Main Index Page

Last updated 22/1/2025

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Introduction

1965

This work is mentioned in Isao Honda's 'The World of Origami' where the authorship is ascribed to Gido (aka Rokoan), who was also the creator of the designs in the 'Senbazuru Orikata'.

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1967

Vol 7: Issue 1 of 'The Origamian' for Spring 1967 contains an article, 'On Early Japanese Origami Books' written by Toshie Takahama, which mentions the Chushingura.

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1969

Information about the Orikata Tehon Chushingura is also found in Isao Honda's book 'Nihon no kokoro dento origami', was published by Japan Publications in Tokyo in 1969.

Inter alia Honda says, roughly translated '... this folding style can be considered to be a deviation from the ancient Japanese tradition that has been developed over many years. Furthermore, traditional origami is composed with the goal of creating three-dimensional shapes, and even special pieces, such as 'The Six Poets of the Imperial Court', which are made into flat shapes, are independent of each other. However, the origami works that imitate the individual stages of each scene from Chushingura cannot be completed without the background, so in the end they had to be in the form of collages, using mounts ...'

'Now the need to create 25 different poses for the actors led (the author) to come up with the unique hexagonal paper ...'

and

'It seems likely that the Orikata Tehon Chushingura that was sold was merely an illustrated book that no one could fold.'

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The Work

Page one shows the slit base from which the various figures can be developed.

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