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Origami, whether it be of Japanese or non-Japanese origin, is the art of paper folding. In fact, the word itself, in Japanese, is derived from oru meaning *to fold* and kami, meaning *paper.*

Although using only a small number of different folds, when combined with one another in a variety of ways, these folds are able to create intricate designs. Using a square sheet of paper of varying colors, modern-day origami proceeds without any cutting * a technique that was not strictly adhered to in traditional Japanese origami. In fact, during the Edo era cutting the paper during the creation of the design was allowed together with the use of paper of varied shapes.

The beautiful thing about this intriguing form of art is that it transcends the barriers of language and economy. All that one needs to create origami is paper and, in these modern times, paper is available in great abundance and in a variety of colors, shapes, and sizes. Not to mention, one can fold and create origami art with different paper surfaces and thickness depending on the model being created. Foil, copy paper, Japanese paper, even thick paper can be used as long as it is foldable and the desired design can be achieved.

Originally perceived as nothing more than past time for children, it was in 1960 that prolific author of origami books Akira Yoshizawa inspired a modern-day renaissance of the art form with his introduction of the wet-folding technique * a technique in which the paper is dampened during folding to allow the finished product to hold the shape better * and his development of the Yoshizawa-Randlett system of diagramming.

An origami design may be as simple as a boat or a party hat or as complex as a dinosaur or the Eiffel Tower. However, the most famous origami design is the Japanese crane. According to Japanese legend, anyone who folds one thousand paper cranes, strings them together and hangs them will have his deepest dreams come true. This string of folded paper cranes is known as senbazuru. A senbazuru can be seen hanging from the monuments of the Hiroshima Peace Park in honor of a young Japanese girl, Sadako Sasaki, who started folding paper cranes initially to recover from leukemia but ultimately to wish for world peace and healing to the victims of the world.

To this day, origami products remain an integral part of daily living and can be found in a variety of forms * from interior decorations to fashion accessories. Even paper boxes and attractive wrappings are inspired by origami.

How to Make a Folded Crane

The most common origami design is the crane. Learn how to create a simple folded crane following the basic steps provided. This is the simplest method for doing this. Once you've mastered this method you can move on to create more complex products. Remember to work on a hard surface and to experiment on scrap paper first before actually using specially made origami paper.

*STEP 1: Fold the bottom point of a square piece of paper up to meet the top point. Crease and unfold. Repeat for the left and right points.

*STEP 2: Turn the paper over (one edge should face you) and fold the left edge to meet the right edge. Crease and unfold. Repeat for the top and bottom edges. Rotate the paper so that any point faces you.

*STEP 3: Grasp the left and right points and push them together and down to meet at the bottom point. Flatten. This step will give you a two-layered, diamond-shaped piece of paper.

*STEP 4: Fold the lower right edge of the top layer of paper in toward the center so that it lies along the center vertical fold line. Crease and repeat for the lower left edge. Turn the paper over and repeat for the other side.

*STEP 5: Fold the triangle at the top of the paper down. Crease and unfold. Turn your paper over and repeat. Unfold the flaps made in Step 4.

*STEP 6: Point the open end of the diamond shape toward you. Bring the bottom point up (top layer only) toward the top point. The left and right points will be drawn inward and the paper will fold backward along the crease made in Step 5. Flatten the paper.

*STEP 7: Turn your paper over and repeat Step 6. You will have two triangles on either side of the paper that touch at their bases. The two bottom flaps will be the crane's neck and tail; the top flaps will be the wings.

*STEP 8: Repeat Step 4 for the longer diamond shape you now have in front of you. This narrows the crane's neck and tail.

*STEP 9: Fold the bottom flaps up as far as you can so that their points angle up and out. Crease. Turn the paper over and fold one of the points down to make the crane's head.

*STEP 10: Pull the top flaps (wings) down and out so that the center portion of the paper (the crane's back) is rounded out instead of pointed.