Origami II

The name Origami comes from the Japanese words Ori, meaning "folding", and kami, meaning "paper".

Even though most people would think origami finds its origin in Japan, because it is a traditional Japanese folk art, it is not quite clear as to where exactly Origami originated. The 'paper trail' leads back to Japan, China, but also to Germany and Spain, and we have to rely on documented material which makes mention of paper folding.

The earliest mention made concerning paper folding dates back to the 15th century, but a Japanese poem from the 17th century describes paper butterflies which were already used for a Japanese ceremony during the Heian period dating from 794 to 1185. Also, Samurai warriors would exchange gifts which were embellished with folded paper strips as a token of good luck.

It was not since the early 1900s that more intricate works of origami art were being created and documented. That drew more attention to the craft and led to more complex forms, due to a study of the mathematical properties of the folded projects during the 1980s and throughout the 1990s.

Origami is the art of folding and sculpting a piece of paper in such a way that no other materials are needed and used. The technique is so refined that when during the creation of a project even the smallest cut is made, or a drop of glue is used, it is no longer considered to be origami.

It seems like we got our work cut out for us!