The origins of orikata can be traced back to ancient Japan. Orikata, meaning folded shapes, were a vital skill for aristocrats and high ranking soldiers in Japan. Several styles of formal gift/ritual wrappings were developed for such things as money, poetry, and fans. 

Origami is derived from two Japanese words, Ori (folded) and Kami (paper).  The transition from the term orikata to origami came into use in 1880.  This ancient Japanese art of folding paper has become increasingly complex over the years. The applications for origami principles have expanded into furniture design, home decor, architecture, installation art, robotics design, engineering, and medical solutions. 

Due to the expense of paper, origami was originally limited to the privileged class for religious rituals, and formal ceremonies. In the Edo period (1603-1868) origami became more widespread in Japanese society due to the reduced price of washi paper. This gave rise to the cultural practice of formal gift wrappers (noshi) along with envelopes/paper purses (tato),  and letter folds for a larger population of society.  With the end of Sakoku “closed country” (the isolationist foreign policy of Japan) in 1853, origami practitioners began to incorporate Western napkin- folding patterns, patenbriefs (folded certificates), and German kindergarten paper folding pedagogy as foreign influences were introduced.

Akira Yoshizawa was the father of modern origami. He inspired a national and international interest in the art of origami. Yoshizawa developed the current standard for diagraming origami instructions and designed countless patterns. He avoided the accepted cutting techniques used in traditional origami and developed a wet folding technique which rendered softer more naturalistic lines. Yoshizawa published ”Origami Tokuhon” in 1957 which brought him great renown. He published many more books thereafter and later served as a cultural ambassador for Japan. In 1983 he received the honor of Japan’s Order of the Rising Sun.