What is today's google doodle?

My day started merrily as the google doodle of origami greeted me on the home page of my browser. However I wondered what was special today? world origami day?? No, it was on Nov 11. A a quick googling taught me- today is the birth(and death) anniversary of renown origami maker Akira Yoshizawa. He is known as "grandmaster of origami" and "father of modern origami".

Akira Yoshizawa (14 March 1911 – 14 March 2005) has folded about 50,000 models, according his estimation in 1989, he is also author of 18 origami books!! He is the inventor of the “Wet Origami” technique, paper is moistened to give higher flexibility in making the models.

Akira Yoshizawa with his self portrait

In 1983, Japanese emperor Hirohito named him to the Order of the Rising Sun, one of highest honors that can be given to a Japanese citizen. The Yoshizawa-Randlett system of notations is a standardized way of diagramming the steps involved in folding a particular origami model.

 

12 Japanese zodiac signs folded by Akira Yoshizawa

The butterfly origami on the google doodle must have caught everyone's attention today. This origami butterfly is one of the simple yet great designs by Yoshizawa. If anyone who has never tried their hands at origami feel an interest in this art, get a piece of paper lying around and make a Yoshizawa butterfly today... Here is a super easy video tutorial by origami expert Rob. For the experienced hands, here is a pdf.

Well. I made a couple of them myself today :)

I love folding paper since childhood, origami became my hobby since I moved to Japan. Now gifts/decoration... for anyone/any occasion means origami for me...

Above are few of my best folded ones. I made all of these referring guides online. The bat and jack-o-lantern where decorations made for Halloween. The white spring that you see is an exceptionally difficult model to make and I am very proud of it!! Last waltz and ring box were gifts for my sweet heart. Rest are a penguin, swan, lotus, xmas star, flower and cranes. I usually watch tutorials on youtube rather than diagrams and my favourite origami channels are Rob, Happypuppytruffles, Jonakashima, Tadashimori etc.

I hope those who read this post develop a taste for paper folding and make origami their hobby. Hey, paper folding is said to relieve stress!! And if you have an unfulfilled wish, legend has it that folding 1000 paper cranes will get your wish granted...

Update:
Time Lapse of the google origami doodle: