Akira Yoshizawa

Akira Yoshizawa (born March 14, 1911, in Kaminokawa; died March 14, 2005) was a visionary origami artist who transformed the humble craft of paper folding into a celebrated art form. Self-taught and undeterred by early poverty, he invented the Yoshizawa–Randlett system—a universal notation of symbols and arrows that revolutionized how designs are shared—and pioneered wet-folding, which gave origami sculptural grace and expressive form.

Traveling the world as a cultural ambassador, Yoshizawa shared thousands of his models—estimated to exceed 50,000—even though only a few hundred were ever published in his 18 books. His relentless creativity and devotion earned him Japan’s Order of the Rising Sun in 1983, honoring his role in bringing origami to life on the global stage.