This included the ban on cuts, and the starting shape of a bicolored square. When Japan opened its borders in the 1860s, as part of a modernization strategy, they imported Fröbel's Kindergarten system-and with it, German ideas about paperfolding. Another example of early origami in Europe is the 'pajarita,' a stylized bird whose origins date from at least the nineteenth century. However, some of the techniques and bases associated with this tradition continued to be a part of European culture folding was a significant part of Friedrich Fröbel's 'Kindergarten' method, and the designs published in connection with his curriculum are stylistically similar to the napkin fold repertoire. After this period, this genre declined and was mostly forgotten historian Joan Sallas attributes this to the introduction of porcelain, which replaced complex napkin folds as a dinner-table status symbol among nobility. In Europe, there was a well-developed genre of napkin folding, which flourished during the 17th and 18th centuries. This developed into a form of entertainment the first two instructional books published in Japan are clearly recreational. Folding filled some ceremonial functions in Edo period Japanese culture noshi were attached to gifts, much like greeting cards are used today. In Japan, the earliest unambiguous reference to a paper model is in a short poem by Ihara Saikaku in 1680 which mentions a traditional butterfly design used during Shinto weddings.

The practice of burning paper representations instead of full-scale wood or clay replicas dates from the Song Dynasty (905–1125 CE), though it is not clear how much folding was involved. In China, traditional funerals often include the burning of folded paper, most often representations of gold nuggets ( yuanbao). These seem to have been mostly separate traditions, until the 20th century. The folding of two origami cranes linked together, from the first known book on origami, Hiden senbazuru orikata, published in Japan in 1797ĭistinct paperfolding traditions arose in Europe, China, and Japan which have been well-documented by historians. The principles of origami are also used in stents, packaging, and other engineering applications. Traditional Japanese origami, which has been practiced since the Edo period (1603–1867), has often been less strict about these conventions, sometimes cutting the paper or using nonsquare shapes to start with. In general, these designs begin with a square sheet of paper whose sides may be of different colors, prints, or patterns.

The best-known origami model is the Japanese paper crane. The small number of basic origami folds can be combined in a variety of ways to make intricate designs. Origami folders often use the Japanese word kirigami to refer to designs which use cuts. Modern origami practitioners generally discourage the use of cuts, glue, or markings on the paper. The goal is to transform a flat square sheet of paper into a finished sculpture through folding and sculpting techniques.

In modern usage, the word 'origami' is used as an inclusive term for all folding practices, regardless of their culture of origin. Origami ( 折り紙, Japanese pronunciation: or, from ori meaning 'folding', and kami meaning 'paper' ( kami changes to gami due to rendaku)) is the art of paper folding, which is often associated with Japanese culture. A group of Japanese schoolchildren dedicate their contribution of Thousand origami cranes at the Sadako Sasaki memorial in Hiroshima.

Origami easy