Like many other aspects of Japanese culture, origami, from the word ori, meaning to fold, and gami, meaning paper, is said to have originated in China. It is thought that paper was first made and folded in China during the first or second century, and from there it developed into Japanese origami. The earliest record of the Japan craft dates back to the Heian Period, which occurred from 794 to 1185 AD. During this period, Japan’s nobility had its golden age and was a time of great cultural and artistic advances. Paper was still a rare commodity, so origami was a pastime only for the elite, and was folded into certain shapes for ceremonial occasions like weddings. White sheets were torn into strips and used to mark sacred objects. This is a custom which is still practiced in every shrine to this day.

Honorable Samurai warriors would exchange gifts in the form of noshi, a paper folded with a piece of dried fish or other meat. It was considered a token of good luck. Another example of the Japanese using it in a purposeful way includes wedding gifts given by Shinto noblemen. They would wrap glasses of rice wine or sake in butterfly forms to represent the newlywed couple. Additionally, the crane became a Japanese symbol of peace and good fortune.

A book called “How to Fold 1000 Cranes” was published in 1797, and was the first tome to contain the written set of instructions for folding a crane. The crane was then and is still today considered a sacred bird in Japan. It is a Japanese custom that if a person folds one thousand cranes, then they will be granted one wish. Japanese origami became a very popular form of artistic expression; even being depicted in paintings and sculpture.

It was not only the Japanese who were embracing the art of folding paper, but the Moors in Africa were as well. When they invaded Spain in the eighth century, they brought this art form with them. Because their religion prohibited them from making animal forms, the Moors created geometric figures instead. From Spain, this art form spread to South America, and as trade routes were developed, origami was introduced to Europe and eventually to North America.

During the Heian period, from 794 to 1185, Japanese origami was given as a gift to friends or family. In the Edo period, from 1603 to 1868, people were making more intricate and complex designs by using more than one sheet of paper. It is even taught in Japanese elementary schools as a lesson in geometry. This popular art form is still going strong in Japan, as it is all over the world.

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