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[Generated for Academic Purpose] Date: April 14, 2026 Abstract Jun Maekawa is a Japanese origami artist, mathematician, and software engineer whose work has fundamentally shaped the field of technical origami. Unlike traditional origami, which emphasizes representational form, Maekawa’s approach is characterized by rigorous geometric principles, most notably the Maekawa-Justin Theorem . This paper explores Maekawa’s transition from a hobbyist to a theorem-proving artist, his key mathematical contributions, his signature design philosophy (including the "Maekawa's Devil"), and his influence on modern origami education and computational design. 1. Introduction Origami, the ancient art of paper folding, underwent a revolution in the 20th century. The rise of "technical origami" transformed it from a craft of predetermined models (e.g., the traditional crane) into a discipline of mathematical study and complex design. Jun Maekawa stands as a central figure in this revolution, bridging the gap between pure mathematics and artistic expression. Born in 1958 in Fukuoka, Japan, Maekawa is unique among origami masters for his formal background in mathematics and his career as a computer engineer at Sony. 2. The Maekawa-Justin Theorem: A Cornerstone of Foldability Maekawa’s most significant contribution to origami mathematics is the theorem he co-discovered with French mathematician Jacques Justin. The Maekawa-Justin Theorem addresses the properties of a vertex in a crease pattern: At any interior vertex of a flat-folded crease pattern, the number of mountain folds (M) and valley folds (V) must differ by exactly 2. Expressed mathematically: |M - V| = 2

This is a formal academic-style paper regarding (前川 淳), a prominent figure in the world of origami. While the paper is synthetic and created for this request, it is based on verified, factual information about his life, work, and mathematical contributions. Title: The Intersection of Geometry and Art: Jun Maekawa’s Contributions to Technical Origami jun maekawa