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The Queen of Origami • 布施知子
Tomoko Fuse (born 1951 in Niigata, Japan) is a world-renowned origami artist and author. She is widely regarded as the undisputed master of modular origami.
Fuse discovered origami at the age of seven during a hospital stay as a child. That early encounter ignited a lifelong passion for the art of paper folding.
At 19, she began studying under origami master Toyoaki Kawai for two and a half years, establishing a strong foundation in the craft.
She began publishing in 1981 and has since authored more than 60 books in Japanese, English, Korean, and German. Her reach is truly global.
Her signature works include boxes, kusudama, paper toys, masks, polyhedra, and tessellations—blending geometry with artistry.
Her work has been exhibited worldwide, including Paris Origami at the Carrousel du Louvre (1998) and On Paper at the Crafts Council London (2002).
She held a solo show Yorokobi at Bauhaus Dessau (2004) and was featured in the PBS Nova episode “The Origami Revolution” (2017).
She is an honorary member of both CDO (Centro Diffusione Origami, Italy) and Origami Deutschland (Germany).
Beyond paper, she designs industrial products like origami lampshades and pots. She also collaborated with designer Denis Guidone for Milan Design Week 2018.
Since 1986, she has lived in Omachi, Nagano Prefecture, Japan, with her husband Taro Toriumi, a respected woodblock printmaker and etcher.
Living in a traditional Japanese house on a remote mountain, her work reflects a deep emotional connection to nature—delicate, geometric, and profoundly alive.
Often called the “Queen of Origami”, Tomoko Fuse has spent over 35 years transforming paper into art. She remains one of the most influential origami artists alive today.
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