necessary to obtain rice plants “wrested” from their normal state of being, but which, after being reduced to a very fine paste, are “reborn” to a new life in the form of paper. For this type of heightened sensibility, the use of paper in a religious context is absolutely natural. So, we see gohei, strips of paper folded in a particular manner, whose intended function is to unite men and divinities, as well as define sacred space. Athletes and sumo wrestlers did not receive money, but rather these precious strips for their victories. Even long afterwards, those who forged swords for the samurai had to consecrate the space in which they prepared these swords with these strips.
It thus stands to reason that in Japan paper was produced almost exclusively by monks because of the way that they were its principal users and the manufacturing process was rather long and required much specialized labor. Paper was not employed for constructing “models” as we understand them today, but for creating abstract figures that bore a symbolic or ritual meaning based on rigid formal rules known to a few specialists. Things proceeded in this way for at least 150 years. The first gradual shift from a predominantly religious to a more secular use of paper occurred during the Heian period (794–1185). By this point not only monks but aristocrats as well were folding paper, as it was an expensive material that was not accessible to everyone. The mostly abstract models used for religious purposes were now transformed into more figurative ones representing animals, insects, flowers, and other natural forms. It was in this period that what is probably the world’s most widely recognized origami design came into existence, one that has also become the international symbol of origami: the famous crane or tsuru ( 鶴). Notwithstanding its rapid spread, paper remained a rare and precious material for a long time, the use of which was reserved for religious ceremonies or other important occasions. One of the oldest origami creations, dating back to the Heian period, consists of a sheet of folded paper used to wrap the bottle of sake placed on an altar as a propitiatory offering during religious ceremonies. Stylized models of male (ocho 雄蝶) and female butterflies (mecho 雌蝶) came into being at around the same time and were applied to the necks of two sake bottles that were used in a certain auspicious ritual during Shinto nuptial ceremonies, a custom still in fashion today.
Akira Yoshizawa
Samuel Randlett
The end of the Heian period was marked by the Kamakura (1185–1333) and Muromachi or Ashikaga periods (1333–1573), in the course of which the gradual decline of the civic aristocracy corresponded with the rise of a military aristocracy as well as the class of samurai. It was in this era that new schools developed within the Buddhist sphere, the most famous of which was probably Zen, which extolled self-discipline, meditation, and contact with nature. The tradition of origami adjusted to this change and spread among ever broader social strata. It was this period too that gave birth to the noshi (熨 斗), a paper ornament that accompanied a gift as a sign of good luck or congratulations for a success attained; Japanese tradition codified different types of noshi for a wide variety of occasions following rules still in effect today. Another practice that developed was that of folding paper into the shape of a butterfly, crane, flower or even an abstract or geometric form when sending entreaties to the lord of a region or seeking favors from a lover, and from whose color and form it was possible to determine if the contents of the letter were of an amorous nature. In prominent families, knowledge of the art of origami became a basic prerequisite for entry into society, and many dynasties adopted an origami model as their emblem. The craft even gradually spread among the lower classes. With this shift arrived new models of containers for small objects, such as the tato, used for preserving medicinal herbs. The kusudama, a ball of herbs believed to have the power to protect against evil spirits, was also made of paper, with many sheets joined together by needle and thread. In this era, the country enjoyed significant economic development, which came with relative affluence and a certain social tranquility.
Robert Harbin
Lillian Oppenheimer
The printing press arrived in Japan during the Edo or Tokugawa period (1603–1868) and it also enhanced the dissemination of origami. Texts publishing origami models have been discovered; among the earliest is the Chushingura Orikata, a collection of traditional figures. Perhaps the most famous one, however, is the Hiden Senbazuru Orikata, whose title alludes to the “secrets of folding a thousand cranes.” The crane had certainly taken many paths since its inception, and its expressions have multiplied along the way. Its meanings too have proliferated over the course of time. Other texts containing collections of traditional models existed as well, among which the most famous is probably Kayaragusa, literally “a window on the cold season,” which consists of ceremonial models: the male butterfly, the female butterfly, the luck-bearing gnome, dancers, wrestlers, and hina dolls. This collection is incredibly valuable as it documents the long series of traditional models already known by that time.
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