Paper crane - Japanese origami

2024 Author: Leah Sherlock | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 05:25

Origami is one of the most useful crafts for child development. Where to start getting to know him? This art of creating whimsical paper figures has a rich history. It came to us from distant ancient Japan. Once upon a time, only a select few people of this country owned origami. One of the simplest figurines is considered a crane. This is where the acquaintance with this art will begin.

A bit of history

In medieval Japan, in noble circles, it was customary to write notes to each other and put them into bizarre figures - origami. The simplest of them is “tsuru”, which means paper crane. It develops in only twelve additions. The crane was a symbol of happiness and longevity. Such a gift was treated as a sacred relic. The person who was given the “tsuru” was lucky. The Japanese believed that if you add a thousand of these cranes, then your most cherished wish will come true.

The story of one girl

One story happened not so long ago with this legend… Everyone knows that in 1945 an atomic bomb was dropped on the city of Hiroshima. A little girl named Sadako Sasaki happened to be two kilometers away from the explosion.

It seemed that the child had passedthe consequences of a nuclear explosion: there were no wounds, no abrasions, no external damage. But nine years later, radiation sickness made itself felt. The girl was dying of leukemia.

Then Sadako's friend showed her paper cranes and instructions on how to make them. She told Sasaki a beautiful ancient Japanese legend about a thousand figurines. This gave the poor girl hope for a happy future. She clung to her with the last of her strength. When Sadako got a little better, she immediately set to work, making cranes one after another … but she did not have time. She died in 1955.

When this story was told to the children of the world, they began to send paper cranes to Hiroshima as a symbol of peace, a protest against the war. Later, the Peace Museum was built in this city, and Sadako Sasaki erected a monument with the inscription: “This is our cry, this is our prayer, world peace.”

Here's a story about this simple origami figurine… So how do you make these cranes? Thanks to Japan, we now know how to make paper cranes. Step by step instructions are given below.

Origami "paper crane"

The classic version of origami is as follows:

• To perform such a crane, you need to take paper, of course, of yellow color, square shape. If an A4 sheet is available, then you need to fold it diagonally. It will turn out a square, and just cut off the excess part of the paper.
• A sheet of paper should be folded in half to formrectangle. Fold lines need to be ironed.
• The square is folded in half again. Unfold a sheet of paper.
• Fold the blank of the future paper crane diagonally, unfold it, and fold it diagonally again. All lines must be properly ironed.
• Then you should unfold the square sheet of paper again and fold it along the lines so that you get a “star”.
• If you expand the square, the outlines of small squares will be visible at the lower corners of the "star". It is necessary to lay a sheet of paper according to these outlines so that “two squares” are obtained.
• Take one of the corners of the square (the corners are taken from the bottom, consisting of two layers of paper) and bend it along, towards the middle of the diagonal. Do this for the other remaining three corners.
• Next, the corners are unfolded to make squares with folds.
• According to the instructions on how to make a paper crane, the most difficult thing comes. It is necessary to bend the corner of the square. To do this, you can use the ruler to set the necessary transverse fold. The corner is bent along the previously laid folds so that a large rhombus is obtained. The same action must be performed on the other side. The result is a rhombus with "pants".
• That part of the rhombus, "where there are panties" still needs to be worked out. It is necessary to bend the outer parts of the "trouser legs" lengthwise inward (they are approximately bent in half, the bent parts are obtained in the form of triangles).
• Turn the whole rhombus sideways towards you. Bend "one of the legs" up so that the untouched part of the large figure and the folded partwere about the same level. Fold the figure along the existing lines, stretch the bent “diamond leg” a little, smooth the crease.
• Do the same with the other "diamond leg". Get some semblance of a "crown". One of the teeth of this similarity must be bent, you get the head of a crane. The other prong will be the bird's tail.
• The remaining untouched parts of the large rhombus, having the form of triangles, are bent. These are paper crane wings.

There are flying, moving models, options for every taste and color. There are many ways to make a paper crane, but all of them were developed based on the classic.

Cranes in the interior

Some modern designers use paper birds to decorate houses and apartments, and on festive occasions offices and workspaces.

Cranes hanging on threads from a chandelier and flower pots, sitting on boring shelves and tables, can transform rooms. Such fun and bold decisions always bring kind smiles to the faces of others.

Paper Cranes Jewelry

Recently, an interesting idea came to the mind of the French masters of the studio Claire & Arnaud. They came up with the idea to make silver and gold products in the form of origami figures. The first such item was a crane made of silver - a symbol of peace, goodness and fulfillment of desires.

Children make origami

Many children are fond of origami. There is a large numberliterature about this, teachers conduct origami classes in schools in optional classes.

One of the very first figurines that are taught to do in such lessons is a crane. This is very useful for any child: perseverance, imagination, logical thinking, fine motor skills develop, as a result, intelligence grows. In addition, the crane, thanks to its difficult history, teaches children kindness, love and understanding.

Origami is a very exciting activity with its rich history going back to Ancient Japan. The good news is that people have been able to preserve their culture and customs for thousands of years. The ability to master the art of origami has now spread all over the world, thanks to which now anyone who wants to make a paper figure can do it.