Jun Maekawa Origami _top_ -

For any vertex in a flat-foldable crease pattern, the difference between the number of mountain folds (M) and valley folds (V) is exactly 2. That is, |M – V| = 2.

Unlike books that simply teach you "how to fold model X," Genuine Origami teaches you "how to think." It often presents two versions of the same animal: a "simple" version and a "complex" version. By comparing the two, the folder can see how the geometry evolves. He demystifies the dark arts of paper folding, inviting the reader to understand the why behind the fold. jun maekawa origami

Maekawa’s artistic output directly embodies his mathematical constraints. Unlike the organic, curved folds of Yoshizawa, Maekawa’s models are sharply faceted, resembling low-poly 3D renders. His design process typically follows a "circle-packing" approach, but with a strong preference for rectilinear or 22.5°-based grids. For any vertex in a flat-foldable crease pattern,

Maekawa’s Wolf is a study in elegance. It is a bipedal, three-dimensional figure that captures the tension of a predator. It is renowned for having a clean back—often a problem area in origami where excess paper creates unsightly bulges. Maekawa’s understanding of symmetry allows the Wolf to have a smooth, architectural spine. By comparing the two, the folder can see

This analytical approach made him a central figure in the "origami sekkei" (technical origami) movement of the 1980s and 90s, alongside contemporaries like Robert Lang and Toshiyuki Meguro. This movement moved away from trial-and-error folding and toward "crease patterns"—blueprints of lines drawn on paper that dictate exactly where the folds should go.

Origami, the art of paper folding, underwent a revolution in the 20th century. While Akira Yoshizawa elevated origami to an art form through wet-folding and organic shaping, and Robert Lang applied computational algorithms to create hyper-realistic insects with hundreds of folds, Jun Maekawa (b. 1958) occupies a critical middle ground. A former researcher at NTT (Nippon Telegraph and Telephone) and later a professor of information science, Maekawa brought the mindset of a physicist to the folding table. His work is characterized by crisp, polyhedral forms, a reliance on flat-foldable bases, and an obsessive economy of creases.