TARO YAGUCHI'S love for paper developed as a child growing up in Japan. His grandfather was involved with the business of washi, Japanese traditional paper. How a plant could transform into a strong shiny, thin yet strong fiber always captivated Taro. He grew respect for paper, plants and nature, which in turn helped him love folding origami. Instead of following his grandfather's footsteps in his career, he pursued his study at Tokyo University of Science with a degree in Mechanical Engineering. He currently runs a multinational patent law firm with offices in the U.S. and Japan. It seemed his path was only going further away from paper. However, his interest in origami was sparked again in 2001 when he decided to exhibit at an inventor's convention. He needed an eye-catching novelty gift for his booth. He contemplated this problem and came up with a simple paper airplane design with his firm's information on one side and an aircraft design on the other. The idea was a hit and soon people were stopping by his booth grabbing 3 to 4 sheets of origami at a time. Word spread, and staff at the conference were also stopping by asking for his design. That was when Taro realized he may have hit on something exciting. If a simple paper airplane can generate so much interest, why not recreate his original design with more realism and details? His childhood memory of origami folding and the smell of his grandfather's washi facility came back. He started experimenting with different folding techniques and designs. The monthly flights between the U.S. and Japan became his meditative space. "How can I share the joy of origami culture with millions of people around the globe? How can I make it more accessible for everyone?" Soon, he came up with the idea of uniquely pre-printed sheets of graphic origami. He initially created and copyrighted the graphic origami of a commercial aircraft, trucks, cars and other modes of transportation. Since then, his origami books were published and collaborations with corporations such as TOYOTA took place. http://origamipapercraft.com/taroorigami/index.html
