Some origami models are finished the moment the last fold is pressed down. This one is not — it only wakes up once you give it a face. The God of Fortune, also known as Otafuku or Okame, is that round, rosy, endlessly cheerful face you see at Setsubun, the day people throw beans and shout for luck to come inside. The folding takes about two minutes and is simple enough for children, but the drawing is the part worth slowing down for: the same blank paper face can look serene, ridiculous or delighted depending on where you put two dots and a curve. Make several, give everyone a pen, and see which one makes you laugh first.

This is a God of Fortune folded from origami paper. The folding itself is very simple, and the steps are explained with photos, so feel free to use this as a reference.

How to fold a God of Fortune from origami

Today I will show you how to fold a God of Fortune out of a sheet of origami paper.

At Setsubun you scatter roasted beans while calling out “Demons out! Fortune in!”

Fortune in! That is exactly the spirit behind folding this little figure from paper.

The God of Fortune is also known as Otafuku or Okame.

Do try folding one for Setsubun.

It also works as a piece for Fukuwarai, the laughing-face game played at New Year.

That game always gets lively and full of laughter.

I am always curious to see what kind of face each person ends up with.

Please give it a try too.

What the finished God of Fortune looks like

Once you finish, this is the God of Fortune you end up with.

Drawing eyes and a mouth makes it very cute.

I am not very good at drawing faces myself, sorry!

Because it folds flat, it also works as a wall decoration.

Once the eyes and mouth are in place, it looks like it is smiling happily.

It is very cute, is it not?

How to fold the God of Fortune

STEP 1. First, fold the paper in half vertically and horizontally, then open it out so the creases remain.

STEP 2. Next, fold the top part in half.

STEP 3. Fold only the right side in half.

STEP 4. It should look like this, so turn the paper around.

STEP 5. Fold along the red line to the opposite side.

STEP 6. Turn it over and fold along the dotted line.

STEP 7. Fold it up from the bottom.

STEP 8. Fold the top corner, then turn it over.

Done.

Let’s draw a face on the God of Fortune

Once the figure is folded, drawing a face on it is the fun part. Stick on a sticker, or use crayons and a pen to draw a cute face of your own.