The complete book of origami : step-by-step instructions in over 1000 diagrams : 37 original

Origami is the art of folding uncut sheets of paper into decorative objects such as birds or animals. The word for this ancient Japanese art comes from ori-, meaning "folded," and -kami, meaning "paper." Almost any subject is suitable for an origami model, despite the stringent limitation of using an uncut sheet, and origami models

come in all sizes and degrees of complexity. Origami artists have made birds 1/64th of an inch long, and life-size elephants three yards

high. The number of creases in a model can range from just a few to literally hundreds. The detail in complex folds can be astounding, for the artists of the modern era have carried origami to unprece-dented heights of realism and complexity. While a simple bird can take less than a minute to make, it is not uncommon for an advanced

folder to take two to three hours on a complicated insect. Most of the advances in origami have come within the past fifty years, but it is an old art; its origins go back to the invention of paper itself.

The art of papermaking was developed in China, and from there it traveled to the rest of the world. Buddhist monks carried paper to Japan in the 6th century A.D., and the first Japanese origami folds date from that period. At first, paper was a scarce commodity, and its use was limited to ceremonial occasions. The folds developed for these occasions were simple. They were stylized representations of animals, costumed people, or ceremonial designs, and although the modern ethic forbids it, the traditional folds frequently used cuts in

the paper. The designs were passed down through the generations from mother to daughter. There were few written records of origami designs, and so the only folds that lasted were simple ones. Never- theless, many of the traditional folds have an enduring beauty, and their simplicity is appealing. In more recent times, folding has ap- peared in the Western world. The Spanish, too, have a long tradition of paperfolding, although not as old as that of Japan. Simple folds tend to be reinvented over and over; thus, many of the same folds

have come out of both the East and the West. Even America has a tradition of paperfolding; rare is the schoolchild who has never folded a hat, boat, plane or the ubiquitous fortune-teller or "cootie-catcher."