Jekyll2026-02-21T10:49:36+01:00https://origami.kosmulski.org/feed.xmlOrigami by Michał KosmulskiThis site presents origami folded and/or designed by Michał Kosmulski. Currently, these are mostly tessellations, boxes, modulars and other geometric models. Apart from lots of model images, there are diagrams and blog posts related to origami.Michał KosmulskiShuzo Fujimoto’s 103rd Birthday2025-10-25T00:00:00+02:002025-10-25T00:00:00+02:00https://origami.kosmulski.org/blog/shuzo-fujimoto-103rd-birthday Shuzo Fujimoto, portrait in three-quarter profile, Koichi Tateishi in the background. Picture by Robert Lang, taken on May 4th 2006.
Shuzo Fujimoto, portrait in three-quarter profile, Koichi Tateishi in the background. Picture by Robert Lang, taken on May 4th 2006.

October 27th, 2025, will mark the 103rd anniversary of Shuzo Fujimoto’s birth. On this occasion, I’m publishing this picture of Shuzo Fujimoto, taken by Robert Lang on May 4th, 2006, at Fujimoto’s home in Sasayama, Japan.

As a reminder, here are some interesting materials related to Fujimoto that were created for his 100th birth anniversary, 3 years ago, and afterwards:

Enjoy, and carry on the work of Shuzo Fujimoto.

]]>Michał KosmulskiPictures of Models folded by Shuzo Fujimoto from Roberto Morassi’s Collection2025-07-21T00:00:00+02:002025-07-21T00:00:00+02:00https://origami.kosmulski.org/blog/fujimoto-models-morassi-picturesIntroduction

In 2023, I received several dozen models folded by Shuzo Fujimoto’s hand from Roberto Morassi. So far, I have shown some of those models at origami conventions, but I want to make them available to a wider audience. In this post, I am publishing pictures of all those models. Some of them were new designs that I had not seen anywhere else, and which I had to assign new CFW numbers. Others I could match to models easily found in Fujimoto’s books. At least two helped me confirm my analysis of designs that were only mentioned briefly in the books, and required a great deal of reverse-engineering to reconstruct (Daffodil (CFW 97) and Hex Twist Star CFW 94). They also provided an interesting glimpse into Fujimoto’s design process and his folding method. His wildly inaccurate folding was one of the most striking surprises I found in those models and a fact I would never learn by looking at books and other printed publications alone.

Model images

Identifier Name Front Back Comments
01

CFW 144 Dahlia + CFW 424 + CFW 414
Model 01 from the collection of models folded by Fujimoto, front
Model 01 from the collection of models folded by Fujimoto, back
02

CFW 100 Daffodil + CFW 422 + CFW 414
Model 02 from the collection of models folded by Fujimoto, front
Model 02 from the collection of models folded by Fujimoto, back
03

CFW 13 Hydrangea basic form E
Model 03 from the collection of models folded by Fujimoto, front
Model 03 from the collection of models folded by Fujimoto, back
04

CFW 86 Thorn
Model 04 from the collection of models folded by Fujimoto, front
Model 04 from the collection of models folded by Fujimoto, back
05

CFW 122 + CFW 414
Model 05 from the collection of models folded by Fujimoto, front
Model 05 from the collection of models folded by Fujimoto, back
06

CFW 84 Windmill, or possibly CFW 81 (= CFW 84 + CFW 414)
Model 06 from the collection of models folded by Fujimoto, front
Model 06 from the collection of models folded by Fujimoto, back
07

CFW 97 Narcissus
Model 07 from the collection of models folded by Fujimoto, front
Model 07 from the collection of models folded by Fujimoto, back
08

CFW 121 Snowflake + CFW 414
Model 08 from the collection of models folded by Fujimoto, front
Model 08 from the collection of models folded by Fujimoto, back
09

CFW 89 Water Wheel
Model 09 from the collection of models folded by Fujimoto, front
Model 09 from the collection of models folded by Fujimoto, back
10

CFW 423
Model 10 from the collection of models folded by Fujimoto, front
Model 10 from the collection of models folded by Fujimoto, back
11

CFW 99 + CFW 414
Model 11 from the collection of models folded by Fujimoto, front
Model 11 from the collection of models folded by Fujimoto, back
12

CFW 425
Model 12 from the collection of models folded by Fujimoto, front
Model 12 from the collection of models folded by Fujimoto, back
13

CFW 101 Daffodil Variant + CFW 414
Model 13 from the collection of models folded by Fujimoto, front
Model 13 from the collection of models folded by Fujimoto, back
14

CFW 90 + CFW 414
Model 14 from the collection of models folded by Fujimoto, front
Model 14 from the collection of models folded by Fujimoto, back
15

CFW 87 Scissors + possibly CFW 414
Model 15 from the collection of models folded by Fujimoto, front
Model 15 from the collection of models folded by Fujimoto, back
16

CFW 100 Daffodil + CFW 424 + CFW 414
Model 16 from the collection of models folded by Fujimoto, front
Model 16 from the collection of models folded by Fujimoto, back
17

CFW 149 Maple Leaf, red, with crumpled ray
Model 17 from the collection of models folded by Fujimoto, front
Model 17 from the collection of models folded by Fujimoto, back
18

CFW 85 Petals + possibly CFW 414
Model 18 from the collection of models folded by Fujimoto, front
Model 18 from the collection of models folded by Fujimoto, back
19

CFW 8
Model 19 from the collection of models folded by Fujimoto, front
Model 19 from the collection of models folded by Fujimoto, back
20

CFW 88 Hemp Leaf + CFW 414
Model 20 from the collection of models folded by Fujimoto, front
Model 20 from the collection of models folded by Fujimoto, back
21

CFW 163
Model 21 from the collection of models folded by Fujimoto, front
Model 21 from the collection of models folded by Fujimoto, back
22

CFW 57 Triangle Twist Tessellation, green
Model 22 from the collection of models folded by Fujimoto, front
Model 22 from the collection of models folded by Fujimoto, back
23

CFW 13 Hydrangea basic form E
Model 23 from the collection of models folded by Fujimoto, front
Model 23 from the collection of models folded by Fujimoto, back
24

CFW 155
Model 24 from the collection of models folded by Fujimoto, front
Model 24 from the collection of models folded by Fujimoto, back
25

CFW 13 Hydrangea basic form E
Model 25 from the collection of models folded by Fujimoto, front
Model 25 from the collection of models folded by Fujimoto, back
26

CFW 426
Model 26 from the collection of models folded by Fujimoto, front
Model 26 from the collection of models folded by Fujimoto, back
27

CFW 149 Maple Leaf, yellow
Model 27 from the collection of models folded by Fujimoto, front
Model 27 from the collection of models folded by Fujimoto, back
28

CFW 149 Maple Leaf, brown
Model 28 from the collection of models folded by Fujimoto, front
Model 28 from the collection of models folded by Fujimoto, back
29

CFW 149 Maple Leaf, red, ray not crumpled
Model 29 from the collection of models folded by Fujimoto, front
Model 29 from the collection of models folded by Fujimoto, back
30

CFW 427
Model 30 from the collection of models folded by Fujimoto, front
Model 30 from the collection of models folded by Fujimoto, back
31

CFW 149 Maple Leaf, yellow
Model 31 from the collection of models folded by Fujimoto, front
Model 31 from the collection of models folded by Fujimoto, back
32

CFW 57 Triangle Twist Tessellation, blue
Model 32 from the collection of models folded by Fujimoto, front
Model 32 from the collection of models folded by Fujimoto, back
33

CFW 428 + CFW 418 + CFW 424
Model 33 from the collection of models folded by Fujimoto, front
Model 33 from the collection of models folded by Fujimoto, back
34

CFW 429 + CFW 88
Model 34 from the collection of models folded by Fujimoto, front
Model 34 from the collection of models folded by Fujimoto, back
35

CFW 180 + CFW 414
Model 35 from the collection of models folded by Fujimoto, front
Model 35 from the collection of models folded by Fujimoto, back
36

CFW 430 + CFW 92
Model 36 from the collection of models folded by Fujimoto, front
Model 36 from the collection of models folded by Fujimoto, back
37

CFW 192 Flower
Model 37 from the collection of models folded by Fujimoto, front
Model 37 from the collection of models folded by Fujimoto, back
38

CFW 429 + Water Wheel CFW 89
Model 38 from the collection of models folded by Fujimoto, front
Model 38 from the collection of models folded by Fujimoto, back
39

CFW 432 + 433
Model 39 from the collection of models folded by Fujimoto, front
Model 39 from the collection of models folded by Fujimoto, back
40

CFW 143 + CFW 184
Model 40 from the collection of models folded by Fujimoto, front
Model 40 from the collection of models folded by Fujimoto, back
41

CFW 429 + CFW 434
Model 41 from the collection of models folded by Fujimoto, front
Model 41 from the collection of models folded by Fujimoto, back
42

CFW 429 + CFW 435
Model 42 from the collection of models folded by Fujimoto, front
Model 42 from the collection of models folded by Fujimoto, back
43

CFW 436 - one ray of CFW 423 and five of CFW 422 + CFW 100
Model 43 from the collection of models folded by Fujimoto, front
Model 43 from the collection of models folded by Fujimoto, back
44

CFW 429 + Petals CFW 85
Model 44 from the collection of models folded by Fujimoto, front
Model 44 from the collection of models folded by Fujimoto, back
45

CFW 429 + Scissors CFW 87
Model 45 from the collection of models folded by Fujimoto, front
Model 45 from the collection of models folded by Fujimoto, back
46

CFW 437 + CFW 132 with center modified as Petals CFW 85
Model 46 from the collection of models folded by Fujimoto, front
Model 46 from the collection of models folded by Fujimoto, back
47

CFW 429 + CFW 422 + CFW 100
Model 47 from the collection of models folded by Fujimoto, front
Model 47 from the collection of models folded by Fujimoto, back
48

CFW 429 + CFW 94
Model 48 from the collection of models folded by Fujimoto, front
Model 48 from the collection of models folded by Fujimoto, back
49

CFW 435 + CFW 414
Model 49 from the collection of models folded by Fujimoto, front
Model 49 from the collection of models folded by Fujimoto, back
50

CFW 435 + CFW 414
Model 50 from the collection of models folded by Fujimoto, front
Model 50 from the collection of models folded by Fujimoto, back
51

CFW 438 + CFW 434
Model 51 from the collection of models folded by Fujimoto, front
Model 51 from the collection of models folded by Fujimoto, back
52

CFW 183 + CFW 414
Model 52 from the collection of models folded by Fujimoto, front
Model 52 from the collection of models folded by Fujimoto, back
53

CFW 53 Stars and Squares
Model 53 from the collection of models folded by Fujimoto, front
Model 53 from the collection of models folded by Fujimoto, back
54

CFW 53 Stars and Squares + CFW 54 Propellers
Model 54 from the collection of models folded by Fujimoto, front
Model 54 from the collection of models folded by Fujimoto, back
55

CFW 186 Garland + CFW 84 Windmill + CFW 85 Petals + CFW 87 Scissors
Model 55 from the collection of models folded by Fujimoto, front
Model 55 from the collection of models folded by Fujimoto, back
56

CFW 144 Dahlia + CFW 424 + CFW 82 Flower with a Stem
Model 56 from the collection of models folded by Fujimoto, front
Model 56 from the collection of models folded by Fujimoto, back
57

CFW 293 Back-Twisted Square Twists
Model 57 from the collection of models folded by Fujimoto, front
Model 57 from the collection of models folded by Fujimoto, back
58

CFW 60 Red Flower
Model 58 from the collection of models folded by Fujimoto, front
Model 58 from the collection of models folded by Fujimoto, back
59

CFW 405 Square Twists + CFW 293 Back-Twisted Square Twists
Model 59 from the collection of models folded by Fujimoto, front
Model 59 from the collection of models folded by Fujimoto, back
60

CFW 439
Model 60 from the collection of models folded by Fujimoto, front
Model 60 from the collection of models folded by Fujimoto, back
]]>Michał KosmulskiConvention of the Polish Origami Society in Grotniki2025-07-21T00:00:00+02:002025-07-21T00:00:00+02:00https://origami.kosmulski.org/blog/pto-convention-grotniki-2025 My model exhibition at the Grotniki convention of Polish Origami Society

Last weekend I attended the annual convention of the Polish Origami Society. It took place in Grotniki, a small village near Łódź, Poland. The youth hostel where we met is surrounded by a forest and we had lots of space not only for folding but also for a bonfire and other fun activities. The special guest was Oriol Esteve who brought not only his models but also a great mood and lots of fun.

]]>Michał KosmulskiShuzo Fujimoto’s Tenth Death Anniversary2025-07-21T00:00:00+02:002025-07-21T00:00:00+02:00https://origami.kosmulski.org/blog/shuzo-fujimoto-10th-death-anniversary Shuzo Fujimoto, Ian Harrison, Tomoko Fuse, and David Brill in Japan, December 8th 2003. Photographer unknown, picture courtesy of David Brill.
Shuzo Fujimoto, Ian Harrison, Tomoko Fuse, and David Brill in Japan, December 8th 2003. Photographer unknown, picture courtesy of David Brill.

July 28th, 2025, will be the tenth anniversary of the death of Shuzo Fujimoto. This influential origami creator was a pioneer of geometric origami who introduced many techniques crucial for the development of origami tessellations, corrugations, and 3D objects. Some of his designs such as variants of the Hydrangea continue to be folded frequently. Others are not quite as famous, but still amaze with their beauty and cleverness. Have a look at the Catalog of Shuzo Fujimoto’s Works and explore his creations.

To celebrate this round anniversary, I am publishing (with permission from David Brill) this picture of Shuzo Fujimoto with Ian Harrison, Tomoko Fuse, and David Brill, taken in Sasayama, Japan, on December 8th, 2003. I am also publishing pictures of all the models folded by Shuzo Fujimoto himself that I received from Roberto Morassi. They have been in my possession for about two years now, so it’s about time to share them with the world. I have shown some of these pieces live at origami conventions, but I hope that pictures will also be useful, and able to reach a wider audience.

Analyzing those models is what prevented me from publishing the pictures earlier. I wanted to at least assign CFW numbers to these pieces, which takes time for checking if they match any model of the over 400 already cataloged and deciding what should be classified as a specific model and what as a more generic technique. There is still work to be done, but releasing these pictures in a timely manner is also important. Have a look at this blog post and enjoy.

]]>Michał KosmulskiMy Favorite Paper Has a Street in London2025-07-12T00:00:00+02:002025-07-12T00:00:00+02:00https://origami.kosmulski.org/blog/tant-avenue-london Tant Avenue street sign in Canning Town, London
Tant Avenue street sign in Canning Town, London

Apparently, my favorite origami paper, Tant, has a street named after it in London (Canning Town district). I noticed it on a map during a recent trip and of course had to pay a visit.

Jokes aside, I tried to find out the real source of the name (I guess it is named after a person), but couldn’t find any information about it. Here is a link to the street on Google Maps if you’re curious.

There seem to be a few other streets and avenues named Tant around the world, mostly in the USA. In the case of Tant in Oklahoma, a likely source is Reverend Andrew J. Tant whom I could easily find online as an important figure in the history of the city.

]]>Michał KosmulskiOrigami Deutschland Convention Erkner 20252025-06-04T00:00:00+02:002025-06-04T00:00:00+02:00https://origami.kosmulski.org/blog/origami-deutschland-erkner-2025 My display at Erkner 2025 German Origami Convention

Last weekend (prolonged to four days), I attended the yearly German origami convention in Erkner near Berlin. The image shows my model display. Due to limited space, I focused on a small number of larger pieces, almost all of them tessellations. I gave three official workshops: Geometric Vase 1.1, Fujimoto’s Pentagonal Box CFW 219, and Lux Aeterna as well as some more during free folding.

With five special guests, including Tomoko Fuse, the program was very rich this year. Besides all the usual attractions of meeting friends old and new, various discussions, and paper shops, this year was marked by an especially extensive social event in the evening, with fun games and interesting music performances.

]]>Michał KosmulskiFirst Origami Group Eindhoven Origami Weekend Summary2025-04-27T00:00:00+02:002025-04-27T00:00:00+02:00https://origami.kosmulski.org/blog/eindhoven-origami-group-weekend-summary My model display at the first Origami Group Eindhoven Origami Weekend
Display of models folded by me, designed by, or based on Shuzo Fujimoto’s ideas, at the first Origami Group Eindhoven Origami Weekend

On April 11-13, 2025, I had the pleasure of taking part in the first Origami Group Eindhoven Origami Weekend, as the special guest.

We met at a very nice conference center outside the city, surrounded by a forest and green fields. We were the only guests at the facility, giving us full freedom to use the space, both indoors and outdoors. The main hall was the place of the model exhibition, and with plenty of room, I was able to show both quite a few of my own models and some models I folded that were designed by, or inspired by Shuzo Fujimoto (for example, tessellations based on his star designs, and fractalized versions of his stars). Some displays were quite inventive, for example featuring models floating on water (Maria Seidel) or composed together with LED-powered candles (José Dillisse and Gezien Brummelman). And of course, lots of interesting models in different styles to begin with.

For workshops, we had one main room whose walls were made of glass and opened onto the trees outside as well as two smaller, more typical rooms. Besides giving workshops, both those in the official schedule, and some extra, I managed to join a few classes as a folder. I also gave the presentation “My ongoing adventure with Shuzo Fujimoto’s origami”, which you can now view online. There were book sales, fun competitions, free folding into the night, and all the things you could expect from an origami convention. The group of about 50 people was large enough to provide lots of variety, but small enough to feel cozy, and to be able to connect with everyone. Even though this was just the first edition, everything was well organized, and near the end, it was announced that there would be another edition next year. I enjoyed the meeting a lot, and I’m happy to see a new convention appear.

]]>Michał KosmulskiRecording of my presentation about Shuzo Fujimoto research2025-04-26T00:00:00+02:002025-04-26T00:00:00+02:00https://origami.kosmulski.org/blog/fujimoto-research-presentation Thumbnail of the presentation recording

While at the Origami Group Eindhoven Origami Weekend, on April 12th, 2025 I gave a talk titled “My ongoing adventure with Shuzo Fujimoto’s origami” which depicts my journey from first learning about Fujimoto to conducting research into his life and organizing an event to honor his 100th birth anniversary. Courtesy of the OGE Weekend’s organizers, the recording is now available for everyone to enjoy.

Since I had the idea to record at the very last moment, the recording was made using a standard laptop, so the quality isn’t best, especially combined with my accent. You can enable closed captions on YouTube to make it easier to understand. Nonetheless, I hope you find this presentation interesting.

Shuzo Fujimoto (藤本修三 Fujimoto Shūzō; October 27th, 1922 – July 28th, 2015) was a Japanese origami creator whose main focus was geometric origami. He is considered one of the pioneers of origami tessellations and is probably best known for his recursive Hydrangea model.

]]>Michał KosmulskiArticle in The Paper: Preserving the legacy of famous paperfolders — and yours2025-04-05T00:00:00+02:002025-04-05T00:00:00+02:00https://origami.kosmulski.org/blog/preserving-your-origami-legacy-article Page from The Paper journal showing the article “Preserving the legacy of famous paperfolders — and yours”

I just received my copy of The Paper issue 147 (Spring 2025) which features my article titled “Preserving the legacy of famous paperfolders — and yours”. It is based in part on the discussion I initiated at CfC 2024 and mentions various stories of how the origami legacies of various famous creators were preserved, or restored. I also discuss how you, as a creator, can help others manage your creations for the case of your death or incapacitation. The article is available to subscribers only, in paper form, or as a downloadable PDF.

]]>Michał KosmulskiFolding Ham2025-03-29T00:00:00+01:002025-03-29T00:00:00+01:00https://origami.kosmulski.org/blog/folding-ham Traditional paper boat folded from a slice of ham
Traditional paper boat from a slice of ham — during folding process

Among the many folding materials I have reviewed, some are edible. In this experiment I performed in 2022, I folded a traditional paper boat from a slice of ham.

I picked a type of ham that comes in relatively large slices. Since the slice was more of a rectangle than a square in shape, I picked a model folded from a rectangle. Initial folds went quite well, though I could feel that the “paper” was quite thick. The ham was quite flexible, but it did start to crack a little on the folds. My guess is ham with more fat is more flexible, while leaner types tend to crack when folded, but I would have to run more experiments to confirm this is the case. I was able to finish the model, but limitations are quite clear: only a simple model was achievable, and the thickness makes even the simple boat look a bit weird.

There are other kinds of ham that may be better suited for folding, for example various dry-cured hams such as Serrano ham. These types can be cut into much thinner slices than the type I used, and come in larger pieces, allowing for larger “sheet” sizes. I can imagine that folding slices into interesting shapes could be a way of presenting the cold cut in an attractive way. Especially tessellations, if feasible, should have a lot of potential for such use.

]]>Michał Kosmulski