Appreciate this additional info on folding… it has helped me get a better historical knowledge of which I’m lacking.
On Thu, Jun 6, 2024 at 9:33 AM Laura R via Origami < origami@lists.digitalorigami.com> wrote: > Saying that origami is Japanese is like saying that music is German or > painting is French. Anyone with even a basic education understands that > such statements are absurd. So why do we continue to say that origami is > Japanese? The art of paper folding is a universal art, just like painting > and music. > > A magazine like Atlas Obscura understands the weight of words. The > inclusion of the word "Obscura" in its name underscores its intent to > highlight the obscure and unique. > > Likewise, the word “origami,” to capture attention, fits perfectly for the > same reason. It’s exotic, attractive. This is why it has replaced other > terms used in different parts of the world. What isn’t right is our failure > to correct the misconception: the word origami is Japanese, but the art of > paper folding is not exclusively Japanese. We reiterate: only the word is > Japanese in origin. Paper folding is a universal art. It's disheartening to > see this simplification repeated, though it's understandable: we haven’t > done enough to clarify the misunderstanding, and it's become "convenient" > to continue this way. > > The saying “history is written by the victors” has never been truer: one > side seems to have prevailed over the other, based on marketing not always > grounded in history. Just as paper folding has deep roots in Japan, it also > has deep roots in other parts of the world. Both traditions have > contributed artists, techniques, and intense discussions to make paper > folding the robust, wonderful art it is today, with a bright future ahead. > > The EMOZ in Zaragoza, Spain, emerges from the Western tradition while > honoring the Eastern one. Its walls indelibly inscribe – for those willing > to read, not for those blind to understanding – the importance of the > intermingling of two histories that evolved independently in the West and > the East until the late 19th century. European paper folding entered Japan, > and Japanese folding enriched Europe. This rich cultural exchange, known as > interfusion (Hatori Koshiro, see reference below) gave rise to modern > origami. Neither tradition is older or more important than the other: in > history and science, both terms -old, important- provoke discomfort and > "raised eyebrows." > > Before the above mentioned interfusion (from 1853 onward), even in Japan, > origami was not used for figurative folding in Japan. Folding techniques > were called *tatamigami, orikata, orisue,* or *tsutsumi*. These terms > referred to folding actions. In Spain, it was called > *pajaritas, papirolas *or *papiroflexia*, in France *cocottes or pliage > de papier*; in Germany, *papierfalten*, to give some examples (China, > Korea, etc. have their particular words and do not use “origami”). > > In a semiotic sense, these terms evoke the idea of folding and help to > mentally construct the action (just as the word “house” evokes the > structure we all recognize). The semiotic problem lies in collectively > associating the meaning of folding with “Japan” or “Japanese.” This idea is > so ingrained in the collective unconscious that — and here I criticize > myself — when choosing a name for the museum, I opted for Museo del > Origami, thinking it would be the most direct way to attract visitors (I > suppose the same happened with EMOZ when they debated between origami and > papiroflexia for the Escuela Museo Origami Zaragoza). > > Modern origami was a collective development process, not as > individualistic as it seems when figures like Akira Yoshizawa are exalted. > It was a fascinating synergy that took place in the 1950s and 60s when a > small group of folders in various countries began exchanging letters with > their models, and this exchange became a powerful engine for developing new > techniques. > > Akira Yoshizawa didn’t invent the system of symbols either. The symbols he > used had existed in European literature for centuries. According to > historian Joan Sallas, the oldest reference to “valley” and “mountain” > folds appears in a book by the German Andreas Klett from 1677. What > Yoshizawa innovatively did was incorporate a small “cartouche” in each of > his submissions to Japanese craft magazines (I wrote a long article about > this in The Fold some time ago). This cartouche contained the main symbols > he used in his diagrams: valley, mountain, dead line, and a few arrows > (other Japanese artists also used arrows). So, Yoshizawa didn’t invent > anything new. However, his diagrams were clear, clean, and organized, which > is why Samuel Randlett used this foundation and improved it by adding new > arrows. > > Finally, I want to address the figure of the tsuru. It’s such a powerful > symbol that it’s associated with Japan and origami worldwide. Few resist > using it as a “hook” to attract the public, like in Robert J. Lang’s recent > lecture at the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. > Lang knows there’s no direct historical line from the tsuru to a satellite. > But he used it anyway because it’s easy to understand. The problem I see is > that, although Lang clarified that origami is a universal art, the “damage” > was already done by choosing a conference title that reinforces the > connection with Japan. Perhaps it would have been appropriate during the > lecture to spend a couple of minutes showing a science-interested audience > the orthogonal grid of European paper folding and the 22.5-degree crease > pattern of the tsuru, proving how both traditions developed and persisted > independently for centuries on both continents. > > Akira Yoshizawa had significant governmental support to spread his ideas > and art in the West. He was part of a contingent of artists the Japanese > Ministry of Foreign Affairs sent around the world after World War II, with > the explicit intention of fostering friendships and ties between nations. > In the West, Yoshizawa found fertile ground, already cultivated through > correspondence networks since the early 1950s. Additionally, Lillian > Oppenheimer had adopted the word origami, displacing paperfolding in TV > presentations to “sell” it as something exotic and different from > children’s crafts. This repeated use of the word origami, along with > Yoshizawa’s travels and Isao Honda’s bestselling books worldwide, ingrained > the idea that origami was the Japanese art of paper folding, pushing aside > and under a rich and ancient Western folding tradition. > > Origami museums in the West have an obligation to remember this history > and do everything possible to spread it. > > Laura Rozenberg, June 6, 2024 > > *References*: > Hatori Koshiro: *History of Origami in the East and the West before > Interfusion**.* Origami5, Fifth International Meeting of Origami Science, > Mathematics and Education, edited by Patsy Wang-Iverson, Robert J. Lang, > Mark Yim, AK Peters, 2011 > Rozenberg Laura: *On the Evolution of the Notation System in Origami*: > https://tinyurl.com/3zf6emw9 . Also: OrigamiUSA’s The Fold online > magazine #50. 2019 ( > https://origamiusa.org/thefold/article/evolution-notation-system) > > > On Jun 6, 2024, at 2:17 AM, Robert Lang <rob...@langorigami.com> wrote: > > Cool. The Museo del Origami de Zaragoza (EMOZ) got featured on Atlas > Obscura! > > https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/origami-museum-zaragoza-spain > > We need to point them to Museo del Origami in Colonia, too. > > Robert > > >
