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 Researched by Mitchell B. |
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Dedication
I would like to
dedicate this report to my mom because she got me interested in the art
of origami, and when I showed so much interest in it, my mom gave me
the idea to study it in SOAR. Also, I would like to dedicate this
product to my teacher Mrs.Heitman who helped me with much of my
project.
Why I Chose This Topic
There are several
reasons I decided to take this opportunity to study all about
origami. First, I really enjoyed constructing origami figures. I
wanted to learn more about what I was doing. Also, my mom is the one
who realized that origami would be a fun and interesting topic.
Research Summary
Introduction
The
art of origami expands wide and far and is found interesting by many
people all over the world. The ultimate masters have created a wide
variety of figures, and these creations throughout history truly made
origami what it is today. People are able to express themselves through
folding because the figures are all unique. Even young people
participate in this wondrous activity, which shows how famous the art
of origami really is.
Akira Yoshizawa
One of the greatest
origami masters in was Akira Yoshizawa. He was born on March 14, 1911.
Then at the age of three, he received a paper boat as a gift, which
made him interested in the art of origami. That interest soon became
something that he would do for a living. His most famous work became
known in 1950. That was when he created a split between modern
day origami an old fashioned origami. Next, in 1966, Akira Yoshizawa
went on a world tour and made lectures about origami in over 30
countries. Amazingly, Akira Yoshizawa has published over 25 books
on how to fold origami figures. He even invented the system of having
arrows and pictures in origami books. Along with that system, Akira
invented many modern day techniques. Sadly, he died on his birthday in
2005. He was 94 years old.
Geometric Figures
The art of
origami does not only include animals, but also geometric figures. This
group of origami figures includes boxes, squares, pyramids and even the
origami flower ball. Though I would always choose animals over
geometric figures, some people think otherwise. The Moors could only
fold geometric figures due to their Islamic religious belief of not
being able to fold representational figures. Overall, geometric figures
are some of the very important pieces of origami.
Origami in Religion
Origami
is sometimes a factor in religious ceremonies, like weddings. In China,
the Shinto noblemen celebrated weddings with male and female origami
butterflies to represent the bride and groom (they put them on their
wine glasses). Also, tea ceremony masters would specially fold.
They did this because if the wrong person got hold of the diploma they
would know if they had opened it because it is almost impossible to
refold that shape perfectly without making an extra crease. But one of
the sad things of origami and religion is that the Moors could only
make geometric figures (not animals) because of their religion. Another
religious part of origami is Noshi. Noshi is paper wrapped in dried
fish. It is said to bring good luck. Also samurais used to exchange
gifts using Noshi.
The Start of Origami
Origami has
caught on in the modern day, but it had began long before that. It all
began in China, about 100 A.D. (Anno Domini). After starting in China
it spread all over the world. At this time only rich people could enjoy
the fine art of origami. The reason for this behavior was that paper
had just been invented then and was quite expensive at the time. Still,
even today people will use even a scrap of paper to enjoy the art of
origami. When that was happening origami was only being used for
everyday purposes, like folding letters. Then at the beginning of the
Edo period origami changed, it became a more exquisite and beautiful
art.
The Good News about Origami
Some people think that
origami is just some dumb art, have I got news for them. Performing
origami can improve your manual dexterity and motor coordination, which
is how good you can control your hands and body. Also teachers use
origami to teach some lessons about geometry. They do this by making a
shape and unfolding it. This reveals tons of lines and angles. To make
origami an even better art, when you fold an origami figure you are
using and strengthening your visualization, step following and memory.
I bet no one can resist enjoying the pure superior art of origami.
Highlights
There
are some very important highlights in the origami and they don’t
include just the everyday box. The largest paper crane is one. It was
215 feet tall! This monstrosity was constructed in November 1999. Its
minority of a brother (the smallest paper crane) was constructed with a
piece of paper that was only 0.1mm x 0.1mm. Its creator was named Mr.
Wiato. It is amazing what can be created through hard work and
commitment, though not everyone can do things quite as amazing as make
a 215 feet tall crane on their first try.
The Paper Crane
The
paper crane is one of the most famous origami figures in the world. It
is unknown when it was invented. But it is known that the first written
instructions of how to make one were in the book called “How to Fold
1000 Cranes.” This book was published in 1797. In Japanese the word
Tsuru is crane. The crane is so loved that it has become a world peace
sign and it is believed that if you fold 1000 cranes your wish will
come true. This relates to the story called Sadoko and the 1000 cranes.
It is about a girl who gets cancer and makes 1000 cranes and wishes to
be cured. Sadly, she dies. What a well-known figure this animal has
become.
Sadako and the 1000 Paper Cranes
The story of
Sadako and the 1000 Paper crane is a tragic and inspiring story. My
friends’ fourth grade class made 2000 cranes in honor of the story.
After they made them they sent them to the Children’s Hospital. Enough
talk about my friends, let’s get on with the story. It all started when
a Japanese girl was born. Her name was Sadako. A few years after she
was born the atomic bomb dropped next to where she was born. She felt
fine for the next few years but later she began feeling dizzy and
nauseous after she ran track. She didn’t tell her mom and dad until it
got really bad, that was not a very good idea. The doctors took a look
at her and found out that she had got leukemia from being exposed to
the bomb. To try to cure herself before she died, Sadako tried to make
1000 paper cranes to be able to make a wish. She did this because she
believed that the legend of making 1000 paper cranes would give you a
wish. Sadly she didn’t make it and died in the hospital.
Conclusion
Overall
origami is not just an average form of art. It is much more. The
qualities of unbelievable folders, abundant source of figures, and
important parts of history, build up to make the infamous activity of
origami. Also stories of origami play a big part in the art. They
inspire and influence the newer, more creative masters to come.
How I Evaluate My Entire Project
(1) How thorough and complete was my project?
I thought my project was pretty thorough but not very complete. I think this because I needed more information for my project.
(2) What would I do differently if starting over again?
I
would learn a lot more about present day origami. I would do this so
that I could know more about how popular origami is today.
(3) What major strengths does my project have?
My project is strongest in the history of origami. I think this because I was very thorough with it.
(4) What weaknesses or problems does my project have?
The
weakness of my report is the variety of information. I believe that if
I found more types of information they would elaborate on my present
ones.
(5) What did I learn to do better during this project?
I learned to make better communication with my interviewee this project. I learned this because I got my interview done late.
(6) In what ways did I enjoy my study and work?
I enjoyed making my diorama. I enjoyed it because I got to do something that I enjoy that became eye-appealing and informative.
Who Helped Me with My Project
I
would like to thank the following people for accompanying me in editing
and thinking up creative ways to present my project the best that I
could. First and foremost, I would like to thank my fellow classmates
(this does include Mrs. Heitman and Mrs. Goodpaster) for helping me and
editing my project. Also my mom helped me by making suggestions to make
my project better. All this help from my peers is what made my project
happen.
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