I often marvel at the creative minds that come up with a design or invention that evolves into something tangible and useful for the rest of us. Paper is one of those, invented in China almost 2,000 years ago by a member of the imperial court. By extension, somewhere down the line artistic people in both China and Japan came up with the idea to make one simple fold, then another and another, until a single sheet of paper was transformed into a 3-D box, crane, or other object, all without gluing or cutting. This was the birth of origami, the Japanese art of folding paper. But origami has since leapt out of the proverbial box, inspiring everything from technical applications to metal works of art.
Origami in Japan
Origami stems from the Japanese words oru (meaning to fold) and kami (paper). Originally used in religious ceremonies, origami blossomed into an art during the Edo Period (1603–1868), especially after sturdy washi (Japanese paper) became widely available and 18th-century books gave instruction on how to craft various designs.
Although interest waned with the end of the Edo Period as Japan joined the industrialized world, Akira Yoshizawa, considered the grandmaster of origami, helped launch an origami boom in the 20th century with books showcasing and diagramming his whimsical creations.
Benefits of origami
Japanese children making origami at school or at home are thought to learn geometry, spatial visualization and fine motor skills. I’ve learned firsthand how origami can foster concentration, dexterity, and, if you’re lucky, memory (duplicating any one design even a week later certainly challenges my memory).
On a practical note, origami can be strung together for decoration or given away as presents. In Japan, I’ve sometimes found an origami crane placed on my hotel pillow. I’ve also received them as giveaways at museums.
The Japanese concept of impermanence
Because origami is made from paper, it is short-lived, a creation not meant to last, much like a bouquet of flowers. This concept of impermanence in Japan is called mujo, Buddhist in origin, and grounded in mono no aware, loosely translated as the wistful “pathos of things” or finding the “beauty in transience.”
Taken further, Buddhism teaches us to live our lives with the understanding that our bodies are only temporary, along with everyone and everything we love and cherish. If you’ve ever watched Buddhist monks create sand mandalas, only to destroy them, you’ll recognize that the action itself is tied to this concept of impermanence and that nothing lasts forever.
Of course, I’m not thinking any of these deep thoughts when trying to make origami. I’m just hoping it will be recognizable when I’m done.
Origami paper
The best paper for origami should fold well and hold a good crease, with washi considered the best. Although Japan is obviously the most fun place to shop for washi, origami paper is widely available in stores like Michaels and online. You’ll find washi in a beautiful array of colors and patterns; in fact, washi itself can be considered a work of art.
You can also make origami from other forms of paper, including sturdy gift wrap that won’t tear when you fold it. You can even use paper money or pages from a magazine.
Origami creations
Origami takes many forms, from boxes to flowers, but mostly you’ll see it as animals. I literally jumped for joy when in 2024 I spotted a 13-foot-tall origami tree in New York City’s American Museum of Natural History. Appropriately titled “Jumping for Joy,” it was festooned with more than 1,000 origami pieces showcasing animals that can jump, hop and leap, including rabbits, kangaroos, frogs, squirrels, whales, and cicadas.
The origami crane
The crane is probably the hallmark of classic origami design and the most widely seen.
In Japan, the lucky crane (tsuru) symbolizes longevity and peace. The most well-known story involving cranes is probably that of Sadako Sasaki, who was two years old when she was exposed to the horrific atomic bomb in Hiroshima. Although she had no apparent immediate injuries, she, along with many others, later developed leukemia. Hoping that folding paper cranes might help with her recovery, she kept folding them until she died in 1955.
Her death, along with many other children who died from the atomic blast, led to the creation of the Children’s Peace Monument that stands in Hiroshima’s Peace Memorial Park.
Built with funds donated from all over Japan as a plea for world peace, the memorial makes a lasting impression with its streamers of colorful paper cranes, with about 10 million cranes donated each year from around the world.
What I find especially impactful is that anyone can send strings of paper cranes for the Children Peace Monument by mail. Likewise, some of the original cranes folded by Sadako have found homes around the world at places that need healing, including Pearl Harbor and the New York State Museum’s World Trade Center Gallery.
Modern uses of origami
Origami principles have inspired a growing number of modern technical applications. Origami engineering has produced load-bearing infrastructure that can be transported and reconfigured quickly, such as event stages and bridges. Laparoscopes and endoscopes can be cleaned with small and flexible “windshied wipers” that expand and contract during surgery, more efficient than having to remove the scopes for cleaning and then reinserting them. The Miura fold was invented for solar panels used in satellites so that they can be folded for launch and unfurled in space in one continuous motion.
Origami in the Garden
But it was seeing the outdoor sculptures installed at Origami in the Garden that got me thinking about how the ancient art of folding paper has evolved beyond paper. Spread on 5 acres of a 35-acre property outside Santa Fe, the exhibit features large-scale metal works of art inspired by origami and produced by KevinBoxStudio. On display are cranes, giant flowers, trotting horses and other sculptures, but what’s on hand is constantly changing.
“It took two years of tireless experimentation for me to develop the process of casting paper in bronze, another seven years to perfect, and it continues to evolve today,” explains artist Kevin Box on his website.
Working with his wife, Jennifer, and collaborating with origami masters like Dr. Robert J. Lang, a PhD physicist who revolutionized origami through mathematical modeling and computational design, Box designs sculptures that find permanent and temporary homes in botanical gardens and other locations across the country and beyond.
Photo: Master Peace, created by Jennifer and Kevin Box in 2013-2014, features 500 cranes and has been on display in places like St. Louis, Naples, and Singapore
“All of the art can go any time,” says Jennifer Box as she leads a group of my friends on a tour, which means that the sculptures on display are always changing.
She hopes that visitors see the works of art beyond what’s in front of them, kind of like the secrets a single sheet of paper holds for origami.
“There’s beauty on the inside,” she says. “It’s not all about what’s on the outside.”
Origami everywhere
Once you’re attuned to it, origami seems to show up everywhere, especially cranes. Maybe I should have expected origami cranes at the Kearney Welcome Center; after all, the Nebraska town is home to the largest sandhill migration in the world.
But I was surprised to see a row of cranes on the counter of my local bank, created, I was told, by an employee in her spare time. Certainly, making origami can be meditative. But only, I’ve learned, after you’ve memorized the sequence of folds.
For more on Japanese crafts, see my article Learning about Japanese Culture one Handicraft at a Time, published by East-West News Service
