What is kusudama?

What is Kusudama?

Even if you haven't seen a dinosaur so far, and have a chance to see kind of this work, maybe you won't think that a dinosaur is made from a origami paper.
Because you know what the dinosaur is by TV, books, movies...etc...could be.
A dinosaur is an ancient animal, and it is made with bones and blood and meat... etc (sorry, I don't know detail), so it's not a thing made from paper.

Seismosaurus (C) origami clab

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But if you see this work of photo, you may think a kusudama is made with (origami) papers.
Because you don't know what kusudama is.

Origami is technique to express form of something (for example, animal and plant and accessory...and so on) with papers.
Kusudama origami is a thing which express an kusudama with origami papers.

So, this is a point.
-what is a kusudama?

Kusudama is one of the ornament made with some harbs or flowers(iris, Japanese iris, Citrus tachibana...etc).
It means to prays for longevity and prays for a good health and prays for good luck(fortune), also it means a blessing for every thing...

It is the manners and customs that came from China about 1200 years ago.

Also, it may helps more your understanding.

Yahoo --dictionary
Japanese--薬玉

薬玉-ENGLISH

The Boy's Festival -- by Aichi Kyousai (in Japanese)

And it is rare to be used with real herbs and flowers to make a work now, and artificial flowers (or something which resembles it) are used instead.
Kusudama Origami is one of it.

---reference
You can see kusudamas made with various materials.
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【匂袋】薬玉（くすだま）

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see also,

■Wa no Ka -- Kusudama

■有職造花師大木素十王朝の美

■kanzasi

■Tanabata Denguri

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These are pictures of kusudama design.

薬玉ー夫婦玉 10-1155

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see also,

■Makie---Kusudama

■Cloth

■T-shirt

■cup

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p.s.
If a Japanese heard a word of "kusudama", most people don't imagine work made with origami papers.
They imagine it.