History of Origami

History of Origami
Paperfolding originated in China around the 1st or 2nd century AD, and reached Japan in the 6th century. [1] Origami was originally an art that was based on suggestion rather than realism, like many other Japanese arts. In the following generations, origami became a familiar aspect of Japanese culture. Origami models were often given as good luck tokens or were a part of certain Japanese rituals. For example, shinto noblemen celebrated weddings with glasses of sake adorned with paper butterflies, which symbolized the bride and the groom. Tea ceremony masters received diplomas in a special origami envelope that, after being opened, could not be refolded without adding extra creases. [1]
Origami was originally a privilege only to upper class Japanese people, due to the high cost of paper. After new paper-making techniques were invented, the price of paper dropped and origami assumed a new ceremonial role: a method of social stratification. During the Muromachi period, different origami styles served to differentiate between the classes of Japanese society. Later, in the Tokugawa period when Japanese art and culture blossomed, a democratization of origami occurred, and all members of society began folding the same models. [1]
In 1845, Kan no mado was published, which is regarded as the first comprehensive collection of origami figures. [1]