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Last updated 15/9/2025

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'Shôtoku hinagata' (Patterns from the Shôtoku Era) by Nishikawa Sukenobu, which was published in 1713, is a book of patterns for kosode.

According to Satoshi Takagi, writing in 'Origami koten ni miru origami' (Origami in the Classics), this work consisted of five volumes. A copy of the work held in the collection of the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston (available online here), which is presumably just one of the volumes, contains prints which show paper sake bottle decorations and a circular fan, presumably also of paper.

'Oru Kokoro', the catalogue of an exhibition on paperfolding history held in Tatsuno City History and Culture Museum in 1999, contains a print, also said to come from this work, which shows Paper Boats. This latter print does not however appear in the volume of Shôtoku hinagata' linked to above.

In addition 'Origami koten ni miru origami also contains a picture of a circular crest depicting a Paper Crane said to come from volume 5.

I have not been able to find copies of the other four volumes online.

There is a modern republication of the work in two volumes, volume 1 being the work itself and volume 2 essays and commentary, which was published as 'Shotoku Hinagata: Eiin, chushaku, kenkyu' by Ishigami Aki and Kamo Mizuho, eds, by Rinsen Shoten in 1922. I have not yet seen a copy of this work.

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Paper sake bottle decorations

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Paper circular fan

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Paper boats

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