Making one fold after another and watching the paper become a three-dimensional form is more than just a pastime – it is a way to get in touch with elements of Japan’s culture and sense of beauty, passed down from one generation to the next. Origami, so easy to learn, is a world full of surprises.
Long ago, the Japanese learned how to use bark fiber from shrubs like kozo and gampi to make a thin but strong paper. The paper found its way into homes for fusuma sliding doors and byobu screens. A strong paper was required for this, so manufacturers developed techniques for placing the fibers in a number of layers. The paper could then be used to cover the empty spaces in the shoji sliding doors, to provide a degree of privacy while letting light through. Chochin lanterns and andon lamps, used widely from the late 12th century until 17th century and later, also allow some light through the paper. The collapsible chochin lanterns required a paper strong enough to resist repeated folding and unfolding each time they were put away, then later used again. That type of paper, known as washi, would later be found suitable for origami, as well.
In the Muromachi period (14th to 16th centuries), it became the custom to wrap gifts beautifully in paper, a custom also known as orikata or origata. After the Muromachi period several books on orikata were published and became very popular. It seems that orikata evolved into a common pastime for working class folk from the early 1700s to the mid-1800s, and this pastime developed into what we know today as origami.
Origami master Kobayashi Kazuo once said
“Origami is a pastime, something you do for enjoyment, so don’t worry if it ends up a bit crooked or the folds don’t line up properly”
On Friday 4 July, Club Nippon held an origami workshop. Many of the participants were beginners, but there were also some who were already very good at doing origami. The instructor first gave a brief introduction to origami and then showed step by step, how to fold a simple cup.
The instructor then showed how to do a samurai helmet and the famous crane. The participants were invited to try their hand at some of the written instructions for various origami that were on each table and could at any time ask one of the several people from the Embassy present for help.
It was great fun for both young children and adults to try the intricate paperwork.