Origami (ori=folding, kami=paper), consists in folding paper without cutting or pasting it to make models representing animals, flowers, to create decorations, geometric figures, scenes and artistic displays.
It is commonly known that origami, in the japanese tradition, was an ancient art that finds its roots in religion. The origins of paper folding are in the japanese Heian period (794-1185 a.C.). At that time hand-made paper was a precious and refined material that was used on particular occasions, above all in religious cermonies. The first figures were abstract symbols shown in some temples.
When the Zen buddhist sect was extabilished, from the temples, origami went to court where it was used to convey messages of love and devotion. Some noble families assumed origami forms as coat of arms because this art had become a symbol of power and good manners. Most origami models had their own symbolic meanings and the folding rules were handed from father to son.
In the Aruchi-Momoyama and Edo (1573-1867) period, origami lost gradually its ceremonial and became an extremely popular art.
During the seventeenth century, in Europe, the art of folding had a big development, precisely in Spain where napkin folding was a very popular art. When origami crossed the japanese frontiers (towards the middle of 19th century), it was welcomed with great admiration and was interpreted by the western mentality.
This ancient art had a wide development after the second world war, thanks to some artists, above all to Akira Yoshizawa, who developed a kind of creative origami released from tradition. Cutting and pasting after Yoshizawa were allowed.
Nowadays, modular origami, a geometric network of identic, regular, tridimensional origami, enjoys great favour. Origami, however, is an extremely popular art expression of creativity and phantasy; new shapes has been conceived with decorative purpose as well as reproduction of the reality and creative expression of taste.

PAPER

Paper is the fundamental material and means of this art and holds a considerable importance both from a technical and a decorative point of view. It is essential, indeed, for the paper to be neither too thick nor too thin; it has to keep the folding and be not easily torn. All kinds of paper having these requisites can be folded into origami.
It is easy to find paper that suit us best: packets of origami paper, coloured on one side and white on the other, craft card, gift wrapping, pages from a colourful magazine -this could be another recycling perspective-.