Traditional Japanese Modular Origami Designs

The goal of origami is to create a likeness or representation of an object using geometric crease patterns and fascinating folds. Traditionally, this is done without the use of glue or scissors and general only requires one piece of paper.

Modular origami, sometimes also called unit origami, is a relatively new invention in the origami world. This is especially so when you consider that origami has been around for over 1800 years.

There are many other traditional Japanese modular origami designs, including "balls" of folded origami flowers called kusudama, or medicine balls. These designs are typically not integrated and are commonly fixed together with thread.

The term kusudama is rather inaccurately used to describe any three-dimensional unit origami structure resembling a ball. There are also a few modular designs in the Chinese paper folding tradition as well; most notably the pagoda and the lotus, made from joss paper. Joss is paper that is burned in traditional Chinese deity worship.

Although Mitsunobu Sonobe is recognized as the architect behind the Sonobe Module, another origami student who took modular origami a step further is Steve Krimball.

According to origami historians, it was Krimball of the United States who took the Sonobe unit and developed new ways to build with it. The 1970s brought major breakthroughs in the unit origami world, providing the foundation for all models developed thereafter.

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