Origami is an awe-inspiring Japanese artform that uses a single square piece of paper to create everything from paper cranes to little boats that float. But one artist from Finland is taking his origami creations to the next level with incredibly intricate figurines created from just a single sheet of paper.
His newest piece is an intricate samurai warrior in full armor (below), headdress and all, brandishing a katana (a Japanese curved sword, worn by aristocracy). The work has garnered international attention for its incredible detail.
In an endeavor most wouldn’t even dream of taking on, he decided to perfect his samurai-folding art, and started remaking the figurine in the fall of last year.
“I used the previous samurai as my starting point and I began to redesign its features one by one,” he said. “I ended up redesigning all the parts, and I constantly found new ways to add more detail to the character.”
According to the artist, the figurine uses a square sheet of Wenzhou rice paper, approximately 37.4 inches (95 centimeters) long.
To achieve the detailed folds of the samurai’s armor, Juho had to pre-crease much of the paper, a process which alone took him two whole days.
To shape and finish the figurine took roughly a month. He then used binder clips and folds of decreasing size to make the samurai appear more three-dimensional.
The final product took three months to complete, from the planning stage to the finishing touches.
My Modern Met reports that it took the artist four rounds of folding before he completed the final figurine, which stands on its own squarely, a proud warrior with his shoulders back, ready to engage any who would challenge him.
His Instagram followers can’t wait to see what else he has in store.
“Wow!!! These are incredible!” one commenter wrote.
“So amazing,” said another. “You are a real artist!”
It’s unclear what Juho might have up his sleeve next, but if his recent work is any indication, we know his next project won’t disappoint.
Here are a few more of Juho’s intricately detailed origami fantasy figures: