Good Stuff by Humans

Story of Sadako

This story is a background to my peace project (Make Cranes, Not War) –

The story of Sadako and 1,000 paper cranes

Sadako Sasaki was a Japanese girl who was a victim of the atomic bomb. She was one of many children in a hospital with leukemia and little hope of survival. Inspired by a friend of the 1,000 cranes wish, which the saying goes, if you make 1,000 origami cranes, your wish will be granted.

Sadako began collecting any pieces of paper she could find in and around the hospital and began encouraging her friends to make cranes. Sadily, Sadako only folded 644 before her death.

Sadako’s friends and schoolmates published a collection of letters in order to raise funds to build a memorial to her and all of the children who had died from the effects of the atomic bomb. In 1958, a statue of Sadako holding a golden crane was unveiled in the Hiroshima Peace Memorial, also called the Genbaku Dome. At the foot of the statue is a plaque that reads, This is our cry. This is our prayer. Peace in the world.

Her story is told in some Japanese schools on the anniversary of the Hiroshima bombing. Dedicated to her, people all over Japan celebrate August 6 as the annual peace day. Every day more cranes continue to arrive at the memorial from children all over the world in the hope for peace.

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Filed under: read more on March 22nd, 2009