Medicine Balls

I learned origami when I was 5 years old and since then it has always been a hobby of mine. Along the way, I was looking for more difficult patterns and came across Kusudama origami, which uses a lot of paper – I mean, 40, 60, 72, or more pieces of paper that are glued or strung together with thread! Yes, it takes time, but the outcome is a really neat origami ball that looks like a complex flower, star, or just something that looks very modular.

Chinese Medicine and Origami

So when I have some down time, I often get on a Kusudama origami kick and will sit and fold away. Or my fingers will fly away and fold while I’m reading or watching a movie. Why am I sharing this with you? Well, Kusudama’s history has an interesting, albeit small, connection to my profession—in the Japanese culture, they were used to hold incense, potpourri, or other herbs that may have been hung to clear noxious vapors. Actually, “kusu” comes from the Japanese word kusuri, which means medicine, and “dama” from tama, which means ball, thus, Medicine Ball! I did say that it was a small connection, right?

Learning origami

These days, Kusudamas aren't used for this purpose anymore and are used primarily as decorations and make great gifts. Each ball is distinctive in its color combinations, which makes it unique. Two of the balls shown here use 60 pieces of paper, while the third is adorned by 18 little cranes. This type of origami does require quite a stash of origami paper and there are so many colors and designs to choose from, so creativity is a must! Origami of all kinds is easy to learn and just takes a little time and patience. :-D Instructional diagrams can be found in books, and perhaps at one point, I’ll have the chance to post some here, so please visit again!

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