the Art of Peace

by obit Thu Mar 31, 2005 15:53

Akira Yoshizawa, who has died aged 94, was regarded as the father of modern origami and acknowledged as its greatest living exponent.

Origami - "to fold paper" in Japanese - is thought to have originated in China at about the same time as the discovery of paper at the end of the 1st century AD. The secret of the material's manufacture was brought to Japan in the early 7th century, where origami was elevated to the status of an art form on a par with painting, in part because its practice could be invested with ceremonial and spiritual significance.

Japan's cultural isolation meant that for centuries origami was little known in the West, though Tolstoy, among others, had seen its creations. An independent tradition of making models from folded paper had sprung up in Europe, but its secrets were largely confined to professional magicians, such as Harry Houdini. It was Yoshizawa who in the 1950s united the two streams, revolutionising the art and popularising it around the world.

Although there were many recognised styles of origami in Japan, Yoshizawa was self-taught, and it was this experience which allowed him to break away from the rigid and sometimes overly complex rules which then governed the art. In particular, he developed a new method of dampening the paper which enabled him to fashion more naturalistic shapes that held their form when they dried. He also insisted on never cutting the paper - as was then common - and on folding the models with his hands raised, instead of on a surface such as a table.

His work, which reflected his perfectionist nature and evident kindness of character, was animate to a degree never before achieved in origami. Owls, dragons, butterflies and cranes - all sprang to life under his fingers, which could even turn a bath mat into a swan. Moreover, the diagrammatic system of lines and symbols he devised allowed for the first time those who did not speak Japanese to learn origami's forms and methods.

Akira Yoshizawa was born into a family of farmers at Tochigi, central Japan, on March 14 1911. He moved to Tokyo as a teenager, and after qualifying as a draughtsman found work in a tool-making factory. There he began to teach geometry to other employees by folding paper. Later, he studied for the Buddhist priesthood for two years before opting not to enter a monastery.

Having decided instead to make origami his life's mission, he endured several decades of extreme poverty, supporting himself as a door-to-door salesman of traditional foods. During the Second World War, he served in the army medical corps in Hong Kong, where he made models to cheer up the patients, before himself falling ill and being sent home to Japan.

His work was first discovered and publicised by a popular magazine, Asahi Graf, in 1951, and its editor thereafter became his champion and helped him secure his first exhibition in Tokyo, where his genius was at once recognised. Then, in 1955, he finally made contact with Gershon Legman, an American enthusiast for paperfolding and an assistant to Alfred Kinsey, the sex researcher. Legman had heard of his work and had written to him dozens of times, but until then Yoshizawa had lacked the money even to post a reply.

The years after the war had seen a growing appreciation of Japanese culture abroad, partly disseminated by GIs who had been stationed there. By the mid-1950s, origami had gained some devotees in the United States and Britain, notably Robert Harbin, the television magician, and Rolf Harris. Legman helped Yoshizawa to have exhibitions in Amsterdam and New York which gave new impetus to origami's practice in the West and forged important contacts between its principal practitioners and collectors.

For many years, Yoshizawa worked as a goodwill ambassador for the Japanese government. He was a member of the Order of the Rising Sun, and had been declared a Living National Treasure. He was a vice-president of the British Origami Society, an appointment that gave him much pleasure.

Akira Yoshizawa died on March 14. He is survived by his wife Kiyo, whom he married in 1956.

© Copyright of Telegraph Group Limited 2005.
published 30/3/05 as Tory leader Howard called for further defence integration with the USA and a non voter TV Chef got c@$h for school dinners.
some things matter & some don't - your choice.

by redjade Sun Dec 05, 2004 18:23

"Man is neither angel nor brute, and the unfortunate thing is that he who would act the angel acts the brute."

http://www.commondreams.org/views04/1202-25.htm

by redjade Sun Dec 05, 2004 18:18

"The paper birds are not a traditional symbol for us," said leader of Abdullaham Abdulsamad of the Narathiwat Islamic Council. "It's a different culture. Our people do not understand what the birds stand for."

http://www.boingboing.net/2004/12/04/origami_bomb.html

by :-) Sun Dec 05, 2004 16:14

1. Fold a square piece of paper in half horizontally.
Then fold (A) back to bottom center (D) and
(B) forward to front bottom center (C).

2. Your paper should look like this.

3. Pull (C) (the front) and (D) (the back) apart all the
way until you have a flat diamond (as in small diagram).

4. Fold top layers of (C) and (D) inward to center line
at (E) and fold down (F) along dotted line.

5. Your paper should look like this.

6. Now here's the tricky part: Unfold step 4. Take top
layer only at (G) and pull it up making use of the crease
(dotted line). This allows points (C) and (D) to fold
back to center line along creases. Turn paper over and
repeat steps 4, 5, and 6, ignoring new flap topped by point (G).

7. With split at bottom, fold (H) and (I) inward so that
edges meet center line. Turn paper over and repeat.

8. Temporarily open flaps at (L1) and (L2). Pull(J) up to
top between flaps and close flaps (L1 and L2).
Repeat with (K). Fold down head. Fold down wings.
http://phillesh.net/philzonepages/friends_stuff/nye-cranes2.html

(though the monkey org is better but requires even more patience for those with a slow modem.
http://www.monkey.org/~aidan/origami/crane/ )