Origami – The art of paper folding

Who would have thought that origami did not originate in Japan. Just by the name itself we could tell that it’s Japanese. Origami came from the combination of “oru” which is the Japanese term for folding and “kami” which is the Japanese term for paper. But it was said that the art of paper folding initiated in China around 100AD and was adopted by the Japanese in 600AD. Evidently it was the Japanese paper folding that has been known worldwide. In early years only the rich do origami, it is for the reason that they are the only ones who can afford to buy paper at that time. Origami had been a part of Japanese way of celebrating different occasions. You can see it in the weddings, funerals and other important events.

Origami paper

Basically we can just use any paper that we want. But if we want to use the ones that the Japanese uses in their paper folding then we can use:

• “Kami” – This is a thin paper, very easy to fold and this is the cheapest kind.
• Japanese foil - This kind of paper is a little glossy and is good for retaining the creases.
• “Washi” – This is a thick hand-made paper. It is not often use in origami because of its thickness and it is quite expensive.

The Crane

The most famous figure would have been the crane. The crane is regarded as a sacred bird in Japan. It was believed that if a person had made a thousand cranes then one wish will be granted. So what are we waiting for let’s start making some until we’ve reach to a thousand.

Huh it's hard to follow at first but after some tries I bet you can make it. See I made one! 999 more to go! =)