Japan-in-a-Suitcase
Teacher Materials

Kid’s Arts in Japan:
Origami and Calligraphy

Japan-America Society of Dallas/Fort Worth, Japan-in-a-Suitcase, www.jasdfw.org

Kid’s Arts in Japan:
Origami and Calligraphy

Presentation Agenda
1. PowerPoint Presentation (10 minutes)
 Greeting and self-introduction
 General information about Calligraphy
2. Activity - Calligraphy (15 minutes)
 Japanese practice sheet with brush pen
3. PowerPoint Presentation (5 minutes)
 General Information about Origami
4. Activity – Origami (15 minutes)
 Flapping bird or Samurai Hat
5. Closing (5 minutes)
 Q and A Practice Good-bye in JapaneseJapan-America Society of Dallas/Fort Worth, Japan-in-a-Suitcase, www.jasdfw.org

Greetings:
Good Morning = おはよう＝ Ohayo (Oh-hah-yoh) Sounds like Ohio!
Hello, Hi = こんにちは= Konnichiwa (Kohn-nee-chee-wah)Thanks = ありがとう= Arigato (Ah-ree-gah-toh)
Good Bye = さようなら= Sayounara (Sah- yoh-nah-rah)

Key words from the presentation:
Nihon or Nippon = にほん or にっぽん (Nee-hohn or Neep-pohn)=JapanKimono = きもの(Kee-moh-noh) = Japanese traditional clothes
Origami = おりがみ(Oh-ree-gah-mee) = Folding paper craftShodo = しょどう(Sho-do-oh)＝Calligraphy
Kanji =かんじ(Kah-n-ji)=Chinese Character
Fujisan＝ふじさん(Fu-ji-sa-n)=Mt. Fuji
Sakura=さくら(Sah-ku-ra)= Cherry blossom
Samurai=さむらい(Sah-mu-ra-ee)=Japanese historical warrior

Introduce yourself in Japanese!
My name is ____________.
Watashi no namae wa ____________ desu.
わたしのなまえは ____________です(Wah-tah-shee noh nah-mah-eh wah ____ dess.)

Japan-America Society of Dallas/Fort Worth, Japan-in-a-Suitcase, www.jasdfw.org

hiragana
hiragana
red redoあKatakana

hiragana

kanji
Kanji
hiragana

katakana

子山月川

上下Japan-America Society of Dallas/Fort Worth, Japan-in-a-Suitcase, www.jasdfw.org

poorerJapanese Calligraphy (Shodo)
Calligraphy is an art form that has been studied for over three thousand years. Knowledge ofcalligraphy is an important step in the understanding of Japanese culture. Calligraphy is not
merely an exercise in good handwriting, but rather the foremost art form of the Orient. It is the
combination of the skill and imagination of the person who has studied intensely thecombinations available using only lines. Japanese calligraphy (Shodo) attempts to bring words
to life, and endow them with character. The characters must be written only once. There is noaltering, touching up, or adding to them afterwards. Children in Japan start learning calligraphy
in the 3rd grade. In Shodo class, students are required to be calm and focused.
A calligraphy set consists of:

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



Shitajiki: Black, soft mat. It provides a comfortable, soft surface.
Bunchin: Metal or plastic stick to weight down the paper during writing.
Hanshi: Special, thin calligraphy paper.
Fude: Brush. There is a larger brush for writing the main characters and a smaller one for
writing the artist's name.
Suzuri: Heavy black container for the ink.
Sumi: Solid black material that must be rubbed in water in the suzuri to produce the black ink
which is then used for writing. Of course, "instant ink" bottles is also available in bottles.

Unlike the strokes of Roman letters, the strokes of Japanese Hiragana, Katakana and Kanji all haveto be drawn in the correct order. When you learn Japanese characters, you draw one stroke after theother. This is called the square (Kaisho) style of writing. School children first learn how to write
Kaisho style, but this style is mostly used for printing materials, rather than everyday writing. There
are two other styles of writing, in which the Kanji become a little bit less legible, just like when writing
Roman letters in a fast way. These two styles are called semi cursive (Gyosho) and cursive (Sosho).
Gyosho is the most commonly used for daily writing.

Kaisho:Square style

Gyosho:Semi cursive style

Sosho:
Cursive style

Japan-America Society of Dallas/Fort Worth, Japan-in-a-Suitcase, www.jasdfw.org

WHAT IS ORIGAMI?
Origami is the Japanese word for paper folding. ORI means to fold and KAMI
means paper. Together, they form the word "origami." It is an art form that has
been handed down from parent to child through many generations. Origami
involves the creation of paper forms, usually entirely by folding. Animals, birds,fish, geometric shapes, puppets, toys and masks are among the models thateven very young children can learn to make in just one sitting.
HISTORYThe art of making paper from pulp originated in China in the year 102 A.D.
Paper then became more available to the masses. The secret of making paper
was kept in China for several hundred years and then finally made its way
through Korea and into Japan. A Buddhist monk is said to have carried thissecret. The introduction of paper making to Japan coincided with thedevelopment of their religion and soon became part of the lives of its people.
Colors and silk threads were added and origami was held in high esteem. Gifts
were decorated with "noshi." Noshi had particular fold patterns depending on
the gift.
In Japan, origami was taught in schools in the past. Today, however, children
are generally taught origami at home. Holidays are celebrated with colorful
origami decorations made by the family. On Children's Day (formerly Boy's Day),
children make colorful carp: a fish that swims upstream, against the current.
This symbolizes strength. They also make kabuto, or samurai helmets, withnewspapers. During the summer, Tanabata, the Star Festival, is celebrated. Livebamboo branches are decorated with origami stars and other paper
decorations in a manner which brings to mind a decorated Christmas tree.

Japan-America Society of Dallas/Fort Worth, Japan-in-a-Suitcase, www.jasdfw.org

About the Crane Origami

Sadako Sasaki

Sadako’s statue

Perhaps the most well known origami model is the crane. It has become the international
symbol of peace. In Japan, every child eventually learns to make the crane. Eleanor Coerris credited with popularizing the crane with her book, Sadako and 1,000 Paper Cranes.
This book, which is widely available, tells the story of a young girl who was exposed to theradiation during World War II. Several years later she develops leukemia. Her friend visits
her in the hospital with an origami crane. She tells Sadako that the crane is a symbol oflong life and that if Sadako can make 1,000 cranes, she will be well. Sadly, she is unable tocomplete her project. With less than 700 cranes completed, Sadako lapses into a comaand dies. When her classmates realize that she had not been able to complete her dream,
they all decide to fold the remaining cranes. Soon the 1,000 cranes are complete.
Today at Peace Park in Hiroshima, there is a huge statue with a replica of Sadako holding
up a giant crane. Her classmates were given the honor of deciding what to write on thebase of the statue. This is what they chose:This is our cry
This is our prayer
Peace in the world

Japan-America Society of Dallas/Fort Worth, Japan-in-a-Suitcase, www.jasdfw.org

Useful Websites
Teachers:
www.jnto.go.jp
Excellent teacher resource. Contains information on geography, language, population, history,culture, tradition, events, amusement, food, etiquette, current events and more. Also Supports
wonderful photo galleries.
http://www.askasia.org/teachers/
Many resources for teachers teaching Asian subjects grades K-12, including lesson plans andcurrent essays on Asian culture.
http://aboutjapan.japansociety.org
New interactive website for educators, featuring lesson plans, essays and annotated hands-on
material for in-class use.
http://www.japantimes.co.jp/
The Japan Times is a free news source that offers many resources for both teachers and students
about modern Japan.
www.bento.com
Information on food (food culture, recipes, and what’s new in Japanese restaurants for selectareas.
http://spice.stanford.edu/docs/147
Annotated lists of recommended websites about Japan arranged by topic. Provided by theNational Clearinghouse for U.S.–Japan Studies
Students:
http://jguide.stanford.edu/
Ultimate guide to finding resources on a specific topic of Japan. Has currency converter, current
time, and news and media in Japan. Great for teachers and students exploring culture
http://www.origami-club.com/en/
Lots of origami ideas with animated instructions
http://web-japan.org/kidsweb/
Fun interactive activities and the latest “cool” things from Japan

Japan-America Society of Dallas/Fort Worth, Japan-in-a-Suitcase, www.jasdfw.org

Origami Instruction(We won’t make this origami in our presentation, this is only for your information)

Skill Level - Beginner

Japan-America Society of Dallas/Fort Worth, Japan-in-a-Suitcase, www.jasdfw.org

Additional Origami Instructions(We won’t make this origami in our presentation, this is only for your information)

Skill Level - Intermediate

Japan-America Society of Dallas/Fort Worth, Japan-in-a-Suitcase, www.jasdfw.org

http://worldatlas.com/webimage/countrys/asia/jp.htm

Japan-America Society of Dallas/Fort Worth, Japan-in-a-Suitcase, www.jasdfw.org

http://worldatlas.com/webimage/countrys/asia/jp.htm

Japan-America Society of Dallas/Fort Worth, Japan-in-a-Suitcase, www.jasdfw.org