Yoshizawa, Akira

▪ 2006

      Japanese artist (b. March 14, 1911, Kaminokawa, Tochigi prefecture, Japan—March 14, 2005, Ogikubo, Japan), revived the ancient Japanese craft of origami, or paper folding, and inspired an international interest in the art. Yoshizawa used his geometric skills, precise technique, and fine design concepts to create sensational dragons, birds, and elephants from a single sheet of paper. He eschewed the traditional technique of cutting, which rendered flat creations, and invented “wet folding,” the dampening of paper to mold into sculptural forms. Yoshizawa also developed a system of notation (directions for folding), still widely cited in origami primers. He gained wide renown in the 1950s and later served as a cultural ambassador for Japan. Yoshizawa was the recipient in 1983 of Japan's Order of the Rising Sun.

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