Origami: How to fold a Hishi-Mochi (Rhombus-Shaped Rice Cake) for Hinamatsuri (Japanese Doll Festival) Ornament

We celebrate Momo-no-Sekku (A Doll Festival) on March 3^rd in Japan.

Speaking of snacks that we eat on that day,

we imagine Hishi-Mochi (rhombus-shaped rice cake)

and Hina-Arare (rice cracker), right?★

Hishi-Mochi usually has three colored rice cake piling up together;

pink, white and green. It’s said that the pink represents peach blossom,

the white represents lingering snow and the green represents fresh grass!♪

Today, let’s fold such Hishi-Mochi with origami paper!♥

How to fold a Hishi-Mochi Ver.1

It’s easy to fold a Hishi-Mochi.

Get pink, white and green origami paper for Hishi-Mochi

and black or brown ones for the foundation to put the Hishi-Mochi on ready!★

1. Fold it in half twice along the dotted lines to make creases.

2. Fold it up to the crease that you made.

3. Fold it along the dotted line.

4. Fold both sides in half to the middle and make slight creases.

5. Fold each side to the creases that you made in No.4.

6. Fold it down along the dotted line so that both corners overlap.

7. Open it up.

8. Open both sides up too.

9. One part is done!

10. Make two more of this with two other sheets of origami paper.

11. After you make them, put them together like the picture below.

12. Fold all the corners towards the middle along the dotted lines together.

13. Fold the top part down along the dotted line.

14. Hishi-Mochi is almost done!

15. Next, we’re going to make a foundation.

Get a black or brown sheet of origami paper ready.

Fold it in half to make a crease.

16. Fold both sides to the middle along the dotted lines.

17. Fold the bottom corner up along the dotted line.

18. Fold it down to the tip that you folded in No.17.

19. And the foundation is done!

20. Put the Hishi-Mochi and the foundation together

and fold it down along the dotted line.

21. Fold each corner down along the dotted lines.

22. Turn it over.

23. And it’s done!

If you use 15cm×15cm-size origami paper, it will be quite a big-size Hishi-Mochi.

You can adjust the side according to your preference!♥

How to fold a Hishi-Mochi Ver.2

This one is easy to fold too.

This will be only Hichi-Mochi (no foundation)★

1. Fold it in half twice along the dotted lines to make creases.

2. Fold both sides to the middle along the dotted lines.

3. Fold both sides to the crease along the dotted lines.

4. Fold them the same way for the other side too.

5. A part of Hishi-Mochi is done!

Make two more of this with other two sheets of origami paper.

6. Put them all together.

7. Fold them toward the middle along the dotted lines all together.

8. Turn it over.

9. And it’s done!

If you don’t have any white origami paper with you,

you can use the white-side of colored-origami paper too!★

With origami Hichi-Mochi,

let’s fold a Hina-Doll or a Byoubu (a folding screen) with origami paper

and enjoy Hina-decoration together!

They will be all your originals and also look wonderful!♥

【Translated by　 Kana Toda PIERCE】