This spring we took a road-trip out to the beautiful Yamanashi area of Fuji Five Lakes. At the Fujisan World Heritage Centre I saw cute origami models of Mount Fuji, and a kind gentleman gave one to me :)
A week later, I was in Kyoto, visiting the wonderful people at Shogado. Their office was full of their beautiful paper products. I had a fabulous time selecting a range of hand-printed origami and journaling papers - basically I couldn't stop picking them up off the shelves and putting them in my basket, one beautiful discovery led directly to the next!
I was delighted to meet the company CEO and designer, for the patterns are all beautiful, and draw on the artisan heritage of this deeply traditional city.
The origami papers are dyed by hand using a technique called 手捺染（tenassen) where each colour is applied manually by skilled craftsmen.
In the photos below you can see a snapshot of the creative process.
I love making origami models, and I'm always intrigued to try something new, so of course it was natural that I would want to try and emulate that beautiful gifted paper Fuji-san using our new papers from Kyoto.
Follow the steps below and you can make one too!
Our new Kyoto origami papers are available here.
And if you would prefer to buy your Fuji-san models ready-made, you can purchase them here!
Please note that our ready-made Fuji-san models will be made using a variety of different designs of our chiyogami origami, just like in the photo below :)
How to Make Mount Fuji Origami
Lay your chosen origami paper on the table in a diamond shape.
The origami that we're using measures 15cm square.
2. Turn the paper over so that the white underside is uppermost.
3. Now, fold the diamond shape in half, like this. You will create a triangle.
4. Rotate the paper so that the crease falls down the middle.
5. And fold your diamond shape in half again. It will look like this.
6. Now, lay your origami paper out in a square shape. You can already see the creases running along both diagonals.
7. This time you fold the square shape in half. It will look like this, with the white side of the paper making the fold.
8. Rotate your origami paper so that when you fold the square paper in half again, you will be creating a crease that looks like a cross.
9. When you turn over your paper to the white side, the creases should look like this, running diagonally, vertically, and horizontally :)
10. So, now you want to take the bottom corner and fold it up to the centre. It should fit nicely into the white space underneath it marked by the creased lines.
11. Rotate your origami paper and do the same on the top side.
12. Again, fold the third corner into the centre, carefully lining it up against the crease lines underneath it.
13. Finish the fourth and final corner, so that all 4 corners are pointing onto the centre mark.
The paper now has a square shape.
14. Now, take the first corner, and place the point about half-way up this flap of paper. Ensure that the point lies on the centre crease, so that the fold has a straight edge.
This will be your Mount Fuji snow-line.
15. Follow the same procedure for the second point, matching the folded lines by eye to see that they fall in the same place.
16. Fold the third little triangle of white for the snow-line.
17. And finish off by folding the 4th and final triangle of white for the snow-line.
Note that your paper square has a creased line running at a diagonal from the top right to the bottom left.
Pick up your paper and fold it along this line, pressing the crease to make it sharper.
18. It will look like this.
Can you see that either side of the central creased line, your shape is made up of two smaller triangles, each with a 'snow-line' white paper fold on them. They both look like triangular mountains, don't they!
Well, concentrate on the mountain shape to the left of that central crease line, and keep it flat.
Now, if you look at the mountain shape to the right of the central crease line, you can see there is a crease running through its centre. This line needs to push out, while the top edge pushes in.
It creates an inward fold.
Do you see how your mountain shape in the front, has two folds creased inwards? At the back is another triangular mountain shape :)
20. Flattened, it looks like this.
In the photo I am using a large chopstick just to press it down so that you can see :)
21. Take your top right corner and fold the edge along the central line.
22. Repeat on the other side.
23. Now fold the points that fall below the triangle's base, and sit them along the outer edges of each fold, just like this.
24. It will look like this.
25. Turn the paper over and repeat the process.
Fold the outer edge of the triangle to the centre line.
26. Then repeat on the other side.
27. Fold up the points that fall below the base of the triangle, so that they sit along the outer edges.
28. Do this on both sides, just like this.
29. Now, carefully unfold until you have your original triangle back.
Bisecting the triangle that is to the right of the central crease, is another crease, in the middle.
This line will pull outwards, as the right side edge pushes inwards, all the way along its crease.
By doing this you will create an inward fold :)
30. When you repeat this process to the left side of the triangle, too, and then do the same on the reverse, you will have a shape that looks like this when it is laid on the table.
To the right of your origami shape is one of the four inward folds.
Four points of origami folds now lie beneath your mountain shape base.
31. Your shape will look like this.
You have a mountain-shape triangle with a folded white snow line, as well as a white paper 'peak'.
But below your triangle are 4 folded points.
You will take hold of each folded point in turn, and moving in the same direction each time, you will fold each point over and crease it well.
It sits beneath the square base of your Fuji san and gives it stability :)
32. Take a look at the white pointed paper that sits above your Fuji snow-line.
Wiggle it forwards and backwards, creating a crease.
33. Now, open up the base of your mountain.
The inside of the base will look like this!
You can stand your mountain upright on the table!
34. This is what your origami model will look like.
We're nearly finished, but we need to create a crater for the volcano, which runs around those folded white pointed snow-lines.
35. If you carefully take hold and pinch the very top of your mountain, you can begin to gently push it down towards the centre.
Go carefully so as not to crush your model!
36. I have found that using a large cooking chopstick helps enormously! I can gently prod the shape, pushing the paper downwards without the risk of tearing it :)
37. Once the crater has been made, crease the top sides of the crater gently.
There you have it! A kawaii origami model of Mount Fuji!
It's really fun to make, isn't it!
Don't forget, you can buy lots of really beautiful origami papers from our growing selection of
hand-printed Kyoto designs here!
And you can purchase the blue origami which I used to make my model, below:
If you have a favourite origami model that you would like to share, do let us know -
we would love to have a try at making it too! :)
Have fun!
Cathy
xx
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