Born in 1911, Akira Yoshizawa is the father of modern
origami. The publication of his first collection of models in the
early 1950s caused a major sensation. In 1954, he founded the
International Origami Centre in Tokyo. In 1955, his original works
were exhibited for the first time at a show in Amsterdam, an
enormously successful event that introduced him to the West. It was
during these years that he came up with a system of notation based
on a series of symbols and graphic signs indicating various types
of folds and thus created a method that was later adopted by many
origami artists and is still in use today. In subsequent decades
Yoshizawa folded and taught origami, published books on the art,
and participated in innumerable events on an international scale.
As his fame spread throughout the world, he came to be seen as the
most distinguished representative of the art, a pioneer of many
techniques used in modern origami. Yoshizawa died in 2005, on the
day of his 94th birthday.
Preface:
Kiyo Yoshizawa married the Master in 1956 and became his
manager from that point on. After her husband's death, she worked
on preserving and disseminating his legacy throughout the world,
directing and supporting the International Origami Centre with her
constant activity, and passing down the artist's original
techniques, including wetfolding, one of his inventions. In recent
years, she has organized various exhibitions abroad to help the
broad public understand Yoshizawa's works even better.
Introduction:
Born in 1961, Robert J. Lang has been deeply involved in
origami since the age of six, when he discovered several
instructions for traditional designs in a library book. This early
beginning ignited a lifelong passion for the art. He is now
considered one of the leading origami artists in the world, with
hundreds of original creations to his credit, as well as 14 books
authored, co-authored, or edited on the art, numerous articles and
instructions published in origami periodicals, and he regularly
lectures and teaches origami at conventions and workshops around
the world. He has a Ph.D. in Applied Physics from Caltech, and has
used his mathematical and engineering training to advance origami,
both artistically and in its applications to science and
technology. In his origami career, he has drawn from many sources
and influences, not least of which is the work of Yoshizawa-sensei.
Yoshizawa's techniques, both technical and artistic, played a major
role in Lang's own origami evolution, and he is honored to be able
to contribute to this work of the master.
Photographer:
Born in 1958 in the prefecture of Chiba, Kazuo Hamada
graduated from the Tokyo School of Photography and began
freelancing in 1984. In 1990 he founded his own photography studio,
and today he collaborates with Tokyo's prestigious Pacific Press
Photo Agency. He has won the 21st Japan's Advertising
Photographers' Association Award (APA) and other important prizes.
His works have been exhibited in many photography exhibitions in
Japan and abroad.
"Akira Yoshizawa was, and still is, the acknowledged master of
modern origami. In this magnificent book, you can discover his
ideas, philosophy and artistry, and you can fold his designs from
his own meticulous instructions." --David Brill, author of
Brilliant Origami and vice president of the British Origami
Society
"As I fold, Yoshizawa Sensei is telling me 'Too much detail, let
the paper express the essence.' He is trying to let me hear the
silence in my creations. I can only dream of succeeding like he
did." --Bernie Peyton, author of Eco-Origami and curator of Origami
Universe
"Akira Yoshizawa is known as the 'Grandfather of Origami' and with
good cause. His revolutionary work set the foundations for modern
origami and his quest to capture the true essence of the subject
has led to a far deeper understanding of what is truly important
about origami. His models are not highly technical, but even expert
folders find it almost impossible to capture the subject as well as
the Master. His influence on origami cannot be overstated and he is
revered by the creative giants of the paper-folding world who have
followed in his footsteps." --Nick Robinson, professional artist
and author of many best-selling books on origami
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