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A Brief History of Origami

The history of origami is as old as the history of paper. Origami’s long journey began on that day, or perhaps a bit later; its expansion, which began long ago and continues to this day, is tightly bound to that of paper itself. The history of paper, as far as we know, has its origins in China, but it is in Japan that origami developed and came to play an integral role in society, marking and accompanying the various phases of the country’s historical and cultural evolution.

According to tradition, the invention of paper took place in the early second century CE, under the reign of the Emperor Hedi (和帝, who reigned from 88–105) of the Eastern Han Dynasty (25–220); in 105 CE, the Eunuch Cai Lun (蔡倫, ?–121) presented the sovereign with the first type of paper, probably composed of hemp fibers, various kinds of bark, such as that of the mulberry tree, and other raw and recycled material. Recent archaeological finds in the provinces of Shaanxi and Gansu however, have revealed that though paper was certainly invented in China, its origins must date several centuries earlier. The fact that tradition has linked the Cai Lun’s name to the invention of this material is probably due to his important contribution to this field; based on earlier experiments, the eunuch improved the quality of the final product and the methods of its production, expanded the range of raw materials used in its manufacture, and gave unprecedented impetus to this technology, which from that point on spread across China and grew increasingly popular. Paper was fairly strong and lent itself to the dyeing process, but above all it served as an ideal medium for writing with ink. It thus ended up replacing the strips of wood and bamboo that had been used for that purpose until that time. Furthermore, paper was thin enough to be folded and to retain folds, which could then be opened and refolded countless times—a feature extremely important to the subsequent development of origami. Although the earliest Chinese paper was probably quite coarse because it was made from tree bark and other raw materials, it was nonetheless a revolutionary invention, to say the least—truly sensational for that period.

Eunuch Cai Lun 蔡倫

Emperor Hedi 和帝

Thus when Cai Lun presented the result of his research to Emperor Hedi, he and his second consort, the Empress Deng Sui (鄧綏, 81–121), were greatly pleased. In 114, under the reign of Emperor Andi (安帝, who reigned from 106–125) and in order to reward Cai Lun for his services, Deng—by this point the Empress dowager— named him the “Marquis of Longting,” a city in the county of Yang (Shaanxi), where today, not far from his grave, stands a museum named after him and dedicated to the culture of paper. It was from the title conferred on Cai Lun that there soon arose a custom to call the early material perfected by the eunuch “Marquis Cai paper.” In addition to receiving honors, Cai Lun was absolutely forbidden to export the secret of manufacturing paper outside of China. This prohibition naturally extended to his heirs and anyone who was to have anything to do with this line of production in the future.

Empress Deng Sui 鄧綏

Things went on in this way for five hundred years. In 610, however, the technique of making paper reached Japan, probably via a Buddhist monk, only to spread from there to Korea and other Asian countries between the seventh and eighth centuries. According to legend, this monk was forced to reveal the secret of producing paper in order to save his life after the ship he was traveling in was attacked by Japanese pirates. Methods of making paper softer and more flexible were soon developed in Japan— techniques that remain unsurpassed to this day.

Favored by the culture of this people, paper soon acquired great significance—even sacred properties. The word “origami” (折り紙) evokes a myriad of implications, some of which pertain to the religious sphere. It is composed of two terms: ori (折), meaning “fold,” and kami (紙), meaning “paper,” from which derives the meaning “folded paper” or “to fold paper.” Following the rules of Japanese phonetics, the sound of the consonant “k” changes to that of a “g” resulting in the pronunciation, “origami.” But kami is also something superior, something that exists above, that floats, that rests on high. The word alluding to divinities (神), those who, by definition, “stand on high,” is pronounced in exactly the same way: “kami.” Moreover, to manufacture paper, they used—and still use to this day—various vegetal fibers reduced to an extremely fine paste, mixed with cotton and other fibers, which when placed in water, tend naturally to float. Perhaps it was for this reason that an idea arose that paper is a means that enables human beings to commune with the gods themselves.

Emperor Andi 安帝

Friedrich Fröbel

The process of making paper represents and recalls another concept that deeply imbues Eastern culture in general: the continuous transformation of things. In order to make rice paper, for example, it is 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.