Origami Overview
Origami is a traditional Japanese pastime where a single square of paper is folded in different ways to create shapes like cute animals and beautiful plants. Since it only takes a sheet of paper, the hobby can easily be enjoyed anywhere; many people in Japan enjoy it at home and at school. The best known origami shape, which many children learn from their parents or grandparents, is the crane. Other shapes include flowers, butterflies, crabs, and even difficult creations like Christmas trees. Origami is especially popular among girls.
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History
After papermaking was introduced to Japan from the Asian continent at the beginning of the seventh century, Japanese people developed a way to make a type of thin, durable paper that became known as washi. At first it was mainly used for official record-keeping and Buddhist religious writings. Washi came to be used in Shinto religious rituals as well, and it became customary to wrap offerings to the gods, and many other things, in paper. Eventually people began to focus on particular ways to fold paper when wrapping gifts or offerings, and they developed formal folded ornaments to make the wrapping more attractive. During the Muromachi period (1338-1573) the Ogasawara and Ise families established various rules of etiquette, and formal folded ornaments became a requirement for proper wrapping. (221 words)
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