In 1983, Emperor Hirohito awarded him the Order of the Rising Sun, 5th class, one of the highest honors bestowed in Japan.

During World War II, Yoshizawa served in the army medical corps in Hong Kong.

He made origami models to cheer up the sick patients, but eventually fell ill himself and was sent back to Japan.

[1] His first overseas exhibition was organized in October 1955 by Gershon Legman, a leading player in the early years of the origami movement.

He would never sell his origami figures,[4] but rather gave them away as gifts to people, and let other groups and organizations borrow them for exhibiting.

His second wife, Kiyo Yoshizawa, served as his manager and taught origami to the other patients where he was hospitalized until his death.

Wet-folding allows the paper to be manipulated more easily, resulting in finished origami models that have a rounder and more sculpted look.

[citation needed] In March 1998, Yoshizawa was invited to exhibit his origami in the Carrousel du Louvre in France.