Hiroshima and Nagasaki: Peace Cranes
Sadako Sasaki
Sadako in 1949 (images: The Elders, "The Story of Sadako Sasaki and the Hiroshima Peace Cranes"
Sadako in 1954
Origin of the Peace Cranes
On August 6th, 1945, Sadako Sasaki was a mere two kilometers from where the atomic bomb was dropped. She survived, apparently uninjured. However, ten years later, she was diagnosed with leukemia (called the A-bomb disease). According to Japanese legend, if a sick person folds 1,000 origami cranes, they will get well. Sasaki folded well over 1,000 cranes, and although she succumbed to her disease, her influence has come to be felt all over the world. Her friends established a group to honor her which rapidly grew. Within three years, these students raised enough money to build The Children's Peace Monument in her honor in Peace Memorial Park near where the bomb was dropped. Today, more than 10 million cranes are offered annually at the Children's Peace Monument.
