The is a monument for peace to commemorate
Sadako Sasaki
was a Japanese girl who became a victim of the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki by the United States. She was two years of age when the bombs were dropped and was severely irradiated. She survived for another ten years, becoming one ...
and the thousands of child victims of the
atomic bombing of Hiroshima
The United States detonated two atomic bombs over the Japanese cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki on 6 and 9 August 1945, respectively. The two bombings killed between 129,000 and 226,000 people, most of whom were civilians, and remain the onl ...
. This monument is located in
Hiroshima, Japan
is a Prefectures of Japan, prefecture of Japan located in the Chūgoku region of Honshu. Hiroshima Prefecture has a population of 2,811,410 (1 June 2019) and has a geographic area of 8,479 km² (3,274 sq mi). Hiroshima Prefecture borders Okayama ...
. Sadako Sasaki, a young girl, died of
leukemia
Leukemia ( also spelled leukaemia and pronounced ) is a group of blood cancers that usually begin in the bone marrow and result in high numbers of abnormal blood cells. These blood cells are not fully developed and are called ''blasts'' or ' ...
from radiation of the atomic bomb dropped on Hiroshima on 6 August 1945.
Overview
![Paper cranes hanging outside of the Children's Peace Monument](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/27/Paper_cranes_hanging_outside_of_the_Children%27s_Peace_Monument.jpg)
The monument is located in
Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park
is a memorial park in the center of Hiroshima, Japan. It is dedicated to the legacy of Hiroshima as the first city in the world to suffer a Atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, nuclear attack at the end of World War II, and to the memorie ...
in
Hiroshima, Japan
is a Prefectures of Japan, prefecture of Japan located in the Chūgoku region of Honshu. Hiroshima Prefecture has a population of 2,811,410 (1 June 2019) and has a geographic area of 8,479 km² (3,274 sq mi). Hiroshima Prefecture borders Okayama ...
. Designed by native artists Kazuo Kikuchi and Kiyoshi Ikebe, the monument was built using money derived from a fund-raising campaign by Japanese school children, including Sadako Sasaki's classmates, with the main statue entitled "''Atomic Bomb Children''". The statue was unveiled on 5 May 1958, the Japanese
Children's Day
Children's Day is a commemorative date celebrated annually in honor of children, whose date of observance varies by country.
In 1925, International Children's Day was first proclaimed in Geneva during the World Conference on Child Welfare. Sin ...
holiday. Sadako Sasaki, who died of an atomic bomb disease
radiation poisoning is immortalized at the top of the statue, where she holds a wire crane above her head. Shortly before she passed, she had a vision to create a
thousand cranes
is a novel by Japanese author Yasunari Kawabata which first appeared in serialised form between 1949 and 1951 and was published as a book in 1952.
Plot
The novel consists of five chapters, titled "Thousand Cranes", "The Grove in the Evening Sun ...
. Japanese tradition says that if one creates a thousand cranes, they are granted one wish. Sadako's wish was to have a world
without nuclear weapons.
Thousands of origami cranes from all over the world are offered around the monument. They serve as a sign that the children who make them and those who visit the statue desire a world without
nuclear war
Nuclear warfare, also known as atomic warfare, is a theoretical military conflict or prepared political strategy that deploys nuclear weaponry. Nuclear weapons are weapons of mass destruction; in contrast to conventional warfare, nuclear w ...
, having been tied to the statue by the story that Sadako died from radiation-induced leukemia after folding just under a thousand cranes, wishing for
world peace
World peace, or peace on Earth, is the concept of an ideal state of peace within and among all people and nations on Planet Earth. Different cultures, religions, philosophies, and organizations have varying concepts on how such a state would ...
. However, an exhibit which appeared in the
Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum
The Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum is a museum located in Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park, in central Hiroshima, Japan, dedicated to documenting the atomic bombing of Hiroshima in World War II.
The museum was established in August 1955 with the ...
stated that by the end of August 1955, Sadako had achieved her 1000-crane goal and continued to fold more cranes. Unfortunately, her wish was not granted and she died of the leukemia on October 25, 1955. Her main reason of death was from the radiation poisoning from the atomic bomb
Little Boy
"Little Boy" was the type of atomic bomb dropped on the Japanese city of Hiroshima on 6 August 1945 during World War II, making it the first nuclear weapon used in warfare. The bomb was dropped by the Boeing B-29 Superfortress ''Enola Gay'' p ...
.
Monument
![Bell under Children's Peace Monument](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/dd/Bell_under_Children%27s_Peace_Monument.jpg)
Beneath the main structure hangs a bronze crane that works as a
wind chime
Wind chimes are a type of percussion instrument constructed from suspended tubes, rods, bells or other objects that are often made of metal or wood. The tubes or rods are suspended along with some type of weight or surface which the tubes or rods ...
when pushed against a traditional peace bell from which it is suspended. The two pieces were donated by
Nobel Prize
The Nobel Prizes ( ; sv, Nobelpriset ; no, Nobelprisen ) are five separate prizes that, according to Alfred Nobel's will of 1895, are awarded to "those who, during the preceding year, have conferred the greatest benefit to humankind." Alfr ...
winner,
Hideki Yukawa
was a Japanese theoretical physicist and the first Japanese Nobel laureate for his prediction of the pi meson, or pion.
Biography
He was born as Hideki Ogawa in Tokyo and grew up in Kyoto with two older brothers, two older sisters, and two yo ...
.
At the base of the monument is a black marble slab on which is inscribed in Japanese:
The figures that surround the monument are angels, representing that Sadako is in heaven among the other fallen angels who died during the atomic bombing in Hiroshima.
Today, people all around the world have the opportunity to donate cranes that they have folded in honor of Sadako and the others. The paper crane is a symbol of peace, which was her last dying wish.
See also
*
Hiroshima Witness
''Hiroshima Witness'', also released as ''Voice of Hibakusha'', is a documentary film featuring 100 interviews of people who survived the Atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, also known as hibakusha. ''Hiroshima Witness'' was produced in 198 ...
References
* {{cite web, last1=Ministries, first1=Global, title=Global Ministries, url=http://www.globalministries.org/resources/youth-and-children/fold-paper-cranes-for-peace.html, website=Global Ministries - Fold Paper Cranes in Honor of Sadako, accessdate=13 April 2015, archive-date=4 March 2016, archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304025435/http://www.globalministries.org/resources/youth-and-children/fold-paper-cranes-for-peace.html, url-status=dead
* https://web.archive.org/web/20160512231455/http://www.city.hiroshima.lg.jp/www/contents/1110438305305/index.html
External links
The Children's Peace Monument
Monuments and memorials concerning the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki
Monuments and memorials in Japan
Peace monuments and memorials
Tourist attractions in Hiroshima
Buildings and structures in Hiroshima
1958 establishments in Japan