The Origami Forum

First a quick rant: Robert lang is out to destroy all people with stubby fingers. He's an evil genius hell bent on taking over the world one last minute closed sink at a time!

Topic at hand: It would be ignorant of me to say all Japanese know Origami just because it originated there, but is there a large population there that practice it? What about all of you people in other countries? Do you know many people that practice the art?

I just wondering, because I know absolutely no one that practices origami. To my friends and family it is something for them to ooo and ahh at even the simplest models.

Folded this week: Brill's Horse, Lang's scorpion and tarantula, a random rearing dragon I found on the internet, and working on Lang's ant right now. MC and tissue paper are awesome!

First a quick rant: Robert lang is out to destroy all people with stubby fingers. He's an evil genius hell bent on taking over the world one last minute closed sink at a time! Twisted Evil

Get bigger paper!

It would be ignorant of me to say all Japanese know Origami just because it originated there

It actually originated semi-simultaneously in China and...wherever the Moors were...middle east, I think.

From what I have heard, in Japan origami is still somewhat seen as an old lady craft (like knitting) likely due to the fact that until this century it was something that the women of the family did to amuse themselves, instructions passed down from mother to daughter...it's still working itself out of the stigma.

It would be ignorant of me to say all Japanese know Origami just because it originated there

but it is as easy as this
- all Germans are Nazis
- all Americans are dumb warmongers
- all French do cook and dance
- all people south of the USA deal with drugs and weapons
- all irish do drink till they faint
- and all chinese do fold paper
[img]http://freenet-homepage.de/origamichris ... /wink3.gif[/img]

LOL

TheRealChris wrote: - and all chinese do fold paper

Japanese it has to be, because Chinese have restaurants.

I hate all those requests I get for Japanese ladies in Kimono to amuse the guests with some folding and besides shall serve some drinks...

I too know nobody that folds personally here in Belgium. This is mainly because there isn't any tradition in paper-folding here. People who see me folding often think I'm a kind of freak but this stigma was soon eased when I found out that many chicks like those little foldings as a presents. I often use foldings as a way to meet new people, after all it's much nicer to receive a piece of Origami then a weak opening line (with the toppers like "Do I know you from somewhere" or " Might I buy you a drink").

On the sea of folding I fold alone.

TheRealChris wrote:

It would be ignorant of me to say all Japanese know Origami just because it originated there

but it is as easy as this

Where are italians with their pizza, mandolino, spaghetti and tarantella?

wquiroz225 wrote:First a quick rant: Robert lang is out to destroy all people with stubby fingers. He's an evil genius hell bent on taking over the world one last minute closed sink at a time!

Evil Genius he may be, but I have nimble stubby fingers .

wquiroz225 wrote:Topic at hand: It would be ignorant of me to say all Japanese know Origami just because it originated there, but is there a large population there that practice it? What about all of you people in other countries? Do you know many people that practice the art?

Though origami didn't actually originate in Japan (big debate on this), it is used in teaching at schools, due to the Frobel style Japan adopted. Therefore, you could technically say that all Japanese can do origami, to a small extent, as long as they attended a school with this type of system. It is mentioned in some texts that samurai and young women of nobility did origami originally. Paper used to be very expensive, so nobles could afford to make recreational use of paper. These days though, due to the Frobel system, its seen mostly as a kid's craft. Kind of like macaroni art or coloring books. This is mirrored in America and other western countries, with the fortune teller, paper airplanes, etc.

The big boom of origami is actually under 100 years old, historically starting with Akira Yoshizawa's creations and the work of Lillian Oppenheimer spreading the word and forming the first origami society. If you're interested in this sort of thing, I suggest checking out David Lister's essays on the BOS site: http://www.britishorigami.info/academic ... /index.php . It is a vast and wonderful resource on origami history.

wquiroz225 wrote:I just wondering, because I know absolutely no one that practices origami. To my friends and family it is something for them to ooo and ahh at even the simplest models.

Pretty much the same is true with me. I've not met anyone locally in person, but I have talked to others in my state that do origami. As you could imagine, it is very obscure in Kentucky. The OUSA convention was the first time I ever met other origamists, and beyond that, the best in the artistry. I'd suggest attending one sometime.

Hmmmmmm, I guess I'm just lucky; wherever I go, be it high school or now at university, I seem to always manage to run in to the few people who do origami! Alot of people are just plain interested in ever the simple models, but for some people, it takes showing them something really complex and telling them it is made from 1 uncut square before they are interested.

Guys, I'm not an expert here (altho I play at times), but we're leaving out half the the Origami world when we leave out Spain and South America, where they practice (and originated ... not independently, probably the Moors) what we consider Origami style, as well as the Spanish influence of papiroflexia.... [Origami in Spanish ]

Now, I am exaggerating that they are different, but there are styles or techniques that are not seen elsewhere... Just more knowledge to share...

And we left out New Zealand, too.

- Hank Simon

TheRealChris wrote:

It would be ignorant of me to say all Japanese know Origami just because it originated there

but it is as easy as this
- all Germans are Nazis
- all Americans are dumb warmongers
- all French do cook and dance
- all people south of the USA deal with drugs and weapons
- all irish do drink till they faint
- and all chinese do fold paper
[img]http://freenet-homepage.de/origamichris ... /wink3.gif[/img]

You forgot one:
- all Canadians are afraid of the dark.

and all South Africans are racists...

Another one is that all asians are the best at everything, period.

LOL

Not driving.

I'm so glad I wasn't drinking anything when I read that last exchange because I'm pretty sure it would have come right out of my nose.