CBP Box (With a Nod to Thoki Yenn

and His Crossed Box Pleat)

by Jane Rosemarin © 2020

Paper: Two sheets of paper for the box top and bottom:
Suggested size, 8 inches.
Four sheets for the locks: Suggested size, 2 inches.

1. White side up, valley fold in half in both directions 2. Make pinches at the quarter marks.
(leave approximately the center quarter uncreased).

3. Bring points to pinches at the three-quarter 4. Turn paper over.

mark to make valley folds 1/8th from center.
Rotate and repeat three times.

© Copyright 2020 by Jane Rosemarin 1

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5. Right side up, bring two of the folds just
made, now mountain folds, to the center line
to make pleats and create valley folds at the
1/16th mark. Unfold, rotate 90 degrees, and
repeat with the other two folds.
6. Bring a corner up, aligning pinches with
center lines. Crease across center two sections,
as indicated. See step 7. Alternately, with a
stylus, score all the diagonals shown in step 10,
and valley fold.

7. Red line shows the length of the fold. Unfold 8. Align pinch marks to upper right mountain
and repeat with remaining three points. folds. Crease across four small sections. See
step 9.

© Copyright 2020 by Jane Rosemarin 2

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 b

a
b a a b
a

b
10a. First change the direction of the four creases extending
9. Red line shows the length of the
from the middle square (in red) from valley to mountain.
fold. Unfold and repeat on the
10b. Then mountain fold the center lines on existing creases,
three remaining points.
lifting the edges of the paper upward.

12. Flip the paper to the wrong side. Continue pleating the
11. Push the ribs toward the center to pop up the vertical and horizontal creases, pinching the folds together so
center square. The four shaded triangles will slope the flaps stick up while bringing the four points marked with
down from the square. circles to the center. Mountain folds are shown as solid lines.

13. Flatten flaps. 14. Step 13 completed.

© Copyright 2020 by Jane Rosemarin 3

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 15. Front view. 16. Fold small flaps tightly to
center lines.

45º

17. Blintz fold all four corners to 18. Bring edges to the center. 19. Open two opposite flaps.
the center. Precrease and unfold.

45º

20. Fold sides up along valley folds at right 21. Fold end of box up as you bring
angles. The box is now 3D. diagonal mountain folds to the center
dot.

© Copyright 2020 by Jane Rosemarin 4

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 22. fold flap down along valley 23. Repeat steps 21 and 22 on the 24. The result.
and mountain fold. other end. (You might wish to insert a
stopper at this point.)
Make the stopper:
+

clearance

25. Use two squares of paper about
one quarter the size of the box pieces.
Wrong side up, bring sides together.
They don’t need to meet exactly at
the center, but they should meet.
Repeat on the second sheet.
26. Fold one edge of one 27. ... like this. Hook the top piece
piece to the approximate around the middle of the lower piece
center. Flip the piece over using the fold from step 26. Then wrap
and rotate 90º ... the other side around the lower piece,
leaving a bit of clearance.

28. Valley fold the 29. Slip the tabs of the 30. Note the pockets. Fit the
vertical piece around piece you creased in loose points inside the box into
the upper piece (again step 28 into the pockets them to lock. If you are making a
31. The inside of the
leaving clearance) and of the other piece. small box, unfold to step 23 and
box top.
unfold. Slide the insert three of the points. Then
vertical piece out, and refold, and insert the fourth.
arrange both parts as
shown in step 29. This stopper for masu boxes was most likely discovered by Tomoko Fuse. The same
construction, made from rectangles, is employed in book arts to make reusable book covers.
© Copyright 2020 by Jane Rosemarin 5
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The box bottom:

45º

1. Right side up, make valley folds, leaving 2. Bring points to center using creases from
approximately the center third of the paper step 1 as guides.
unfolded. Turn over.
*outside surfaces of box top
*
3. Place the side of
the box against the
edge of the paper,
matching thetop * 90º
corner of the paper with
the inside of the box (the box
will extend above the paper).
Make a mark above the inside 4. Rotate the paper a quarter turn.
bottom edge of the box. Rotate Lift the edges of the paper to see
the box, and make additional the intersection of the crease you
marks above the first, if the inside just made and the diagonal. Use
dimension is smaller than the first side you tested. Fold the bottom that point as a guide to fold a
edge of the paper up to just cover the highest mark to provide similar crease.
some extra clearance.

5. Rotate, and crease the two 6. Follow steps 19 through 31 of

remaining sides using the inter- the box top to complete the
sections underneath as guides. bottom.

© Copyright 2020 by Jane Rosemarin 6

This document was published by OrigamiUSA’s online magazine, The Fold, with permission from the author.
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The heart variation:

45º

1. Start with step 15. 2. Next steps are

Rotate model 45º. enlarged.

3. Firmly precrease the top 4. Spread squash: Open the

triangle as deeply as you can. layers out and flatten the 5. Close the flap.
The point will go almost to square along the creases
the center. from step 3.

6. Make a vertical slit about 7. Make small mountain folds to 8. Done. Go back to step
halfway to the center line. shape a heart. 15 and finish the box.

© Copyright 2020 by Jane Rosemarin 7

This document was published by OrigamiUSA’s online magazine, The Fold, with permission from the author.
If you did not obtain this document from The Fold’s website, you may have infringed upon the author’s copyright.
Join OrigamiUSA online at https://origamiusa.org/