Let's Learn Japanese 日本語を勉強しましょう: Origami the Paper Folding Art

Sunday, June 26, 2011

Origami the Paper Folding Art

For more information about origami, visit our blog: http://origamimaniacs.blogspot.com/

One of the hobbies I love the most is origami. Besides I don´t feel the time when I am doing it, my brain is working so hard and developing skills in myself. I really admire Japanese people, and after learning origami, I understand very well why they are so practical and intelligent.
Origami (折り紙, origami^?) (from oru meaning “folding”, and kami meaning “paper”) is the ancient Japanese art of paper folding. The goal of this art is to create a representation of an object using geometric folds and crease patterns preferably without the use of gluing or cutting the paper,and using only one piece of square paper.

Origami only uses a small number of different folds, but they can be combined in a variety of ways to make intricate designs. The most well known form is probably the Japanese paper crane. In general, these designs begin with a square sheet of paper whose sides may be different colors or prints.

The origin of the art began as Chinese Paper Folding. The Japanese origin began in the 6th century when Buddhist monks from China carried paper to Japan. The first Japanese origami is dated from this period.
Origami had already become a significant aspect of Japanese ceremony by the Heian period of Japanese history. Samurai warriors would exchange gifts adorned with noshi, a sort of good luck token made of folded strips of paper. Origami butterflies were used during the celebration of Shinto weddings to represent the bride and groom.

In the 1960s the art of origami began to spread out, first with modular origami and then with various movements developing, including the kirikomi. Origami is now an international art.