Probably the first time that a crease was made in a piece of paper was not long after that very same piece of paper had been invented by a Chinese man called Ts'ai Lun in 105 AD. That is not to say that he invented origami, but that creases are both easily made and difficult to avoid. The origins of paper folding are not easy to trace and nobody can offer a definitive or comprehensive history of this ancient art.
What is known is that paper reached Japan in the latter part of the sixth century. Initially, it was expensive and was used by wealthy people for such things as documents, screens, architecture and lanterns. Paper was also introduced to the Shinto religion and was used to make folded shapes (Orikata).
Traditionally, designs were taught from one generation to the next (from mother to daughter) with the designs being remembered rather than written down. Paper folding also developed independently as an art form in Spain where it is known as Papiroflexia.
The word Origami is formed from the Japanese words "oru", which means "to fold", and "kami", which means "paper".
It was not until 1797 that the first origami book was published, in Japan, which was titled "Senbazuru Orikata" (Thousand Crane Folding). In the early 1950s Yoshizawa Akira wrote books that included new designs rather than traditional ones and was responsible (together with Sam Randlett) for developing the system of standard symbols that appear in books today.
The popularity of this ancient art spread world wide due to the enthusiasm of people such as Lillian Openheimer, Sam Randlett and the magician Robert Harbin.
In the UK, from the 1950s to the 1970s, Robert Harbin wrote books of origami and often appeared on national television. By doing so he introducing paper folding to a generation of British youngsters that eagerly embraced paper folding as the latest craze.
Some Pictures of Origami
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Information provided by: http://www.origamipaperfolding.co.uk/ |
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