The Joy of Origami

I published a book called "Origami of the Four Seasons" over a decade ago, but to be honest, I don't know that much about origami. When I was governor of Kochi Prefecture, I mentioned that I did origami as a pastime to kill time, and a publisher pestered me, saying, "You have to publish a book!" (laughs).

My maternal grandmother loved making beanbags, playing cat's cradle, and doing origami. I lived with her for a time when I was a child, so she taught me various things, and I just found it fun.

I wasn't the type of kid who played outside much, and I went to private schools from kindergarten through elementary, so I didn't have connections with local friends. Also, my brother was 10 years older, so we never played together, and I played a lot of games by myself. That's how I got started, just to pass the time.

So you learned from your grandmother.

Yes. Mr. Yamaguchi, you've also published a book on origami, haven't you?

I was involved in teacher training for elementary education for 35 years. The students were trying to become math teachers, but they disliked or were bad at math.

Some students would even say things like, "I came here because I'm bad at math, so why do I have to do it?" (laughs). I told them, "Someone who hates soccer can't become a soccer coach, right? So, the first step is to start liking it." But when I thought about how to achieve that, I came across origami.

A friend from Keio University happened to be involved in Montessori education. It's an educational method from Italy, which has also become famous because of the shogi player Sota Fujii.

That method uses what are called sensorial materials, where you touch shapes like triangles and circles. But those Montessori materials are very expensive.

That's when I thought I could do something similar with origami. Rather than making something, I decided to teach by using the various geometric elements that a square piece of origami paper possesses.

How did the students react?

The students really do like origami. This is especially true now that I'm in charge of the early childhood education course. It doesn't feel so much like "math."

For example, when you tell someone to "fold the origami paper in half," some people will fold it diagonally into a triangle, while others will fold it vertically or horizontally into a rectangle. But then I tell them there are other ways to fold it in half. That's where it gets tricky.

I see.

In other words, as long as the fold line passes through the center of the square, you can always fold it exactly in half, even if you don't align the corners perfectly.

Even something as simple as this gets the students quite interested. For people who will become preschool or kindergarten teachers, origami is an essential skill.

I'm Dutch, and I lived in New Zealand when I was little. Both my parents were high school teachers and taught various languages.

When I was about eight, my mother was asked by a colleague, a Japanese teacher, to host a Japanese high school student for a homestay. And I received a lot of Japanese toys from that student. Among them, what particularly drew me in were kendama and origami.

The same homestay program happened the following year, and I always received origami.

Did that person bring the origami and fold it for you?

Yes, that's right. At the end of an origami package, there's a sheet with diagram instructions, right? They folded the things shown on that sheet for me.

Those students weren't very good at English, so we became friends through playing with origami.

Wasn't origami difficult at first?

Hmm, not really. I guess I was good with my hands (laughs). My brother couldn't do it well.

It's true that none of my other friends could do origami either. So, it might have been a bit of a special skill for me.

Do you remember the first thing you folded?

Probably a rabbit or a crane. I don't remember if I could fold a crane well from the start, though.

Has being able to do origami ever been useful?

For example, in middle school science class, we had an assignment to make a paper model of a flower. I was able to do that quite well.

Also, my mother loved making sushi. In New Zealand, we often have potlucks. Everyone brings one dish, and my mother would make sushi, which I would then decorate with origami.

Where origami proved useful for me was when I became a reporter for NHK. That was more than 40 years ago.

I was assigned to Fukuoka for NHK, and at first, I had to make the rounds at police stations. They wouldn't really talk to me if I went during the day, so I would go to the homes of police officers I got to know at night. The so-called "night rounds."

Normally, you'd drink with the officers and get information out of them when they were drunk, but I can't drink at all. So, I targeted homes with children and made a point of making origami for the kids.

The children would be delighted, and we'd gradually become friends. Even when the officer wasn't home, if I visited, the child would come out and say, "Oh, it's the origami big brother!" That was quite useful for my job.

Later, when I was governor, I would go to places like nursing homes for the elderly and say, "Let's do this together," and they would be very pleased. Of course, I also gave them as souvenirs to people from other countries.

Origami connects people, doesn't it?

Yes. It brings them together. However, folding origami properly takes quite a bit of time. When children or the elderly ask me, "Teach me how to fold this," it's not so easy to teach them. Some children fold very roughly, and you know from the very first fold that it's not going to work (laughs), that they won't make it to the end.

Including that aspect, it's quite a fun communication tool. Though it's not easy.

When I was a teacher in the JET Programme (The Japan Exchange and Teaching Programme) in Toyama, I used origami quite a bit.

I taught at an elementary school and a preschool, and I showed them how to fold a kiwi, the bird from New Zealand. It's a very simple one (demonstrates by folding).

This is great because you can make it quickly (laughs). Especially when dealing with children, origami has to be simple. If it takes too long or is too complicated, kids will get bored. Where did you learn to make this kiwi?

I think I looked up how to make it myself because I wanted to create something New Zealand-like for my preschool and elementary school classes. It's been a while, so I was wondering if I could still do it.

You can forget how to fold things if you haven't done it in a while.

Actually, even though I'm Dutch, I've never been to Nagasaki. Once, during the JET summer vacation, I thought about folding kiwis in the style of a thousand paper cranes and taking them to the Peace Park.

That's amazing. A thousand kiwis! (laughs).

I worked hard and folded about 700 of them, but in the end, various things came up, and I couldn't go. So I donated them to the school.

Did you make all of those by yourself?

Yes. During the JET program, summers were very slow, so it was a good way to pass the time (laughs).

After folding 700, you'll definitely never forget how (laughs).

How did the Japanese children react?

After I made one, I showed them a picture of a real kiwi, and at first, they were surprised, saying, "Whoa, what a weird bird. What is this?"

Many of the models featured in origami books are ones that look good when finished. Those are a bit difficult for children, and even for adults. When you're first starting, you really need simple, classic models, and it's good to have a few of those in your repertoire.

When I was in elementary school, after the homestay students had gone home, I tried looking at Japanese origami books, but they were indeed a bit difficult.

Some origami books are easy to understand, and some are not. Sometimes you can't even tell the difference between a "valley fold" and a "mountain fold."

I was bad at the type of origami where you have to fold and unfold, then reassemble it.

Those are difficult, aren't they? The instructions for folding to make a crease and then opening it up along that crease are sometimes not well explained.

I feel like there are more easy-to-understand books available recently.

That's true. And now, with various origami folding tutorials uploaded to YouTube, it's become even easier to understand.

This polyhedron requires 12 parts, and fast students can make it in about 10 minutes. I'm clumsy, so it takes me about 20 minutes (laughs).

The last piece is always the hardest to fit in neatly, isn't it?

Exactly. It pops out and everything. It's quite difficult. So, dexterity is definitely important.

You can make this with 3 pieces, 12 pieces, or even 36 pieces.

When I do things like this with students, sometimes the students teach me.

They'll come to me and say, "Professor, I can make this!" I learn from them and then share it with other students.

In other words, it's not just a one-way relationship of teaching and being taught, but a relationship of mutual teaching. This is incredibly important.

Exactly, what Yukichi Fukuzawa called "learning while teaching, teaching while learning."

That's right. When you can create that kind of relationship, the class becomes much better.

This kind of modular construction is quite fun, and the finished product is beautiful, which is great. It's also a good way to kill time (laughs).

In New Zealand, we decorate a Christmas tree in December, and I used to decorate the tree with origami. What's more, the Christmas tree itself was a bonsai tree.

Bonsai and origami, how lovely.

When I was hospitalized, my students gave me a thousand paper cranes, and that made me happier than any other gift. There's something magical about a thousand paper cranes, isn't there?

It's the time and effort, and the fact that they put their hearts into it.

Since you fold so many, your hands just remember how to do it. It's by no means easy, though.

With origami, some finished pieces are flat, while others, like the crane, are three-dimensional. The ones that become 3D are more interesting. But many of the 3D ones are also difficult. That's why I think the crane is amazing—it can be folded with just basic techniques and still has a three-dimensional feel.

I think geometric things have a beautiful balance. There's no waste. They're very clean and simple. I believe this sense of simplicity is a mathematical sense.

You can also use origami to make a "tangram," where you divide a square into several shapes.

By trying puzzles like making a square by combining five pieces, you can intuitively learn which sides are actually the same length. You can play with it in that way, too. That's why origami is amazing, and the square shape is amazing.HashimotoThe color combinations are also fun, using multiple sheets of origami.

At first, you're just focused on making it, but as you get used to it, you start thinking about the final appearance. Then you start to be creative, like intentionally using two colors.HashimotoI don't have a particular specialty in origami, but there is one flower that not many people make. The process is almost the same as a crane up to a certain point. Shall I try making a flower that's a variation of the crane? (Starts folding). There are so many origami books out there, from classic to slightly newer ones. When I was a kid, they were quite expensive, so I used to read them standing up in bookstores. I was looking for something interesting that people don't usually make, and I found this in a certain book. It looks like this (photo).

That's a rather lovely flower.

Origami is good because it uses your hands. I once held a workshop for elementary school students, and one time, four or five elderly women came in and asked me to teach them. After I taught them, they said, "This is better than brain training."

Ah, I see.

Also, in Miyagi Prefecture, there's a "Truck Day" on October 10. After the earthquake, the trucking industry holds an event. I introduced origami there as well, and as expected, the people who come are young children and the elderly.

Since origami takes time, I prepare some of the parts in advance, and they assemble them to create the final piece. The elderly also enjoy this kind of activity more. I think the process of creating something is very enjoyable.

In New Zealand, origami paper itself is not easy to come by. So, when I was little, origami paper was a very precious item. Especially the gold and silver paper. That was extremely precious (laughs).HashimotoAh, the two sheets that come in a pack. I was so happy when I got those. I treasured them and kept them without folding.RubenI also only got them once a year.HashimotoAre there origami books written in Dutch?RubenI think there were. There were German books, too.YamaguchiMy origami book has actually been translated into Turkish. So, I think there are many people abroad who are interested in origami.RubenBut the paper itself is still hard to get. They don't have 100-yen shops like in Japan.YamaguchiIs "paper craft" different?RubenThat's probably for making models and such. Like airplanes.HashimotoIt seems there's something like origami in Spain.YamaguchiI wonder about China.HashimotoI don't hear much about it in China.YamaguchiIt's strange, isn't it? Since it's the home of paper. With good origami paper, the paper is thick, right?HashimotoYes.YamaguchiThe paper is thick and perfectly square. The cheap ones are sometimes not accurate (laughs). So, washi paper and the like are great. For classes, I have to buy the cheap stuff because of the budget.HashimotoYou have to fold it precisely, so I think it's necessary for learning the importance of doing each step properly. If you follow the process correctly, the result is beautiful.YamaguchiFor that, maybe the cheap stuff won't do (laughs).

This is the Year of the Dog, right? So, I tried to fold an origami dog for some people at work. I looked at various websites and found that there are so many types of animal origami. It's like there's a model for any animal you can think of.HashimotoThere's a model for every animal, and for insects too, there are various types from flat to three-dimensional. There are even snails that can be made so the shell part inflates. I'm always impressed that people can create such things. For rabbits, too, there are flat ones and ones made by modifying a balloon shape.YamaguchiI think it's because there was a tradition of everyone sharing and passing down folding methods that so many different ways of folding have developed.HashimotoI wonder how long origami has existed in Japan. I'm not very knowledgeable, but I've heard that it existed since the Heian period. I've also heard that origami became widespread in Edo-period Japan because of the terakoya (temple schools). But you don't see many simple origami books from the Edo period, do you? For example, things like the Hokusai Manga are still passed down today, but it wouldn't be strange for there to be an equivalent for origami.YamaguchiPerhaps people back then were more focused on mastering the techniques and didn't think much about general popularization.HashimotoThat could be it.YamaguchiBecause people compete with their skills to show them off, right? When that happens, they tend to lose focus on things for children. Which is why my work exists (laughs). But I think the transmission of the simplest things that anyone can do is what truly constitutes culture. Not too long ago, everyone was doing it in their homes and communities.HashimotoBut it's still quite amazing to have something like this as a tool for teaching children.YamaguchiIn any case, you can play with it cheaply. How many sheets of good origami paper can you buy for the price of the latest game console? (laughs).HashimotoThat's certainly true.YamaguchiI think people can develop a sense for mathematics while learning through play. If they can fold properly, they'll come to understand that they can combine various shapes, whether it's a triangle or another figure.

Basically, you don't use scissors in origami.YamaguchiYou don't. However, there is something called "kirigami," which is based on origami. With "Edo kirigami," you cut folded paper to make various things like flowers. It's a kind of rule. There's folding with the premise of not cutting, and there's also cutting being allowed. You fold within various constraints. For example, you have to fold with a square, or you can expand a rectangle, and so on. It's these constraints that give rise to all sorts of ingenuity and make it interesting.HashimotoI think origami isn't something you should get all formal and stiff about, trying to promote it. I think it's a mysterious thing that will just naturally continue to exist forever. Some people are bad at this kind of thing, but those who like it can really enjoy it. If you start trying to teach it as a rigid method, people might start to dislike it.YamaguchiExactly. When it becomes an obligation, it becomes unpleasant.HashimotoI really think a terakoya-like approach is the most suitable.YamaguchiWhen you look at origami, do you sense the dexterity of Japanese people?RubenIncluding the beauty of the paper, it's certainly very impressive.YamaguchiI think there is a culture of creating and learning while having fun. Japanese early childhood and elementary education originally had that terakoya-like element, which was later Westernized, leading to periods of cramming education. It's coming back now, but I believe this continuous cultural tradition has always been something that values children. I want to continue to cherish such things.RubenMy daughter was born last year, so I'm looking forward to being able to do origami with her.HashimotoThat's great. When your daughter learns something at preschool, you can boast, "Dad can fold something even more amazing!" (laughs). *Affiliations and titles are as of the time of this publication.*