Inazuma Inc. today announced that ePaperCraft SHIRYU, the digital papercraft design software created by Takahiro Yonemura, Ph.D. (Engineering), is now available worldwide on Steam, following its release on the Microsoft Store. The software allows anyone to design 3D models on a PC, automatically unfold them into printable templates, and build the finished object in the real world with paper, scissors, and glue. It ships with more than 70 ready-to-build models, and users retain the right to use their original creations commercially.
The original software, known in Japan as 'Paper Dragon,' was selected as a Jury Recommended Work at the 10th Japan Media Arts Festival hosted by Japan's Agency for Cultural Affairs, and its underlying research was published in the NICOGRAPH technical journal. The Steam release is its expanded successor, refined over more than two decades of continuous development. It has been used successfully by elementary school students, yet leaves room for careful manual work and inventive model design by hobbyists, educators, makers, and artists.
Notably, no generative AI was used to create the included models or the program code. In an era of instant generation, SHIRYU is built around the opposite pleasure: designing something yourself, printing it, and holding it in your hands.
SHIRYU's developer is no newcomer to the American market. Yonemura is the author of the sci-fi manga 'Beast Code' (eigoMANGA, 2022) and 'Recycled Brain' (eigoMANGA, 2025-2026), both published commercially in the United States and covered by Anime News Network. His English-language book 'The Metal Brain' was distributed to 12 countries under a Japanese government support program in 2019. He holds a Ph.D. in Engineering and lectures at a university of science and technology in Japan.
"People ask why an engineering PhD writes manga and folds paper. I say: a scientist's job is to turn imagination into something real. SHIRYU turns a screen into scissors, glue, and a creature on your desk," said Takahiro Yonemura, Ph.D. (Engineering).
The launch on Steam makes the software accessible to a global audience, particularly hobbyists and educators who can now easily integrate papercraft into their projects or curricula. The commercial use rights for user-created designs also open possibilities for small businesses or creators looking to monetize their papercraft models. For the industry, SHIRYU represents a counterpoint to AI-driven design tools, emphasizing hands-on creativity and manual craftsmanship. Its availability on a major platform like Steam could revive interest in papercraft as a digital-to-physical hobby, bridging the gap between virtual design and tangible creation.
