Origami
Origami means literally "folded paper," from the Japanese words ori (to fold) and kami (paper). In the sixth century, the Chinese introduced this art to Japan, where it developed its characteristic subtlety, refinement, and restraint. Origami is ingenious in its use of simple creases to capture the essence of a subject. Purists feel that a single sheet of paper should only be folded with no cutting while others find this rule too limiting.
In the Heian period (794–1185), owing to the high cost of paper, origami was a pastime of the nobility; by the Muromachi period (1333–1573), paper became more available and origami's popularity grew. The Tokugawa period (1600/1603–1868) saw the publication of the earliest texts on origami: the Sembazuru orikata (Folding a Thousand Cranes, 1797), which showed how to fold a series of connected cranes from a single sheet of paper; and the Kan no mado (Window on Mid-Winter, 1845), the first comprehensive collection of directions.
The well-known paper crane (tsuru) has its origins in the Tokugawa period and is still a popular symbol. The crane carries with it auspicious messages for long life and good fortune. A chain of one thousand cranes strung together represents both good health and peace, as found draped over the memorial statue in the Hiroshima Peace Park of Sadako Sasaki (1943–1955), the young girl who died of leukemia as a result of her exposure to radiation from the atom bomb dropped on Hiroshima in 1945. Following the practice of folding one thousand cranes to have a wish granted, Sadako began to fold her cranes in the hope of getting well. When she realized that this particular wish was not to be, she instead wished for a peaceful world. She continued until she died, eventually folding 1,500 cranes.
Further Reading
Brossman, Julia McLean, and Martin W. Brossman, eds. (1961) A Japanese Paperfolding Classic: Excerpt from the "Lost" Kan no mado. Washington, DC: Pinecone Press.
Engel, Peter. (1989) Folding the Universe: Origami from Angelfish to Zen. New York: Random House.
Kasahara Kunihiko. (1988) Origami Omnibus. New York: Japan Publications.
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