TAROS ORIGAMI STUDIO

Taro Yaguchi and Masao Donahue

Table of Contents
Welcome to the World of Origami A Brief History of Origami Origami Today Types of Paper Learning Origami Using Taros Philosophy Kyu System Instructions for Folding Symbols Basic Folds and Bases Book Fold Blintz Base Cabinet Fold (or Cabinet Base) Diagonal Fold Kite Fold (or Kite Base) Pleat Fold Rabbit-Ear Fold Square Base Squash Fold Waterbomb Base Bird Base and Petal Fold Inside Reverse Fold Flower Base Frog Base Outside Reverse Fold Samurai Helmet Ninja Star Heart Pendant Butterfly Pinwheel and Flying Disc Crane Twisted Rose Chrysanthemum Iris Frog Peacock Turtle 4 6 8 10 12 14 17 18 19 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 36 40 44 47 53 56 60 64 68 72 76

Welcome to the World of Origami

Taro Yaguchi

Origami is the ancient art of folding paper an art that has endured for hundreds of years in Japan. In Japanese, ori is the root of the verb to fold and gami means paper. Part of origamis appeal lies in its apparent simplicity. To begin, all that is needed is a single sheet of paper. From there, however, the world of origami is as expansive as your imagination can take you. As each fold and crease gradually transforms a seemingly ordinary sheet of paper into something more recognizable, origami inspires us all to take on new challenges to inch ever closer to beautiful flowers, elegant birds, ancient weapons, and more. A practice that for many may begin as a hobby, origami has applications that extend far beyond the creasing of paper. As new, young folders delve into this creative and limitless world, they will develop care, precision, and focus

alongside other key developmental skillsthat can easily be applied to various aspects of their lives, including school. Origamis benefits do not end there nor are they limited to children. Its other advantages include nurturing the development or maintaining of problem-solving skills, an understanding of spatial relationships, increased cultural awareness, memorization, discipline, hand-eye coordination, and imaginationjust to name a few! In a group environment, origami has its advantages as wellaiding development through cooperative learning. With origamis surging international popularityespecially in recent yearspeople in everincreasing numbers are being hooked by this ancient art. At Taros Origami Studio, a space dedicated solely to teaching and promoting origami in Brooklyn, New York, it is our mission to make origami accessible to folders of all ages. Taro Yaguchi, the founder of the studio, has a clear visionnot only to help people discover the thrills of origami but also to help establish a strong fundamental foundation so that each student can become an independent learner. This book contains 12 varied modelsones that utilize specific key folds and base forms that will act as the foundation of strong origami skills. It is our sincere hope that this wonderfully rich and rewarding tradition can continue to be passed down from generation to generation so that the next wave of folders may take origami to even greater heights.

Ninja Star
1 2
36 Begin with two sheets of paper. With the color side facing down, perform a Book Fold on both sheets. Unfold each afterwards. Perform a Cabinet Fold on both sheets of paper.

FoldS uSed

Cabinet Fold

Diagonal Fold

Book Fold

The ninja star, or shuriken in Japanese, is a razor-sharp weapon thrown in battle. Made from various types of bladed metal, the most iconic shape of the shuriken resembles a star. For maximum effect, you will want to prepare two sheets of contrasting colored paper.

Learning Origami Using Taros Philosophy

All origami begins with the same basic folds. They may seem simple but learning the precision and patience required to carefully complete them each and every time is an invaluable skillone that is necessary for folders who wish to someday tackle the most complicated shapes and models. At Taros Origami Studio, we stress the fundamentals of origami so that everyone may develop his or her skills over time in a systematic manner. Presently, origami is taught hundreds of different ways, making it difficult and confusing for enthusiasts to advance. This is where Taro Yaguchis Kyu System comes into play. Like martial arts, the Kyu System relies on progression through demonstration. Karate awards different colored belts that represent a students current levelor Kyu. Taros system relies on colored wristbands that are given when students demonstrate mastery of a specific set of techniques from their current tier and those before it. (See pages 14-16.)

12

11 12

Diagonal Fold the bottom flap, tucking the point into the pocket.

Step 11 in progress. Repeat for the top flap. Turn over the model.

13

Tuck the remaining two flaps into the pockets.

Completed Ninja Star! 39

Frog
1 2
68 With the color side facing up, perform two Diagonal Folds. Unfold between each fold.

FoldS uSed Book Fold Diagonal Fold Kite Fold Square Base Squash Fold Inside Reverse Fold Petal Fold Frog Base

The origami frog will be a terric indicator of the progress you have made up to this point. Its thin, elongated legs are highly intricate and delicateoffering a realistic depiction of these amphibians. The limbs alone require twelve Inside Reverse Folds. This provides a great opportunity to master these folds while making a model youd almost expect to hop away when completed!

With the color side facing down, perform two Book Folds,. Unfold between each fold.

Collapse downward, completing the Square Base.

13 14

Inside Reverse Fold arms again. Inside Reverse Fold legs once more.

Inside Reverse Fold legs once more. Then blow air into model, inflating like a balloon.

Blow air into this hole.

Completed Frog!

71

FoldS uSed

Book Fold

Peacock
The peacock is another elegant bird but requires some trickier folds than the crane. These foldsthe RabbitEar Fold, the Outside Reverse Fold, and the Pleat Foldshould become staples of your origami skills as you advance. Patterned paper will mimic the bright colors and variation that the bird is so well known for.

Diagonal Fold Kite Fold Pleat Fold Rabbit-Ear Fold Outside Reverse Fold

1 2
72

With the color side facing up, perform a Diagonal Fold and then unfold.

Perform two Kite Folds.

Step 11 completed.

12

Repeat Steps 10 and 11.

13

Lightly spread the pluage and fold back top tip to smooth edge.

Step 12 completed.

Completed Peacock! 75

A division of Book Sales, Inc. 276 Fifth Avenue Suite 206 New York, New York 10001 RACE POINT PUBLISHING and the distinctive Race Point logo are trademarks of Book Sales, Inc. 2014 by The Book Shop, Ltd. This 2014 edition published by Race Point Publishing by arrangement with The Book Shop, Ltd. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without prior written permission from the publisher. Taros Origami Studio would like to give special thanks to Frank Ling for his help with conceptualizing and editing models. Additional thanks to our staffKenichi Matsumoto, Tomomi Tachibana, Sumako Umezawa, and Justin West for their involvement in helping to create this book. Taros Origami Studio interior designed by Makiko Miyamoto Photo credits: Sai Morikawa page 4, 5, and 11 COVER DESIGN Tim Palin BOOK AND PAPER DESIGNS Eleanor Kwei PHOTOGRAPHY Andrew Werner Photography ISBN 978-1-937994-52-5 Printed in China 2 4 6 8 10 9 7 5 3 1

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