Japanese Gift Wrapping: All About The Folding Arts

24 Apr 2008 Category: Arts & Crafts, Features, Japan

Japanese Gift Wrapping: All About The Folding Arts

The art of simplicity! Expressing a special meaning for the receiver – carefully folded envelopes and ribbons. So beautiful!(Courtesy of Origata Design Institute)

Traditionally, when a visitor to a Japanese home was preparing to leave, it was custom for the family to present some nice sweets in a package of neatly wrapped paper. The practice of so called origata, or – a bit longer – carefully wrapping gifts in decorative paper, is actually an ancient habit that dates back several hundreds of years and has been perfected to quite a level since then. Today PingMag talks to Yuko Nishimura of the Origata Design Institute to get new insights (and lots of inspiration) on this very elaborated ongoing Japanese tradition.

Written by Ryoko
Translated by Kevin Mcgue

So, the founder of the Origata Design Institute, Nobuhiro Yamaguchi, discovered a book on origata at a used bookstore and decided to bring this museum to life. What exactly does origata mean?

Sadatake Ise’s “Tsutsumi-no Ki” is a collection of wrapping methods written back in 1764. The discovery of treasure in a used bookstore was the inspiration for the Origata Design Institute.(Courtesy of Origata Design Institute)

Origata is the art of wrapping things in ordinary Japanese paper. It dates back to the Muromachi period from 1336 to 1573, when even items such as dried kelp and paper fans were wrapped in washi, Japanese paper. Items were not simply bundled up, but rather neatly wrapped according to the shape as well as the person to receive it. There were also special ways of wrapping based on the number of items. A certain way to do origata!


Refinement! A chopstick wrapper done at the Origata Design Institute…(Courtesy of Origata Design Institute)

… and a letter envelope with “fumikou,” small folded packets of fragrant incense.(Courtesy of Origata Design Institute)

A book…? No, Japanese hand towels neatly wrapped in paper!(Courtesy of Origata Design Institute)

”Okaishi,” a neat tissue used in Japanese tea ceremonies, folded and wrapped to be presented as gift.(Courtesy of Origata Design Institute)

We found out that noshibukuro, an envelope traditionally used to give money at family gatherings, and shugibukuro, which is used for weddings, are often bought ready to use and are also one form of origata. Mr. Yamaguchi, the founder of the Institute, once couldn’t find a noshibukuro when he needed one and started to think about easy ways of making one himself.


Utmost simplicity! Folded paper that can be used for giving money…(Courtesy of Origata Design Institute)

… and a simple but very chic envelope also for money.(Courtesy of Origata Design Institute)

Now, what new forms of origata have you developed at the Institute?

For example, this is an envelope for fresh tea leaves. So, in the old style there were a lot of pleats that made it look quite luxurious. However, it is very difficult to remember how to fold this, and it takes a long time to fold. So we came up with a much simpler way.

The envelope fold on the left was developed at the Institute, the one on the right is a more complex and traditional one.

These envelopes are based on traditional theories of colour harmony (without the yellowish background, of course.)

Note that not warpping an item completely is a way to express honest feelings.

What is the most important feature of origata?

Unlike with using wrapping paper, the object is not always completely covered with origata. For example, this wine bottle is wrapped in white paper, but some parts are exposed. It is a message to the person receiving the gift, that it has been kept clean.

We found there are many other messages that can be expressed through origata. For example, kichi no tsutsumi, a good luck fold, is always folded at the front right, creating a small opening on the left side. This expresses a feeling of overflowing with happiness. For the opposite, kyo no tsutsumi, a fold of misfortune, the fold is on the left side, expressing the giver’s sympathy for the receiver.


A “good luck fold,” with the paper folded at the front right…(Courtesy of Origata Design Institute)

… and the “fold of misfortune,” with a fold at the front left, used for giving offerings at funerals.(Courtesy of Origata Design Institute)

Spot the small gap at the left…

… and this fold has two exactly matching edges.

Interestingly, the paper you use at the Institute is specially designed for you. And at the shop samakatadou next to your office, you have lots of them for sale…

We used to use washi, Japanese paper, we bought at shops. However, it is always sold in very large sheets, and taking it home and cutting it into small pieces was very troublesome. So, we thought Why not just make paper ourselves? We worked with a young paper maker in Mino City, Gifu, to make paper in half-sized sheets.

The Institute designed a great variety in collaboration with a young paper maker in Mino.(Courtesy of Origata Design Institute)

And, apart from origata, what else are you interested in?

We are researching why people wrap items in the first place. Then, h many ways of wrapping can be achieved with a single sheet of paper? What kind of shapes can be created? Paper can only be folded forward or back, but many sorts of shapes can be created through those simple folds. We are researching the limits of those possibilities, and using our shop to show what we have developed.

The “Fold IN Fold OUT” paper that can be made into all sorts of shapes. The colours you want to be shown in the finished shape will certainly send a special message to the receiver.

Finally! Delicately folded envelopes made of linen.

Your message for origata starters?

Origata only takes a little extra effort to show consideration for the person you are giving something to, so I hope more people will make origata part of their everyday lives.

Thank you so much, Yuko of the Origata Design Institute! We will try one of these intriguing folds right away!

25 Comments

  1. This is so lovely.

    Posted by: jen on April 24th, 2008 at 7:53 pm

  2. there’s something so… serene and elegant about these origata. great article.

    Posted by: may on April 24th, 2008 at 9:43 pm

  3. So very lovely, I wish their store was in English. I would love to see their work and ideas come to an American museum. Such wonderful dedication to craft. Very, very inspirational.

    Posted by: Christopher on April 24th, 2008 at 10:26 pm

  4. kawaii… totemo

    Posted by: Tomek on April 24th, 2008 at 10:53 pm

  5. Cuando lo importante es lo de afuera.

    Posted by: flko on April 25th, 2008 at 3:02 am

  6. As everybody else said, it’s lovely! So minimalistic and refined!
    I love them all, specially the chopstick wrappers.

    Posted by: Akai on April 25th, 2008 at 3:50 am

  7. elegant and lovely!

    Posted by: nicole on April 25th, 2008 at 4:03 am

  8. oh! i love this japanese gracefulness…

    Posted by: regiane on April 25th, 2008 at 6:21 am

  9. Kawaii! ^_^

    Posted by: bouie on April 25th, 2008 at 8:05 am

  10. I love the simplicity!

    Posted by: sylvia on April 25th, 2008 at 8:31 am

  11. hello,

    i`m a german illustrator and picture scientist(hoho). i have study grafic design but many years i to experimentalize whith picture techniques. long i work free whith vector programs (see also under labor /almanach). that influence my later work whith cardboards from supermarkets (see under: pappe), my newest free handdrawing (under: labor) and the animals and other things, i make it from VEGETABLES and FRUITS. i like very simple forms and colors. check my site and have fun. sorry for my broken english. greetings from berlin (near the old borderline). by the way: a good girlfriend from me (maki shimizu, lived in berlin) make fine stuff. among other things fantastic portraits in traditional woodcut. but you know maybe stuff like this? - for me was this a great discovery!http://www.makishimizu.de/
    from time to time i think, when gives advance in ilustration /grafic design today, than in japan (or other places that i untasted)

    Posted by: christian hueckstaedt on April 25th, 2008 at 9:04 am

  12. “So very lovely, I wish their store was in English. I would love to see their work and ideas come to an American museum.“

    There’s always Google….

    Posted by: Peter Hanley on April 25th, 2008 at 12:24 pm

  13. [...] from Pingmag wrote a feature on Japanese folding arts. Posted by Oiwan Lam Share [...]

    Posted by: Global Voices Online » Japan: Folding Arts on April 25th, 2008 at 3:11 pm

  14. Lovely…

    Posted by: Miss Fruitfly on April 25th, 2008 at 5:11 pm

  15. Japanese certainly are teh masters in artful wrapping…Admirable!

    Posted by: Amir on April 25th, 2008 at 6:21 pm

  16. Some American origata:
    http://www.instructables.com/id/The-Spiral-Data-Tato—-A-Curiously-Complex-Origam/

    Posted by: Philip Chapman-Bell on April 25th, 2008 at 8:12 pm

  17. Let me try that again.

    Posted by: Philip Chapman-Bell on April 25th, 2008 at 8:13 pm

  18. Isn’t it great how the most simple things bring such pleasure?

    Posted by: dendoo on April 27th, 2008 at 8:41 pm

  19. can you suggest some good boos about origata?

    Posted by: ilgassa on April 29th, 2008 at 3:02 am

  20. [...] Japanese Gift Wrapping: All About The Folding Arts (tags: gifts origami paper ふろしき) [...]

    Posted by: links for 2008-04-30 « Mandarine on April 30th, 2008 at 1:39 pm

  21. Hello,

    Love japanese style wrapping and embellishing. Amazing papers!

    ~ Gabriela ~

    Posted by: Gabriela Delworth on June 4th, 2008 at 11:26 pm

  22. [...] אמנות אריזת המתנות היפנית.http://pingmag.jp/2008/04/24/origata/ [...]

    Posted by: הקולקטיב » » [אדד ואליום] היפנים אוהבים אותך on June 9th, 2008 at 9:00 pm

  23. [...] The work is spectacular. via [...]

    Posted by: Arctic Oak » Blog Archive » paper envelopes on July 19th, 2008 at 1:02 am

  24. This is beautifiul work. Now maybe it’s just me but…how would people describe this as “minimalistic” or “simple”!? Uhh…it’s pretty complex and over-the-top to me. Take the first image of the three envelopes for example. I don’t see those as simple at all. They are in fact heavily and inrtricately embellished. That is what makes them beautiful. A “simple” envelope would be that thing your phone bill comes in.

    Posted by: Michael on September 14th, 2008 at 2:54 am

  25. [...] Traditionally, when a visitor to a Japanese home was preparing to leave, it was custom for the family to present some nice sweets in a package of neatly wrapped paper. The practice of so called origata, or – a bit longer – carefully wrapping gifts in decorative paper, is actually an ancient habit that dates back several hundreds of years and has been perfected to quite a level since then. Today PingMag talks to Yuko Nishimura of the Origata Design Institute to get new insights (and lots of inspiration) on this very elaborated ongoing Japanese tradition. Read the full story>>> [...]

    Posted by: Kevin Mcgue - Tokyo-Based Journalist & Filmmaker » Japanese Gift Wrapping: All About The Folding Arts on March 2nd, 2009 at 10:48 pm

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