paper folding, which is often associated with Japanese culture. In modern usage, the word "origami" is used as an inclusive term for all folding practices, regardless of their culture of origin. The goal is to transform a flat square sheet of paper into a finished sculpture through folding and sculpting techniques. Modern origami practitioners generally discourage the use of cuts, glue, or markings on the paper. Origami folders often use the Japanese word kirigami to refer to designs which use cuts, although cutting is more characteristic of Chinese papercrafts.^{[not in citation given]}

The small number of basic origami folds can be combined in a variety of ways to make intricate designs. The best-known origami model is the Japanese paper crane. In general, these designs begin with a square sheet of paper whose sides may be of different colors, prints, or patterns. Traditional Japanese origami, which has been practiced since the Edo period (1603–1867), has often been less strict about these conventions, sometimes cutting the paper or using nonsquare shapes to start with. The principles of origami are also used in stents, packaging and other engineering applications.

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Modular origami, otherwise known as unit folding, is a form of origami involving the use of several pieces of paper to create one model. Each individual sheet of paper is folded into a module or unit, and then the pieces are assembled into a flat shape or three-dimensional structure by inserting flaps into pockets created by the folding process. This process creates tension in the model allowing this units to remain together. Modular origami can be viewed as a sub-set of multi-piece origami, and therefore the rules of origami still apply.

The first historical evidence for a modular origami design comes from a Japanese book by Hayato Ohoka published in 1734 called Ranma Zushiki. It contains a print that shows a group of traditional origami models, one of which is a modular cube.

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Sadako Sasaki (Japanese:佐々木禎子 Sasaki Sadako, January 7, 1943 – October 25, 1955) was a Japanese girl who lived in Hiroshima, Japan. When the atomic bomb was dropped on Hiroshima, Sadako was only a mile away. On February 18, 1955 she was diagnosed with leukemia. The doctor ordered immediate hospitalization, and stated that she would have, at the most, a year to live. In response to her sickness, a gift of one thousand origami paper cranes that were donated to the hospital from the people of Nagoya. She was inspired by the cranes, and became one of the many patients who began to fold the origami cranes. At the time of her death, she had folded over a thousand cranes.

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Two variations of kusudama.

The Japanese kusudama (薬玉; lit. medicine ball) is a paper model that is created by sewing several pyramidal units together through their points to form a spherical shape. Occasionally, a tassel is attached to the bottom for decoration. They originate from ancient Japanese culture, where they were used for incense and potpourri. The word itself is a combination of two Japanese words kusuri, Medicine, and tama, Ball. They are now typically used as decorations, or as gifts.

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This collection of paper cranes was created for the prayers for peace foundation in Hiroshima, Japan. Hundreds of children and parents alike folded the paper cranes, and they were all combined to form this magnificent peace of art.

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