CHRISTMAS shoppers along Manhattan's Fifth Avenue have been treated to fantastic displays
over the years: trees, Santas and angels, all done in lights, run for blocks. But the most unusual
holiday scene ever noted there was in the window of a Japanese airline's office. The familiar
Christmas sight5 were there, with the manger in Bethlehem, the Holy Family, the Wise Men
and their camels, and the multitude of angels, all were included. But these figures were made
exclusively of folded paper, without the use of scissors or paste. Origami, the art of folding paper into beautiful and useful shapes, is a Japanese tradition that is becoming more and more
popular in the West.
Folding things is an ever-present activity in
Japanese life, from the use of kimono, furoshiki (wrapping cloths), futon sleeping mats and
even gift envelopes. In fact, the art of folding paper holds an important role in formal Japanese
etiquette. There are dozens of ways to fold wrapping paper for gifts, and at weddings and
funerals the male and female butterflies that are seen on sake bottles are often exquisitely
folded paper ornaments
Folding paper has its history in ancient times, in ceremonies performed in the court
and in shrines. At that time paper was very expensive, and only the nobility could indulge
in the ritual of paper folding. Later, in the Edo period, origami developed into an art form as
well as an entertainment, with such origami as senbazuru (a thousand cranes). This development was closely connected with new techniques in cutting, dyeing, and folding paper in tandem with improvements in the process of making washi, handmade paper. But it was not
until the turn of the century that, with the availability of cheaper machine-made paper,
everyone began to have access to origami. Over the next several decades origami patterns for
some 150 standard figures were developed. At this time it was introduced into the primary
grades of the Japanese school system under the rationale that paper play would develop logical
thinking (especially in ma thematics ), imagination, creativity, and manual dexterity
in children. Today, the use of origami is still a favored educational approach for teaching the
relationship between a plane and a solid.
Another argument for origami is that it helps develop an appreciation for another form
of beauty that is a departure from traditional Japanese art. In comparison to shodo ( calligraphy)
or raising bonsai (dwarf trees), for instance, origami is a precise, symmetrical art with sharp
angles and straight lines. Like other forms of creative arts, however, it has a certain subjectivity
about it that allows for individual expression. Two origami artists may follow the same
steps for making a mask but the end results will be different and will reflect the artists' differing
emotions, personalities, and knowledge of the subject.
American interest in origami began in the 1920s when an ethnographer published a book
in English about this uniquely Japanese art. He was especially fascinated by the ability of young
children to create numerous objects by folding paper. Origami cast its spell over Europe, too.
Among the enthusiasts was the Spanish philosopher Unamuno. The limitless variety of
shapes and materials appeals to Americans and Europeans alike, who have used bright origami
paper, newspaper, was hi, and even currency for their creations. And there could be an unusual
gift: an origami Christmas angel with Benjamin Franklin's face on a $100 bill.
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