I had long assumed that workman’s paper hats were a thing of the past … but it seems that in this, as in so much else (check with my wife for details), I was wrong. Stephen L’Normand, Master of the Stonemason’s Guild here in the UK, tells me that members of the guild still wear paper hats at work, and offers this picture as evidence.
Interesting! The masu somehow seems quite unlike the sorts of traditional Western folds we're familiar with, including the Workman's and Printer's Hats. Even the fact that it starts from a square and uses diagonals makes it feel more Japanese than Western. So if the Stomemasons' Guild uses them I wonder how far back it goes.
Yes, although it does seem to be a Western European fold that has been adopted by the Japanese after cross-fertilisation. Everything I know about the Blintz Box / Masu is collected here at https://www.origamiheaven.com/historyoftheblintzbox.htm. I'm sure there's much more to learn!
Interesting! The masu somehow seems quite unlike the sorts of traditional Western folds we're familiar with, including the Workman's and Printer's Hats. Even the fact that it starts from a square and uses diagonals makes it feel more Japanese than Western. So if the Stomemasons' Guild uses them I wonder how far back it goes.
Yes, although it does seem to be a Western European fold that has been adopted by the Japanese after cross-fertilisation. Everything I know about the Blintz Box / Masu is collected here at https://www.origamiheaven.com/historyoftheblintzbox.htm. I'm sure there's much more to learn!