Tomoko Fuse is a Japanese

Japanese people

The are an ethnic group originating in the Japanese archipelago and are the predominant ethnic group of Japan. Worldwide, approximately 130 million people are of Japanese descent; of these, approximately 127 million are residents of Japan. People of Japanese ancestry who live in other countries...

 origami

Origami

is the traditional Japanese art of paper folding, which started in the 17th century AD at the latest and was popularized outside Japan in the mid-1900s. It has since then evolved into a modern art form...

 writer and artist who has written many books on the subject of modular origami

Modular origami

Modular origami, or unit origami, is a paperfolding technique which uses multiple sheets of paper to create a larger and more complex structure than would be possible using single-piece origami techniques...

 and is by many considered to be the master of unit origami and one of the pre-eminent living Japanese Origami Masters.

She has designed many modular boxes and containers, kusudama

Kusudama

The Japanese kusudama is a paper model that is usually created by sewing multiple identical pyramidal units together through their points to form a spherical shape. Alternately the individual components may be glued together. The Japanese kusudama (薬玉; lit. medicine ball) is a paper model that...

, paper toys, masks, and modular polyhedra and other geometric objects, and is one of the most prolific origami authors in the world, with many publications in Japanese, Korean and English. She was born in Niigata

Niigata Prefecture

is a prefecture of Japan located on the island of Honshū on the coast of the Sea of Japan. The capital is the city of Niigata. The name "Niigata" literally means "new lagoon".- History :...

 and now lives with her husband Taro, a respected woodblock printmaker and etcher, in a hillside village in rural Nagano prefecture

Nagano Prefecture

is a prefecture of Japan located in the Chūbu region of the island of Honshū. The capital is the city of Nagano.- History :Nagano was formerly known as the province of Shinano...

, Japan.

Fuse first learned origami while in hospital as a child. When she was 19 years old, she studied for 2½ years with origami master Toyoaki Kawai. She started publishing origami books in 1981, and has since published more than 60 books (plus overseas editions) .

Tomoko Fuse revolutionised the art of origami. her pure talent led her to success in 1997 when she was awarded an award for artist of the year for her classic model, The Modular Star.

Unit Origami: Multidimensional Transformations, the English language edition of her seminal modular origami inventions, may be considered the classic text on modular origami available in the English language.

Further reading

In English:

Unit Origami: Multidimensional Transformation Japan Publications April 1990, ISBN 978-0870408526

Floral Origami Globes (New Kusudama

Kusudama

The Japanese kusudama is a paper model that is usually created by sewing multiple identical pyramidal units together through their points to form a spherical shape. Alternately the individual components may be glued together. The Japanese kusudama (薬玉; lit. medicine ball) is a paper model that...

) Japan Publications Trading May 18, 2007, ISBN 978-4889962130

Fabuluous Origami Boxes Japan Publications, July 1998 ISBN 978-0870409783

Origami Rings & Wreaths: A Kaleidoscope of 28 Decorative Origami Creations Japan Publications Trading, Nov 2007 ISBN 978-4889962239

Kusudama Origami Japan Publications, Sep 2002, ISBN 978-4889960877

Quick and Easy Origami Boxes Japan Publications 1994, ISBN O-87040-939-5

In Japanese:

Easy Origami to Enliven Your Life (Kurashi o Irodoru Raku Raku no Origami) Ishizue Publishers (July 1996), ISBN 978-4900747104