Origami originated in Japan, but today it is
practiced all over the World. Literally, the word
means “folding paper” and refers to the creation of
decorative shapes and figures from the paper. Example
creations include animals, lanterns, and boats.
_ lost bookstores stock the most common way people
discover and start II origami, being a kit. Kits
generally have lines and IJ arrows; and they’re
often dotted to sho,1,.1
,,au ‘”‘ here to make the fold
,
and ho,i\ to manipulate the paper into the desired
hape.
The most basic design, the one most people are
taught IJ first: is the Japanese crane. Like most
II designs, it starts with a square piece of paper
and eventually turns into an intricate design that is
tough to reverse engineer.

Although special origami paper can be bought
at craft ■ stores; any paper that can hold a fold
can be used. You can even glue colored tissue paper
or aluminum foil to regular paper for an interesting
look. Normal copy paper suffices for simple
folds, but it’s a bit too heavy, for more delicate
designs. Very heavy paper is ideal for wetfolding,
a technique developed by II artist, Akira
Yoshizawa in the early 1900s. Wet-folding allows
you to manipulate the paper into■ curves: impossible
with dry paper-to create sculpture-like designs
that look more realistic.
The paper traditionally used in Japan is called
washi, which refers to hand made paper but translates
literally to ”Japanese paper.” It is much
tougher than paper made from wood pulp. Washi
is most commonly made from the bark of the gampi
tree, but bamboo, wheat, l[I rice, and hemp are
often used as well. Miyao DI Hayaki, a famous
origami practitioner in Tokyo continues to develop
different materials as the craft evolves.