Japanese origami began sometime after Buddhist monks carried paper to Japan during the 6th century.[1] The first Japanese origami is dated from this period and was used for religious ceremonial purposes only, due to the high price of paper.[2]
A reference in a poem by Ihara Saikaku from 1680, which describes the origami butterflies used during Shinto weddings to represent the bride and groom[3]. Samurai warriors are known to have exchanged gifts adorned with noshi, a sort of good luck token made of folded strips of paper, which indicates that origami had become a significant aspect of Japanese ceremony by the Heian period (794–1185)