Origami is the Japanese art of paper folding where 'ori' means folding and 'kami' means paper. While origami is known as a Japanese art, it began in China when paper was invented around 100 AD and spread to Japan with paper folding. In ancient times, origami was only used for special occasions as paper was scarce, with figures made in animal, person or ceremonial shapes from a single sheet of colored paper. It was not until the late 19th century that the art of paper folding was called origami, and it grew in popularity in the 1950s due to artist Akira Yoshizawa who developed origami as a creative art. The first known origami instruction book from 1797 detailed how to

1. Fun With Origami

2. • Origami, (pronounced or-i-GA-me) is the
Japanese art of paper folding. "Ori" is
the Japanese word for folding and
"kami" is the Japanese word for paper.
Origami Definition

3. • Although Origami is
known as a Japanese
Art, it actually began
in China. The Chinese
invented paper around
100 A.D., and when the
invention spread to
Japan around 600 A.D.,
so did the art of paper
folding.
The Origins of Origami. . .

4. The History of Origami
• In ancient times, Origami could only be used for special
occasions because the paper was scarce. The figures
made from origami were shaped like animals, costumed
people, and ceremonial designs that had special meanings
to them. The constructions were done using a single sheet
of colored paper that was often, though not always, square.
• There were no directions back then. None of the folding
instructions were ever written down for the models.
They were passed down by generation through
learning and practicing.
• The art of paper folding was not called Origami until the
end of the nineteenth century. By the 1950’s origami gained
popularity from world famous origami artist Akira
Yoshizawa (1911-2005).

5. First Book on Origami
• The first known book on how to make an
origami object was written in 1797 and is
called The Secret of One Thousand
Cranes Origami (Hiden Senbazuru Orikata)
Pictured to the
left are pages
from “The Secret
of One Thousand
Cranes Origami”..

6. He considered to be the grandmaster of origami for developing
origami as a creative art and creating many new folding styles.
Pictured above are pages
from “Dokuhon, Vol.1 ”
Akira Yoshizawa (1911-2005)

7. Examples of Origami Folds
• http://www.tammyyee.com/origamishirt.html

8. Review Questions
• What does the word “Origami” mean?
A) folding paper
B) cut paper
C) creased paper
• What country did Origami come from?
A) Asia
B) China
C) Japan
• The first book on Origami was about 1000
A) cranes
B) rabbits
C) dogs