The sensuous practise of Kokigami originated from the ancient Japanese art form of giving beautifully wrapped gifts.
The origins of Kokigami have traditionally been the subject of spirited academic debate. On the one side are those who claim it has direct links with origami, the art of paper folding, while on the other are those who consider it owes its genesis to kirigami, or cut art.
It seems likely however that it predated both of these paper forms, as erotic prints (shunga) clearly show the little paper costume in use as early as the eighth century. In recent times there seems to be a general consensus amongst Oriental and Western scholars alike that Kokigami probably evolved from the ancient Japanese art of Tsutsumi or packaging.
By the middle of the Heian period (794-1185), Japan's great golden era of artistic development, Kokigami had become firmly established as a path to sensual enlightenment amongst the aristocratic classes. But it was not until the late eighteenth century, when the price of paper fell, that it ceased to be the exclusive preserve of the rich and became popular with all strata of Japanese society. In recent years Kokigami has attracted a lot of interest from psychotherapists in America and it seems likely that this ancient art will soon enjoy a new popularity in the West.
In days of yore, Japanese men of the upper classes would wrap their penises in layers of cloth before going to bed with their wives and mistresses. This was because the more complex a man could make his wrapping, the longer his wife might take to unwrap that "gift" - thereby prolonging the pleasure. Out of this subtle and creative foreplay, kokigami, the art of paper penis costumes, was born.
These days, it is typical to consult a kokigami book, much like a book of cutout clothes for dolls, choose the totem that suits you best, adjust for size, and add any little touches of your own that feel appropriate: feathers, bits of cloth, duct tape. Each comes with a serifu, a kind of script that's used during play full of puns and attitude and sexual innuendo, consisting of the Call ("Arf! Arf! Arf!"), the Response ("What a pretty doggie! Does he want to be scratched behind the ears? Can he roll over? Bad doggie! Go to the dog house!"), and some suggestions about what to do and how to move while the dick is in costume.
Here at "GettingIt", we realize that nothing helps you understand a craft more then actually trying it. Therefore, we have provided a few examples of the more traditional kokigami and added a special one of our own. So print out the diagram, cut along the dotted lines, and insert Tab A into Slot B.
The book Kokigami was written by Burton Silver, illustrated by Heather Busch, and published by Ten Speed Press. You can buy it at http://www.kokigami.com/book/buying.html