Origami is made up of two Japanese words, ori, which means instant folded, and kama, which means divine paper. Many centuries ago this art originated in Japan and found wide distribution in the world. Knowledge was passed down from generation to generation through the female line and was carefully guarded. In Japan, origami is a reflection of the local culture and philosophy. Where did origami come from? What is this direction today, and what techniques exist?

The history of the appearance of paper

In ancient China, wooden boards and silk were used to record information. Using the writing boards was extremely inconvenient; there is an example when a courtier wrote an article for the emperor on three thousand tablets. Silk, although convenient to use, was very expensive. Later, felt and wool were used for writing.

How did the process of making the first paper go?

Pieces of wool were taken and dissolved in water, after which they were collected, dried and pressed.

105 BC is considered to be the year of the invention of paper, when one of the courtiers reported in a report to the emperor about the invention of an excellent material for writing - soggy bamboo stalks combined with crushed mulberry bark. The result was a decree of the emperor banning the use of wooden tablets for writing, instead of which it was recommended to use only paper.

History of the invention of paper

Disseminating knowledge of papermaking

In the fifth century AD, paper money already existed in China, which was popularly called "flying coins". And in the sixth century, real books made of paper appear.

The secret of papermaking was carefully kept by the Chinese. But in the seventh century AD, one of the monks who knew the secret of making paper, during his wanderings, revealed the secret to the Japanese. They, in turn, have perfected Chinese technology and obtained better quality paper.

At first, paper was made from silkworm cocoons. Then, bamboo stalks were used as raw materials. The first large paper mill dates back to 1870 in Tokyo.

Today, few masters know the secrets of paper making in Japan. In addition to large-scale paper production, there are also small workshops that make paper by hand. Such paper costs a lot of money, is highly durable and has the possibility of many folds, such paper is called "yours". By the way, it was there that the Treaty of Versailles was signed after the First World War.

The history of the distribution of paper. Video 2

The use of paper in Chinese religious practices

In the homeland of the appearance of paper, in China, it was used, including for religious rituals. It was customary to burn his things with the dead, so that he could use his accessories in another world. Gradually, this ritual was replaced by another: in order to save money, the things of the deceased were not burned, but left to the heirs. The paper was used to write wishes for happiness and good luck. Also, over time, people found more and more use for this material - they made hanging lanterns, umbrellas, she, screens from paper.

How paper is made

Origami philosophy

Important!!!

In the classic version, origami is the creation of a figure from a solid square, without any cuts.

The birthplace of origami is ancient Japan. The widespread ideas of Zeng Buddhism found their reflection in the art of working with paper. The basis for folding is a square, this is not an accident. The square in is a symbol of the earth, which intersects with space, personifies the infinite universe. In the East, the square is revered much more than any other geometric figure. The goal of origami is to extract as many different shapes as possible from a square.

In origami, objects interpenetrate each other - this is how the idea is embodied that everything is connected with everything. It is not for nothing that origami prohibits cutting the paper, because then the destruction of the One will take place.

Unlike other forms of art, such as sculpture, origami makes it possible to create only within the limits of the possibilities that are available when creating a shape from a square. Thus, only what is natural for the square can be used.

Shinto ideas in the art of origami

The history of the emergence and spread of origami is directly related to Japanese Shintoism. For adherents of this religion, it is characteristic that each object contains a kami - a deity. The more unusual the object, the more divine in it. Paper still occupies a special place in the rituals of the Japanese. For example, at the entrance to Buddhist temples a zigzag gohei (paper folded in a special way) hangs, the same gohei is customary to hang on the belt of sumo wrestlers before the start of the fight. Houses often have eight kata-shiro paper figurines, which are believed to attract happiness and good fortune to the house. In order to drive away evil spirits, haram-geese is used - a broom made of strips of white paper.

Using origami in social life

Since the 12th century, the art of origami has appeared in secular life, it is even recognized at the imperial court. It was considered good form to master the art of beautiful paper folding. With the help of beautifully folded paper, gratitude, love, care towards the recipient were expressed.

In the 16th century, paper ceases to be a luxury item and along with it, the art of origami comes to every home, gaining widespread and popular love. During this period, most of the figurines appeared, which would later become classic, for example, the tsuru crane - a symbol of happiness and longevity in Japan.

The art of beautifully folding paper was passed down in the family through the female line, by the manner of folding they could even determine the girl's belonging to one or another region of the country.

Origami history

The emergence of teaching books on origami

The first Japanese book on origami is called "Semba-tsuru-orikata", which translates as "fold a thousand cranes" (according to legend, a thousand paper cranes contribute to the fulfillment of desires). The entire book is devoted to folding the crane in 29 different variations.

In 1845, the book "The Window of the Middle of Winter" was published, which describes how several dozen figures can be folded out of paper. So origami becomes a thing to while away a long winter evening.

In 1879, a book was published by the director of one of the girls' schools, where he describes how to fold twenty basic origami figures - "Oricata". This book was the first to be translated into English.

Origami. Fan

Popularity of origami in the world

The surge in popularity of origami occurred in the post-war period, when the master from Japan, Akiro Yoshizawa, published a book where he taught the art of origami using simple diagrams as an example. He also owns the authoring of more than a hundred new figures. The book became popular all over the world, and its creator, on behalf of the Government of Japan, traveled to training seminars around the world. This is how the art of origami became a means of international communication around the world.

Origami art in Europe

Of course, I Europe had an interest in paper folding even before the spread of Japanese origami. For example. The first European origami figure, most likely, can be considered the Spanish birds - "pajarita", the time of appearance of which can be attributed to the 12th century.

In the 19th century, one of the geometry teachers Friedrich Froebel began to use origami for an easier and more understandable way of explaining the laws and rules of geometry.

The famous writer Lewis Caroll was delighted when he managed to make a toy by folding paper. Leo Tolstoy described in one of his articles the delight of learning the art of origami and noted how much joy and delight this activity brings to children.

In 1937, a book by Margaret Campbell was published in London, where the methods of folding the three main Japanese figures - a bird, a water butterfly and a frog - were first described.

Pros of learning origami techniques

Origami gives many "pluses" to those who decide to master this ancient art:

• Origami trains the memory and imagination of both adults and children.
• When working with fingers, the left hemisphere of the brain becomes active - this affects the improvement of speech.

Origami material

You can use any paper to create origami figures. In Japan, special origami paper is often used - "Kami", which is translated from Japanese as "paper". It can be either completely white or multicolored or even colored. It is slightly lighter in weight than plain paper.

A foil type of paper is also used - "sandwich" - a sheet of paper to which a sheet of foil is glued. Such paper allows the product to hold its shape for a long time and is pliable for folding paper figures. The Japanese often use a special type of paper "washi" - a harder type of paper, which is made from rice, wheat, bamboo, tree bark.

Origami technique: paper and fold technique

Over the centuries of origami's existence, information about it passed orally from person to person: something could be lost, something was distorted, something new was added. In general, origami today is the art of working with a paper square and creating figures from it without using cuts or glue.

The art of origami is learned from mastering the basic forms - these are the forms that are basic and from which a particular figure is formed.

Important!!!

Particular attention is paid to the corners - they must be very sharp. In many ways, the accuracy and beauty of the product depends on the elaboration of the sharpness of the corners.

What are the types of origami techniques?

Modular origami Simple origami Unfolded folding Wet folding

This is a kind of origami in which the figure is made up of a number of component parts. Parts (modules) are folded from a separate sheet of paper and then assembled into a single figure. The friction force prevents the figure from falling apart. This type of origami is extremely popular all over the world, the most famous figure is kusudama (a volumetric spherical product).

Kusudama - translated from Japanese means "medicine ball", it is a figure consisting of many identical pyramids. Pyramids are most often stylized flowers made separately from a sheet of paper.

Simple origami style was invented and developed by Englishman John Smith. With this approach, folds can be made "by eye", the fewer the better.

Folding along the sweep

This kind of origami, in which paper is used, on which the places of folds and folds have already been drawn. The author of the model only needs to fold a sheet of paper according to the instructions.

Wet folding

The wet folding technique was developed by Akira Yoshizawa. Wet folding uses water that has been previously moistened with water. It is believed that with this approach, the paper acquires smooth lines, the figure becomes brighter and more expressive. For such a technique, not any paper is suitable, but only one that contains water-soluble glue - thick types of paper.

Output:

Origami is an ancient art. Today it is used for table setting, gift wrapping, souvenir making.

Origami. Purse

Origami history goes back many centuries. Today it has even become a symbol of a special philosophy, as well as the wishes of peace and belief in a miracle. But where and when did the art of paper folding come to us? What do the Japanese themselves - the people who developed origami in art - invest in it?

An amazing thing is the ability to fold paper into recognizable figures without the help of aids (glue, scissors). Kirigami (paper crafts using scissors) is, of course, also an art, no one argues with that. But you must admit that by cutting the sheet, we in some way simplify the "way" of creating a craft. In classic origami, this is unacceptable.

You should not look for a simple path, you should look for a solution, harmony, beauty, meaning. At the same time, you are solving a geometric and mathematical problem, even if you are not trained in these sciences. During addition, you are a meditating philosopher, a patient seeker, an integral personality, able to create and give creation a part of your soul. You are very close to understanding the fragility of all that exists, and through this you comprehend eternity, the essence of life.

This is how many Japanese people see behind origami. However, Europeans and Arabs, far from these searches, also accepted origami with pleasure in the VIII century. Just because it is beautiful, interesting and at that time -.

Origami history

It is quite natural that origami originated in China, in ancient times, when paper was invented. But the development of this art took place in Japan. At first, paper figures were made exclusively for religious purposes. Gradually, this tradition passed into secular culture, although only very wealthy people could afford this occupation.

According to some reports, the first origami figures were butterflies. They were made for the wedding of newlyweds, they symbolized the love and protection of spirits.

However, origami did not come to Europe from the East (Japan or China). It was brought to Spain by the wealthy Moors in the 11th century, and by the 15th century it became traditional in the Germanic lands. It became a tradition to make a special origami figurine out of a baptismal certificate for the happiness of a child, and in Spain by the 17th century a stable tradition appeared to make simple forms in the form of a cap or a hat, a boat, houses where painted dolls could live.

Since then, origami masters began to appear in the western part of the world. One of the key moments in the development of origami was the proposal by Friedrich Froebel to introduce this art as a course for development in kindergartens at the beginning of the 19th century.

In the 1960s, the master Yoshizawa-Randletta developed a unified system of conventions that now help everyone who wants to do origami.

By the way, if you are interested in how real professionals work, then, of course, it is better to go to Japan. But to comprehend all the nuances and tricks of this art, you need to know the language. If you haven't mastered it yet, you have a great opportunity. right now!

Types and "children" of origami

Modular origami is considered a modern achievement. It also does not use scissors and glue, but a large composition or "sculpture" is assembled from several integral figures (modules).

Origami types:

• Classic origami.
• Simple Origami - Invented by British craftsman John Smith.
• Pattern origami - beginners start with it, since a drawing of all the folds is already applied on a sheet of paper. A person can only put everything together following the markup.
• Wet folding is the development of Akira Yoshizawa, who wetted the paper to make the shapes smooth. This is especially helpful if you want to make flowers or animals.

Origami paper

Almost any paper is suitable for origami, but many craftsmen and beginners work with special kami paper in the form of a square from 2.5 to 25 cm or more. It can be either completely white or unilaterally colored.

For more graphic figurines, such as a crane, plain writing paper is suitable. But heavier types of paper are suitable for wet origami, and they are considered more durable. Foil paper (sandwich) perfectly maintains the shape of the figure and looks elegant.

In Japan itself, origami is made from stiff washi paper. It is made from Edgeworthia papyrifera ("paper tree", bark is used), the fibers of which give the wood pulp its special stability and rigidity. Figures from it look like toys.

Origami and Science

It is hard not to notice the rigor of the geometric form in origami, but professionals and researchers see in this art not only an author-viewer interaction, but also a synthesis of science and creativity. Firstly, origami is a warm-up for the mind. Secondly, people who know how to make origami at least a little are capable of non-trivial solutions, they develop the ability to take a non-standard view of the problem.

This is about the positive impact on a person, but what about the more exact sciences? The subject of very serious research by mathematicians has been the "flat bend" dilemma. The question was this: can a fold sample be folded into a model in two dimensions? Barry Hayes and Marshall Byrne proved that "flat model compilation is NP-complete." This was proved not by simple folding of paper, but by mathematical formulas and calculations.

Origami basics. Rules and notation

As we already mentioned, there is a generally accepted scheme of bending (folding) signs, but oddly enough, not everyone can immediately master it. The rules are often confused for a beginner origamist. There are, of course, craftsmen who manage to add even without schemes, but we assure you that this does not develop into art, but remains at the initial level.

The basics and rules are the basis of the basics, without them the master is illiterate. The priority is the "valley" fold - the corner is directed towards itself, and, depending on the "movement" of the fold, the "mountain" - the corner goes away from itself. "Valley" is indicated by shading, and "mountain" by dotted lines.

The tip of the arrow indicates the direction of the fold. Sometimes the markings are multi-colored, in this case, you still need to know the sequence of colors (folds). In the diagrams, the invisible sides (dotted lines) are often indicated.

In the initial position, a lot of folds appear on the sheet. These folds are also designated as folds. The difference is that the arrows for their designation are bidirectional, and they are indicated only once.

Closed arrows suggest turning the sheet into the plane of the working side, or, more simply, turning it over.

A spiral arrow means that you need to turn the sheet along the vertical axis with the other side.

A straight arrow with strokes indicates a repetition of an action based on the number of strokes on the arrow. And you need to make these folds with elements that are symmetrical to each other.

Form set

Of course, there is a set-base of shapes that make up many shapes. In general, 15 forms can be distinguished and divided into: simple, medium, complex, pancake.

• in the form of a book;
• in the form of a triangle;
• in the form of a kite;
• in the form of a door.

• in the form of a double triangle;
• in the form of a double square;
• in the form of a fish;
• in the form of a pancake.

• in the form of a catamaran;
• in the form of a frog;
• in the form of a house;
• in the form of a bird.

Pancakes:

• in the form of a pancake frog;
• in the form of a pancake double square;
• in the form of a water pancake bomb.

Scheme "Crane"

For example, consider the shape of a classic bird, because it is the basis for many beautiful shapes.

First, fold a double square and make folds at each of the corners, they are necessary so that the corners are inside. You get a figure that vaguely resembles a bird, it serves as an impetus for imagination and offers a kind of rebus in which you have to decide what to do next.

Select the neck by making it thin, then move on to the tail. The head is distinguished by the curving of the neck, wings and tail. You can grab the places marked with dots, stretch slightly - and the crane will flap its wings.

The words "god" and "paper" in Japanese are consonant

Who does not know the myth of 1000 cranes: if you are with love in your heart and with all responsibility, roll a thousand cranes out of paper, and then present them to the people around you and receive a thousand smiles from them in return - all your desires will come true.

For some time now, the paper crane has become a symbol of getting rid of nuclear war and the fight against radiation sickness. But at the very beginning, before all forms, when they only had to be discovered, invented, cognized, origami in its simplest form served to scare away evil spirits.

Gofu amulets served to attract good luck. Offerings were brought to the gods in paper boxes, and the more intricate the box, the more favored the gods and spirits will be.

And in one, the most important legend about the Sun Goddess - Amaterasu, from whom all emperors descend, it is said:

Amaterasu was upset about something and hid in a cave, thereby hiding the light of the sun from all living things. To lure the goddess out, other gods hung gohei amulets on a tree and placed the future emperors' regalia there. Also there were such offerings: a necklace of Yasakani-no-magatama jasper, a Yata-no-kagami mirror, roosters and much more. And for greater persuasiveness, the goddess Ame-no-uzume began to dance to the general laughter of other gods, the kagura dance. Amaterasu became interested and looked out of the cave. They grabbed her by the arm and pulled her out, quickly closing the entrance to the cave.

These gohei amulets were the first paper figures - origami.

When origami passed into secular circles, it became part of education, and every respected aristocrat was obliged to know at least the basics.

Very often, lovers sent their loved ones love notes in the form of an origami flower or a crane. And origami butterflies symbolized transformation, transformation, so they were presented for weddings. Wedding butterflies symbolized the bride and groom destined to become husband and wife.

But it was only after paper became more or less cheap that classical origami acquired its foundations. It was the common people who established traditions and elevated paper folding to the level of art. Craftsmanship was transmitted through the female line and acquired its own distinctive features. From the seemingly identical figures, one could understand which province they were from.

Craftsmanship

The flexibility of mind that is present in early childhood is lost as we grow up. In order for it not to be lost, there are many practices. But origami is one of the oldest and one of the most accessible. Here you need an internal "gauge" to help you bend just the piece of paper you need at a time.

Each of us has folded an airplane at least once in our life and knows that one eye is not enough. An inner feeling is needed, similar to tactile vision, wisdom.

Just think, it is difficult to do what is already known, but what were those? Origami discoveries came along with new knowledge. For example, you can't make a giraffe out of paper without ever seeing an animal. You cannot create a modular copy of a molecule without knowing what it is.

Modernity and new symbols

The new symbolism is simply a modern interpretation of the forgotten old. Not everyone understands Japanese philosophy, mythology, but everyone understands origami, which every time is transformed to fit its time, but remains unchanged at its core.

It is one of the most honest arts, with no room for pretense. If you smeared with glue somewhere or used scissors - this is not origami, and you know it. It may be hidden from others, but you are not a master if you lie to yourself.

And the main thing in origami is that nothing is final. One and the same sheet of paper can be a frog, and a dog, and a portrait, and a tree ... The form is only final when the figurine becomes a gift.

After Hiroshima and Nagasaki, the famous crane acquired a new meaning. Radiation sickness has equated a person in fragility with an origami figurine that cannot escape fire. And even thousands of thousands of cranes did not save anyone, but they strengthened their faith in humanity. And she can do a lot. Therefore, do origami, develop, believe in the best!

What role does origami play in your life? Are there many masters or beginners among our readers? How do you feel about this art, and what does it mean to you? It will be interesting to read your comments.

Origami is one of the famous cultural phenomena in Japan, but to get acquainted with the rest of the aspects, as well as with the Japanese language, we recommend that you go through our.

The paper craft technique came to Japan from China at the beginning of the 7th century. Having undergone significant changes, it contributed to the emergence of a unique Japanese paper, washi, plastic, soft, not tearing during work and allowing to embody the most daring creative ideas.

It is not known when origami as such arose, but the impetus for the development of the art of paper wrapping and folding that has long existed in Japan
paper in a certain way for household and ceremonial purposes gave rise to
samurai society, which ensured peace and stability in the country. However, during the Showa period (1926-1989), this art was almost completely forgotten, remaining only in the form of a nose, folded in a special way of white and red paper, attached to gifts as a symbol of good wishes.

Origami is the art of folding paper figures solely for fun. Initially, it may have served as a distraction during an illness or some kind of misfortune, but its popularity began to grow in the early Edo period (1600-1868), which was associated with the mass production of cheap paper available to a wide range of people.

During the Genroku era (1688-1704), images of paper cranes and boats on clothing and ukiyo-e prints became fashionable. Origami quickly gained more and more fans.

Almost a hundred years later, origami books began to be published, describing the techniques for making various figures. They were mainly addressed to adults and
considered making complex and multi-step crafts.

The technique of creative paperwork came to Europe in the 12th century, but origami was not as widespread as it was in Japan.

During the Meiji period (1868-1912), origami began to be taught in kindergartens and elementary schools. Oddly enough, the idea of ​​teaching origami to preschool children was borrowed by the Japanese in the middle of the 19th century from the German educator, Friedrich Wilhelm August Froebel (1782-1852), one of whose methods of working with children was the construction of geometric shapes from paper.

During the Meiji period, many new types of origami were created by unknown authors. However, during the Taisse period (1912-1926), origami's popularity declined somewhat, as during this time educators valued originality and creativity more than following patterns. But, nevertheless, origami has not been forgotten and after a while it has become even more popular than ever before. Not only the value of this art in teaching and upbringing of children was recognized, but also its enormous creative potential. Around the world, many associations have been created that unite people who are passionate about origami. A source

Origami represents the ancient folding of various paper figures. Translated from Japanese origami means"Folded deity" or "folded paper"... Despite the fact that origami has long been considered a Japanese species, its roots go back to Ancient China, where, in fact, paper was invented. Originally, origami was intended only for religious purposes. Moreover, for a long time this was only available to representatives of the noble classes, for whom the possession of the paper folding technique was considered a sign of good form and excellent upbringing. And only after the end of the second world war japanese origami art got to Europe and America, where it immediately found its fans.

To create a classic, a square, evenly colored sheet of paper is used, and it is forbidden to use glue and scissors. However, today these canons are often neglected. For sketching the scheme of products, even the most complex ones, there are certain sets of conventional symbols, most of which were introduced into practice by Akira Yoshizawa, a famous Japanese master, in the middle of the 20th century.

Origami history

There are many versions of origami origin in the world. But, despite this, it can be said with complete confidence that most of origami developed in Japan. The Nihongi or Japanese Chronicles claim origami dates back to 610 AD. Korea, China, Spain and Germany also had similar paper folding techniques, but they were not as developed as in Japan.

By the beginning of the Heian period, origami was regarded as an integral part of many. Samurai exchanged origami, symbolizing good luck. Folded paper butterflies were used during Shinto weddings.

In the 60s of the last century, origami gradually began to spread throughout the world. The most widespread was modular origami, followed by numerous new trends. Today origami is a truly international species.

Varieties of origami

One of the most popular types of origami is modular origami , in which the whole figure is assembled from many identical parts or modules. Moreover, each part is folded in accordance with the rules of classic origami, using one sheet. Ready modules are connected by nesting them into each other. It is interesting that the friction force with which we are all familiar from the school physics course does not allow such a structure to disintegrate. A prime example is kusudama- a volumetric body with a spherical shape.

Simple origami is a simplified one that was invented by the British origamist John Smith. The purpose of simple origami is to make it easier for people with limited motor abilities, as well as inexperienced origamiists.

Folding along the sweep - one of the types of origami, which is a drawing showing all the folds of the basic shape of the model, which is given a finished look in accordance with the author's photographs. It should be noted that unfolding folding is somewhat more difficult than traditional folding. However, this method is able to provide not only information on how to fold correctly, but also show how this model was invented. The fact is that reamers are often used to develop new origami models. This fact shows that for some origami models there are no other diagrams other than a flat pattern.

Wet folding is an origami folding technique that was developed by Akira Yoshizawa. This type of origami involves the use of dipped in water in order to give the figures smooth lines, expressiveness, and also rigidity. Most often, this method is used to create objects such as figurines of plants, flowers and animals, which in this case will look the most natural and close to the original. Not all paper is suitable for wet folding, but only one into which water-soluble glue is added to hold the fibers together during the production process. These are usually heavy paper grades.

Why do you need origami?

The Japanese art of origami makes it possible to create beautiful crafts and compositions with your own hands. Origami crafts can please not only their creator, but also become an excellent gift, because the author always puts a piece of his soul into them. For example, if you give someone made of cranes, it is believed that it will help the person fulfill his desires and bring good luck.

Origami is a wonderful home decoration. In the origami technique, for the New Year you can make Christmas tree decorations, for Valentine's Day - hearts, for the wedding - flowers and balls. Also, with the help of origami, you can create unique, vases, flowers, photo frames, boxes and a great many more beautiful and useful things.

As for the paper size for origami, square-shaped sheets are most often used. Other formats are also allowed: rectangle (format A), triangle, pentagon, hexagon and octagon.

DIY origami crane

As an example, we decided to take the well-known paper crane ... Surely many have heard about the Japanese girl Sasaki Sadako, who survived the explosion of the atomic bomb in Hiroshima, but she began to develop blood cancer. When the girl was in the hospital, she was told an old legend that if a person makes a thousand out of paper with his own hands, then he can make any wish and it will certainly come true. Sadako was only 12 years old, and she managed to make only 644 origami cranes, after which she died. The girl's friends completed the missing 356 cranes and made only one wish that there would never be disease and war in the world again, and they buried these 1000 cranes together with Sadako.

Let's, together with in memory of this courageous Japanese girl, try to do exactly the same origami crane... For this we need a regular A4 sheet.

So, first we need to make a double square. The photo diagram below shows in detail exactly how to do this.

After the double square is ready, you need to bend the edge of the top layer of the workpiece to the center. Now do the same with the right edge.

Then we rotate the workpiece and repeat the same steps with the bottom layer.

After that, we fold back the folded corners and outline the fold lines along which the corners of the workpiece are inserted inward. First we make the top layer.

11/26/2015 Updated 11/27/15

The art of making paper models is more than 2000 years old, and its history is full of bright pages. This art knows no boundaries and is available to people of any age - both adults and children.

In the old days, origami was not only an art, but also a science that teaches precision and patience. In addition, origami has always been considered in the East as a symbol of peace, tranquility and family hearth.

Tradition and innovation

The art of creating paper models originated in China at the turn of the 1st-2nd centuries AD, and by the 6th century it reached Japan, where it found a new life. This art - origami - has become an integral part of all Japanese culture. According to Japanese traditions, paper models were valued not so much for realism in conveying the forms of birds, animals or flowers, as for an inner feeling, a sense of the "spirit" inherent in this or that creation of nature. This sensation was conveyed with just a few folds on the sheet of paper.

Japanese origami tradition

As already mentioned, over the course of just a few generations, the art of origami has become a tradition that has become firmly embedded in the cultural life of ancient Japan. During the Heiya era (794-1185), origami became an essential part of the ceremonies accepted among high Japanese society. Samurai made amulets - origami, which were called "burdens" and were made of paper with the addition of strips of shark skin or fibers of dried meat. Such amulets were designed to protect the samurai and bring him victory. At wedding feasts, it was customary to decorate glasses for sake (rice vodka) with paper butterflies, and different ones, depending on who the glass was presented to - a man or a woman. The newlyweds' glasses were decorated with paper figures of the bride and groom. The tea ceremony stewards, who also decorated their cups with origami paper figures, carefully guarded the secrets of their craft. Their origami were folded in such a way that, having unfolded the figure, it was no longer possible to bring it back to its original form, in other words, to penetrate the secret of its creation. In addition, the newly folded figure inevitably had to acquire new folds, and from them the craftsmen could establish that someone had attempted to tamper with the secret of their origami.

As paper ceased to be a rarity and became an affordable, cheap material, origami began to play a new role in ceremonial life in Japan. This art ceased to be the lot of initiates, and people of all classes began to practice it. In the era of Maromachi (1338-1573), the possession of one or another style of origami began to indicate that the person who owns it belongs to one or another social stratum. The most sophisticated techniques, of course, were distinguished by the elite of the then society - the samurai.

During the Tokugawa era (1603-1867), the art of origami became even more democratic, and this coincided with the general flourishing of Japanese culture. It was during this period that the first book dedicated to the art of origami, Senbaruzu Orikata, or The Book of a Thousand Paper Cranes, appeared. It described how to fold the paper correctly in order to get figurines of cranes, birds and butterflies. In 1845, another book was published - "Kan no mado", or "Window in the middle of winter", and for the first time a whole collection of origami figurines of the most varied content and form was given in it.

A symbol of peace

In 1945, at the end of World War II, an American atomic bomb was dropped on the Japanese city of Hiroshima, killing more than 75,000 people.

Those who did not burn to death were doomed to a slow and painful death from leukemia, a blood disorder caused by radiation. Among them was Sadako Sasaki, who was diagnosed with leukemia in 1955. At the time of the atomic bombing, the girl was only two years old, in 1955 - twelve. On that fateful day, she was only a mile and a half from the epicenter of the explosion. She was only one of thousands of children exposed to radiation that day, who, years later, were given this terrible diagnosis - leukemia, which was then still called "atomic disease."

When Sadako was in the hospital, one of her friends rolled an origami paper crane for the girl.

It was a symbolic gesture, since the crane in Japan has long been considered a sacred bird that has lived for a thousand years and fulfills the most cherished desires. True, the desire could only be fulfilled by a person who would fold a thousand cranes out of paper with his own hands.

Sadako began folding paper cranes.

She made them from any piece of paper that tucked under her arm. At first, she was going to ask for health for herself, but then changed her mind and began to ask the sacred crane for peace for all the children of our planet. By the day of her death, she managed to roll 644 cranes out of paper. Later, her friends rolled up the missing ones. After some time, Japanese children organized their own club and began to collect money for a monument to all the children who died from the atomic bomb.

For three years, they managed to raise the required amount, and in this they were helped not only by Japanese schoolchildren, but also by their peers from nine different countries. At the end of 1958, the Peace Park was laid out in Hiroshima, and a monument appeared in it, which Sadako's friends dreamed of. From then until now, every year on August 6, the day of the bombing, this monument is covered with garlands consisting of thousands and thousands of paper cranes.

Moorish trail

Japan was not the only country to develop the art of making paper models. It, and quite independently, also arose in Mauritania, from where, together with the Arab conquerors, it penetrated into Europe, into Spain. It happened in the 8th century AD.

The Arabs have always been famous as skilled mathematicians and astronomers, and therefore it is not surprising that they introduced complex geometric elements and calculations into their paper models. Moreover, they used paper models as teaching aids. The Moorish art of making paper models flourished by the 13th century, and its echoes have survived to this day. The famous Spanish philosopher and poet Miguel de Unamuno (1864-1936) studied the Moorish origami style.

Origami today

In the West, for a long time, origami was treated only as a child's play, but they were in no hurry to recognize it as an art. Many generations of boys and girls in Europe and America folded paper lanterns, birds, jumping frogs and figures of stargazers as children. Only quite recently, the world finally considered in origami precisely the art that develops the creative and intellectual capabilities of a person.

In 1967, the first origami society was opened in England. It came from the bowels of the pre-existing paper craft community.

It was organized by Tim Ward and Trevor Hutchett. It was they who gave the idea of ​​organizing a society of origami lovers and began to publish a special magazine that attracted the attention of many, many inhabitants of the British Isles to the ancient art.

At the same time, through the efforts of David Lister, Iris Walker, Sydney French and others, the new society established ties with friends from the United States, where such a society was headed by Lillian Oppenheimer, and with Akira Yoshizawa from Japan, a country in which origami has always been an important part of the cultural life of society. ... These ties expanded and strengthened, and as a result, already in the early 1970s, it became clear that origami includes a wide variety of techniques for working with paper, having studied which it was possible to start creating a new, modern school of this art.

The pioneers of the new style of origami were Fred Romm and Neil Elias from the United States and the British Max Hulm and David Brill, who proved that there are no and cannot be boundaries in this art. They were followed by new enthusiasts who began to create new techniques and new forms of origami. It became clear that there is really no limit to the variety of models and shapes that can be created using the origami technique.

Elias developed a system known as box-plating or box-weaving. His models are composed of paper fragments assembled into a single structure. He also began to use 45-degree folds of paper to create more expressive figures of people and animals. He manages to create at once a whole composition from one sheet of paper, for example, a bull and a matador, a Chinese riding a rickshaw, or a Madonna and child. Romm introduced the concept of "basic model" into origami, creating on this basis such compositions, for example, as a fakir with a snake, while both figures can move. The spirit of competition that has gripped the origami masters has brought to life true masterpieces, which no doubt include Sir John Tenniel's collection of ALL characters from Lewis Carroll's famous Alice in Wonderland, created in the early 1990s.

However, until now among origamiists, especially in the West, the philosophy of "the simpler, the better" is still widespread, and representatives of this direction prefer the technical side of origami, rather than the aesthetic one. Thus, while some prefer painstaking work, collecting from paper, for example, a cuckoo clock invented by Robert Lang, the latter enjoy the fact that they do numerous variations of simple traditional models. Longtime member of the British Origami Society, John Smith, has presented what he himself calls Puritan origami. All his models are created only by straight folds. Another master, Paul Jackson, is passionate about combining black and white surfaces in his simple designs, calling his style minimalism. Of course, not everyone can come up with a model of "Donkey in a stall", it is much easier to invent a stylized elephant from three folds of paper.

Origami modules became popular in the early 1990s. These are very complex models, consisting of numerous individual elements that are connected using special protrusions and pockets that fit into each other. Origami - a module is considered the more interesting the more individual blocks it includes, and therefore sometimes models appear containing several hundred elements, as, for example, in the works of Tom Hull.

From straight folds to soft curves

Origami is inherently based on geometry. Each fold in the model is a straight line. This can be called a plus when it comes to abstract, "inanimate" models that value precision and accuracy. However, models that represent people or animals require different, softer lines and curves. In this case, it is no longer mathematical precision that is needed, but the maximum approximation to natural, "natural" lines.

The breakthrough to volumetric, three-dimensional origami came about thanks to the Japanese master Akira Yoshizawa. He had an amazing gift to convey the inner character of the depicted object or living creature and was not limited to just recreating its individual features and details. To create his models, he came up with two new techniques - soft bending and wet folding.

Many origami models require each fold to be as sharp as possible. In this case, it is believed that the fold must be strong, or it cannot be called a fold at all. Yoshizawa proceeded from a different concept of a fold. He believed that some folds can and should be softer than others. Thus, in his models there is a whole spectrum of folds - from extremely hard and sharp to very soft, barely visible to the eye. The main technical difficulty here is that the soft fold is very difficult to fix in place, which makes the whole work unstable and short-lived. Yoshizawa solved this problem with wet folds.

The technique of wet folding is as follows: the wet paper is given the required shape, and then allowed to dry. The secret lies in the fact that certain grades of paper are impregnated with an adhesive solution that firmly connects its fibers. When moistened, this solution ceases to hold the fibers, and the paper temporarily becomes loose and plastic. After drying, its fibers again adhere to each other, but in a different order, corresponding to the new shape of the leaf.

Of course, only paper impregnated with an adhesive solution is suitable for wet folding, and the thicker the sheet, the better. For wet modeling in origami, drawing Whatman should be considered the most optimal material. However, few origami masters still resort to the wet folding technique. This is because wet paper is difficult to fold, but very easy to tear. Wet fibers break down too easily, especially if you have to work with several layers of paper at the same time. In addition, wet paper tends to creep, and therefore making an accurate fold on such material is a very difficult task. In addition, thick paper is more difficult to model than thin paper, especially if it involves complex creases or if you have to fold multiple layers of paper at the same time.

What to choose?

Akira's work Yoshizawa, 1983.

Origami fashion is changing as fast as clothing. For some time, the craze for natural lines may reign, and then suddenly it will be replaced by the fashion for geometric modules. I believe that everyone should choose what they like best. If you are faced with the problem of such a choice, I advise you to think about the fact that there are two main directions in origami, two schools.

Representatives of the first school get out of bed in the morning with a clear idea of ​​what they will do today - for example, a paper elephant. The latter will study a sheet of paper for a long time, turn it from side to side and ponder for a long time what to create from it.

Both approaches to origami actually have a right to life.

Children are very fond of origami, and therefore it makes sense for any adult to master this art - at least in order to please children or grandchildren with it. Origami will help you brighten up your life too, especially if you have to travel often and for a long time due to your duty. Folding figures or flowers from pieces of paper along the way, you will not even notice how your train or plane reaches its final destination. This remark especially applies to those who are not inclined to enter into road conversations with random fellow travelers.

And with the help of origami, you can decorate any holiday. This unusual design will be remembered by your guests for a long time, and you will be pleased to hear their compliments about your skills.

All the models included in this book: crafts, decorative ornaments, moving toys and complex modules exist within the same art - origami. I hope you will approve of my choice.

HOW TO USE THIS BOOK

Start at the beginning and give yourself time to get used to the most basic origami techniques.

This will give you the necessary initial training, the foundation on which you will build the palace of your mastery. Everything you need to do this is contained in the chapter "Paper, tools and basic types of folds". After you have successfully completed the initial stage of training, you can proceed to copying the models proposed in the book, achieving the degree of accuracy and quality that you yourself consider satisfactory. This means that the models you create should please your own eye. The models within each of the chapters are selected according to the increasing degree of difficulty - from the simplest to the more and more complex. When starting to fold any model, observe one golden rule - always look not only at the operation that you are now facing, but two or three steps ahead in order to imagine the ultimate goal of the entire assembly. Sometimes, especially when it comes to complex models, it is generally more useful to start getting acquainted with the upcoming operations from the end in order to imagine the model as it should turn out in the end. In addition, the desire to make exactly the same model will give you strength and enthusiasm. And in general, never lose heart when doing origami. Didn't it work now? Try again and again - until you achieve the desired result.