Folded paper

折形 origata

Folded paper

Origata is the formal samurai etiquette of folding paper to wrap gifts; the folds themselves express respect and good wishes.

Heian court gift etiquette; formalised by the Ogasawara and Ise schools in the Muromachi period (14th–16th centuries)

Folded paper wrappers for gifts and ceremonial items began in Heian court etiquette. In the Muromachi period the Ogasawara and Ise families codified samurai etiquette, including how to fold paper for each kind of gift; Ise Sadachika served the shōgun Ashikaga Yoshimasa. Designs were specific to their contents. The oldest dated evidence includes the Onna Chōhōki (1692) and an origata album of 1697 now in the Metropolitan Museum of Art.

Origata is still taught and practised for formal gifts, and noshi and paired butterfly folds survive at weddings.

Technique catalog · draft for review

Every way to wrap, carry and wear a furoshiki.

The furoshiki.com archive, sliced into annotated steps with plain directions, plus techniques found in research.