The envelopes of origata examples are arranged in alphabetical order by title followed by the paper pouch that held the envelopes.
Accession No. RARE.2025.0001: Purchased, 2023 January
[identification of item], Origata Collection, SPEC.RARE.0343, Rare Books and Manuscripts Library, Ohio State University
Materials in this collection are available for use, but may be used in the Thompson Library Special Collections reading room only.
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Processed by: David Mezick, 2025 January; Finding aid written by: David Mezick, 2025 January
Origata is the Japanese art of paper folding used for wrapping gifts and gift giving ceremonies. Paper folding and gift wrapping began to be practiced during the Heian period (794-1185) in Japan after the creation of washi paper. Washi is a thin but strong handmade paper that can be folded. The formal traditions of origata were created in the Muromachi period (14th to 16th centuries). The traditions were practiced among high-ranking samurai families and other members of the upper class. The practices were taught by oral tradition and by studying examples that were collected for teaching. By the Edo period (1603-1868), the art of paper folding was practiced more widely and done for fun rather than formally. Paper folding done for fun became what is called origami, which is still practiced as of the early 21st century.
The Origata Collection, dated circa 1840s-1868, contains examples of origata in four folded paper envelopes. Also included is the paper pouch that held the envelopes. The examples were probably used for teaching. There is handwritten Japanese on the pouch, envelopes, and most of the examples of origata. The writing on the outside of each envelope says what kinds of origata it contains. The writing inside each envelope includes a list of the contents, and in some cases, instructions for how to fold the origata. The titles in the collection inventory are not exact translations of this writing.