Money Origami has generally been kept a secret from the mainstream. There have been some very good books published, but the true spirit of money origami has always remained hidden.
Orikane is the true origami form of money. While Ori-gami means to fold ‘paper’, Ori-kane means to fold ‘money’. The exact origins are still unknown, many people speculate that it was the Japanese immigrants who came to America in the late 1970s and began turning dollar bills into works of art.
This was generally regarded as an exciting new fad and thus spread rapidly throughout the American middle class, however as some of the immigrants began to blend further into society, as did the money origami. Some mastered an exquisite origami with the hundred dollar bill. Clearly, the time taken to perfect an Orikane fold has always been an uphill struggle. One would require a lot of notes to practice, there is no quick way to learn it and therefore Orikane with a hundred dollar bill has been a rich man’s hobby.
These days, you can find many interesting and colorful videos that teach you the basics of Orikane, some are simple Origami with money, while others are more true to the essence.
You will see that ‘real’ Money Origami uses the patterns on the bill to enhance the shape created. The obvious example is that there may be very clear and distinct eye markings on the figures as features. A true Orikane folder would take them into consideration and fold accordingly, and this is where the difference lies.
Money Origami is now in a gray area, is it Origami with a twist or is it an art form in itself, good to answer that, YES, Orikane IS an Origami form, without Origami it would not have been created, but there is also an Orikane’s art form itself. The complex folds and clever mergers of the dollar bill patterns create a whole new approach that is stimulating thousands of people around the world.
So the latest buzz on the street is the way Orikane is being taught online. Now, through the use of video, complex folds can be mastered in 30 minutes and people are simply going crazy to learn more. People now use it in everyday settings, from tips to gifts, bar hacks, and conversation breaker themes – in reality, the everyday uses are endless.