The Japanese kusudama (薬玉; lit. medicine ball) is a paper model that is usually (although not always) created by sewing multiple identical pyramidal units together using underlying geometric principles to form a spherical shape. Alternately the individual components may be glued together. (e.g. the kusudama in the lower photo is entirely glued, not threaded together) Occasionally, a tassel is attached to the bottom for decoration. The term ''kusudama'' originates from ancient Japanese culture, where they were used for

incense Incense is aromatic biotic material that releases fragrant smoke when burnt. The term is used for either the material or the aroma. Incense is used for aesthetic reasons, religious worship, aromatherapy, meditation, and ceremony. It may also be ...

and

potpourri Potpourri ( ) is a mixture of dried, naturally fragrant plant materials used to provide a gentle natural scent, commonly in residential settings. It is often placed in a decorative bowl. The word "potpourri" comes into English from the French ...

; possibly originally being actual bunches of flowers or herbs. The word itself is a combination of two Japanese words ''kusuri'' ("medicine") and ''tama'' ("ball"). They are now typically used as decorations, or as gifts. The kusudama is important in

origami ) is the Japanese art of paper folding. In modern usage, the word "origami" is often used as an inclusive term for all folding practices, regardless of their culture of origin. The goal is to transform a flat square sheet of paper into a fi ...

particularly as a precursor to

modular origami Modular origami or unit origami is a paperfolding technique which uses two or more sheets of paper to create a larger and more complex structure than would be possible using single-piece origami techniques. Each individual sheet of paper is fol ...

. It is often confused with modular origami, but is not such because the units are strung or pasted together, instead of folded together as most modular construction are made. It is, however, still considered origami, although origami purists frown upon using its characteristic technique of threading or gluing the units together, while others recognize that early traditional Japanese origami often used both cutting (see

thousand origami cranes The crane in Japan is one of the mystical or holy creatures (others include the dragon and the tortoise) and is said to live for a thousand years: That is why cranes are made, one for each year. In some stories it is believed that the 1000 ...

senbazuru The crane in Japan is one of the mystical or holy creatures (others include the dragon and the tortoise) and is said to live for a thousand years: That is why cranes are made, one for each year. In some stories it is believed that the 1000 c ...

) and pasting, and respect kusudama as an ingenious traditional paper folding craft in the origami family. Modern origami masters such as

Tomoko Fuse Tomoko Fuse (, ''Fuse Tomoko'', born in Niigata, 1951) is a Japanese origami artist and author of numerous books on the subject of modular origami, and is by many considered as a renowned master in such discipline. Fuse first learned origami whi ...

have created new kusudama designs that are entirely assembled without cutting, glue, or thread except as a hanger.

Waritama

Kusudama can also be used to refer to a type of decoration that is displayed and split open for celebrations. This decoration is more specifically called ''waritama'' (割り玉; lit. split ball). Waritama are large, spherical decorations that split in half to release confetti, streamers, balloons, etc. They can be used for a variety of events, including school events, graduation ceremonies, enterprise founding anniversaries, and sports competitions. An emoji depicting a waritama, called ''Confetti Ball'' (🎊), was introduced with the October 2010 release of Unicode 6.0. It is the Emoticons Unicode block: . One of the battle items in the

Super Smash Bros. ''Super Smash Bros.'' is a crossover fighting game series published by Nintendo. The series was created by Masahiro Sakurai, who has directed every game in the series. The series is known for its unique gameplay objective which differs fro ...

series is a waritama called ''Party Ball'', which has appeared in every installment of the franchise since Super Smash Bros. Melee in 2001.

Notes and references

External links

OrigamiTube.com Learn how to fold kusudama in motion.

The few good Kusudams with diagrams.

Video tutorial: How to Fold a Japanese Paper Ball (Kusudama)

kusudama by Atelier Puupuu: diagrams of making kusudama

kusudama by Lukasheva Ekaterina many models, diagrams and tutorial

Kusudama by Mikhail Puzakov & Ludmila Puzakova: new models, folding instruction, history, geometry
{{in lang, ru Origami Shinto in Japan Shinto religious objects Exorcism in Shinto

Waritama

See also

Notes and references

Further reading

External links