SADAKO AND THE PAPER CRANE

The United States military dropped an atomic bomb on Hiroshima at 8.15am on 6 August 1945. Another atomic bomb
as dropped on the city o! "agasa#i at 11.$%am on 9 August 1945.
&n Hiroshima' 9$'$$$ people ere #illed immediately. &n "agasa#i' the nuclear blast instantly #illed 4$'$$$ people. (y
the end o! 1945' o)er 145'$$$ people had died in Hiroshima' and another *5'$$$ people had died in "agasa#i. Tens o!
thousands more su!!ered serious in+uries. ,eaths among sur)i)ors o! the bombings ha)e continued o)er the years due
primarily to the e!!ects o! radiation e-posure.
.or children' one important international symbol o! peace is the paper crane.
The paper crane has become a symbol in recent years as a result o! its connection to the story o! a young /apanese girl
named Sada#o Sasa#i' ho as born in 1940.
Sada#o as to years old hen the atom bomb as dropped on Hiroshima on 6 August 1945. As she gre up' Sada#o
as a strong' courageous and athletic girl. &n 1955' at age 11' hile practicing !or a big race' she became di11y and !ell
to the ground. Sada#o as diagnosed ith leu#aemia' 2the atom bomb2 disease.
Sada#o3s best !riend told her o! an old /apanese legend hich said that anyone ho !olds a thousand paper cranes ould
be granted a ish. Sada#o hoped that the gods ould grant her a ish to get ell so that she could run again. She
started to or# on the paper cranes and completed o)er 1$$$ be!ore dying on %5 4ctober 1955 at the age o! tel)e.
&n spite o! her poor health' she ne)er ga)e up. She continued to ma#e paper cranes until she died.
&nspired by her courage and strength' Sada#o3s !riends and classmates put together a boo# o! her letters and published
it. They began to dream o! building a monument to Sada#o and all o! the children #illed by the atom bomb. 5oung people
all o)er /apan helped collected money !or the pro+ect.
&n 1958' a statue o! Sada#o holding a golden crane as un)eiled in Hiroshima 6eace 6ar#. The children also made a ish
that is inscribed at the bottom o! the statue and reads7
2This is our cry, this is our prayer, Peace in the world2.
Today' people all o)er the orld !old paper cranes and send them to Sada#o3s monument in Hiroshima. To send a
thousand cranes to the 8hildren3s 9onument in Hiroshima3s 6eace 6ar#' string them on garlands o! 1$$ cranes each' and
mail them to7
Office of the ayor, City of Hiroshi!a,
"#$% Ko&utai'i#achi, ( Cho!e Na&a#&u,
Hiroshi!a )$* +apan
5ou can !ind further infor!ation on Sada#o:s story on the &nternet at7
http,--www.sada&o.or/-sada&ostory.ht!