How to Make an Eight Point Paper Shuriken
Origami is the art of folding paper into various designs and shapes. The exact origins of origami are not known but it is thought that it may have been invented in China and then refined by Japan (N. Robinson, 2008). Throwing stars come in a variety of designs and shapes. One common design is called a shuriken, which means "hand hidden blade."
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Things You'll Need
- 8 pieces of origami paper, or 8 pieces of regular paper cut into 6 inch squares
Instructions
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Start with the paper laying flat in front of you so it makes a square (not a diamond). Fold the paper in half by bringing the top edge to the bottom edge to make a rectangle, then unfold.
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Fold the top left corner to the bottom right corner to make a triangle and unfold. Fold the top right corner to the bottom left corner and unfold. You should now have a horizontal crease in the middle of the paper and a diagonal crease going from corner to corner
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3
Fold the bottom left corner to the middle to form a triangle. Fold the bottom right corner to the middle to form a triangle
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4
Fold the paper in half vertically by folding the left side to the right side.
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5
Holding the fold of the paper at the bottom and the triangle pointing to the right push the bottom left corner in so that it meets up with the vertical edge of the triangle (inside reverse fold). Flatten the paper. You should now have a parallelogram with the opening at the top. The top left corner will have a triangle flap on each side: this is corner A. The bottom right corner will have just one triangle: this is corner B.
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Make eight of these
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Hold the first piece in your left hand with all creases up: Corner A will be pointing to the right. Hold the second piece in your right hand the same way and insert corner B in between the flaps of corner A on the first piece so that the folded edges line up along the top and corner A of the second piece is pointed downward.
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8
Fold the tips of corner A on the first piece in between the valley of the second piece at the top to hold them together.
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Repeat step 7 and 8 for the rest of the pieces so that in the end you have formed an octagonal ring. On the last piece you will have to fold the tips of corner A of the last piece into the valley of the first piece in the ring.
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Push the sides together so that the pieces begin to slide together. It is easiest if you move the pieces a little bit on the sides and then push the top and bottom pieces together a little and continue in this manner until the pieces have slid together. In the middle on both sides you should have a small octagon surrounded by eight points on the outside.
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Tips & Warnings
Use different colors of paper to create a multi-colored throwing star.
Children should be supervised while making any craft.
References
Resources
- Photo Credit samurai warriors image by Oxlock from Fotolia.com
