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Last updated 11/9/2025

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This print shows three women, one folding paper and two watching. The woman at the top holds a Paper Crane in her right hand and her left rests on top of a Paper Boat. (Both of these are somewhat difficult to see.) Three other finished paperfolds rest on the floor in between the three women. These are Komoso, the Inflatable Frog and a cube. When I first saw this print I thought that, because folded edges are only shown crossing the top face of the cube, it must be a previously unknown design folded from a single sheet, but I have since come to believe that it is a representation of the Tematebako and is drawn in this way because to add the folded edges to the other faces would make it look more like a flat hexagon than a cube.

I do not know what the text at the top of the picture says.

This print is mentioned twice by Kunihiko Kasahara in his books. On each occasion he gives the picture book the print is found in a different title. I cannot find a copy of a book with either title online so have not been able to independently verify the print's origin.

I have used the shorter title which appears in the later of the books when constructing this page.

The information about the commentary in 'New Discoveries in Origami 3' comes from Nick Robinson, to whom my grateful thanks.

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On page 60 of his 'The Art and Wonder of Origami', which was published in 2004, Kasahara wrote:

A copy of the drawing was not included in the book and no mention was made of the name of the artist.

However, Kasahara also mentioned what I believe must be the same print in his 'New Discoveries in Origami 3', published in 2005, where he did include a copy of the print (albeit a poor reproduction) and an attribution, to Nishikawa Suketada. His commentary reads:

'By the way, please look at the figure on the next page. The document is a little damaged and difficult to read, but in the middle of the three girls, in the circle shown, there are five other things drawn: a frog, a paper crane, a cargo boat, a komuso monk, and a treasure box. It is very interesting. The document in which this picture was published is called "Lessons for Women: Ehon Hana no Utage" (painted by Nishikawa Suketada, 1752), which I learned about through the introduction of Takagi Satoshi.

Now, what is extremely interesting here is the bottom "Tama-te-bako", and as far as we can see from this diagram, "only the top surface is assembled!" If we consider this diagram to be accurate, this is probably a "one-piece Tama-te-bako"!'

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