On their final day in Hiroshima, SJMC Japan students visited the Children’s Peace Monument, which was built in honor of child victims of the atomic bombing.
The City of Hiroshima receives around 10 million origami cranes each year from all over the world. The cranes are put into bundles and displayed in small booths around the monument. The story behind the monument derives from the tragic story of 12-year-old girl Sadako Sasaki.
The bronze statue on top of the monument is of a young girl lifting a golden crane that symbolizes dreams for a peaceful future. On the side of the monument, you can also see figures of a boy and a girl.
There is an inscription on the stone block under the monument that reads: “This is our cry. This is our prayer. For building peace in this world.”
In addition to the quote under the stone block, phrases like “A Thousand Paper Cranes” and “Peace on the Earth and in the Heavens” are carved into the bell hung inside the monument. These phrases are in the handwriting of Dr. Hideki Yukawa, the 1949 Nobel Prize in Physics recipient.
The bell and golden crane suspended inside the monument are replicas produced in 2003.
The thousand cranes story
Sadako was born on Jan. 7, 1943, and was two years old when the atomic bomb exploded in Hiroshima. Although the bomb blew down her house, she was miraculously unharmed and fled with her family to a river as fires approached. While escaping, Sadako, her mother and her brother were caught in the radioactive black rain and separated from her grandmother, who was later found dead by a neighbor.
It was not until the early winter of 1954 that Sadako started to exhibit signs of leukemia, such as a swollen neck and lethargy. She was tested several times, and the results confirmed the worst. Her parents decided to keep the truth from her, but she was ultimately admitted into the hospital in early February.
In August of 1955, Sadako heard the saying “Fold 1,000 paper cranes, and your wish will come true.” From then on, she began folding origami cranes from any piece of paper she could find, even the small papers her medicine came in. It is said that she folded 1,000 cranes in one month.
By early October, Sadako’s condition weakened as her joint pain was so bad that she could no longer feed herself. On Oct. 25, Sadako died with her family by her bedside.
The postmortem examination showed that leukemia had invaded every part of her body, and she had also developed thyroid cancer alongside the skin cancer she was originally diagnosed with.
Sadako’s sixth grade classmates decided that they wanted to do something to honor her passing. They decided on a monument to not only honor Sadako’s memory but also all the other children who died as a result of the atomic bombing in Hiroshima.
On May 5, 1958, after over two years of campaigning for a monument and contributions from over 3,200 schools in Japan and outside donors, it was unveiled.
SJMC Japan’s visit
As we approached the monument, you could immediately tell that it was different than the other sites leading up to that point. The colorful cranes held in the booth surrounding the monument added to the air of innocence that was felt.
While that somber feeling was still there, it also felt playful and had the touch of children everywhere, from the cranes, the message cards attached to the bundles of cranes or the schoolkids jump roping in the distance.
The monument gives you a different feeling because the subject matter involves the most innocent in our society. Walking around the booths and reading each note demonstrated the innocence that was both lost because of the bombings, and the innocence that still exists in children today.
Some of the SJMC Japan students brought paper cranes or purchased some from a nearby store to donate at the monument.
Digital media innovation junior Ellen Nash, not a stranger to donating, knew before the trip that she wanted to give a crane at the monument.
“Knowing the atrocity that happened to this city, I thought the least I could do was pay my respects,” she said. “Sadako’s story was so inspiring and a reminder to never take life for granted.”
How to send the paper cranes
If you are unable to donate a crane in person, the City of Hiroshima has set up a way to mail cranes to the Children’s Peace Monument in Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park. If you decide to mail a crane, you are expected to be responsible for any shipping costs.
Below are some tips given by the City of Hiroshima if you would like to donate.
- Be sure to tie the strings of cranes into bundles. The recommended size for paper crane bundles is 150 cm long by 25 cm wide due to the placement of the hanging hooks. Additionally, check that the bottom of the bundles are tied securely so that the cranes do not fall off.
- The paper used for the cranes does not have to be origami paper and can be any color you like. Paper such as paper advertisement or wrapping paper can be used.
- When making large cranes or works in frames/panels, please keep the dimensions reasonable in consideration of the size of the booth.
- If you would like to offer more than 10, 000 paper cranes, you need to contact them in advance.
The museum also asks that you learn about the realities of the atomic bombings that occurred, how the Children’s Peace Monument originated and the current state of nuclear weapons in our modern world with those around you as you make the paper cranes.
Address for Sending Paper Cranes
c/o Hiroshima Peace Culture Foundation
Peace Promotion Division, International Peace Promotion Department
Citizens Affairs Bureau, City of Hiroshima
1-5 Nakajima-cho, Naka-ku
Hiroshima City, Japan 730-0811
Although a somber story that left many of the SJMC Japan students feeling emotional, it also leaves you with hope. The fact that millions of cranes are sent to the City of Hiroshima each year means that there are compassionate people who do not believe war is the answer. That is a hopeful thing that should be acknowledged and felt.
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