was a Japanese girl who became a victim of the

atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki 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 ...

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 of the most widely known ''

hibakusha ''Hibakusha'' ( or ; ja, 被爆者 or ; "person affected by a bomb" or "person affected by exposure o radioactivity) is a word of Japanese origin generally designating the people affected by the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki at th ...

''—a

Japanese Japanese may refer to: * Something from or related to Japan, an island country in East Asia * Japanese language, spoken mainly in Japan * Japanese people, the ethnic group that identifies with Japan through ancestry or culture ** Japanese diaspor ...

term meaning "bomb-affected person". She is remembered through the story of the more than

one thousand origami cranes The crane in Japan is one of the mystical or holy creatures (others include the dragon and the tortoise) and is said to live for a thousand years: That is why cranes are made, one for each year. In some stories it is believed that the 1000 c ...

she folded before her death. She died at the age of 12 on October 25, 1955 at the Hiroshima Red Cross Hospital.

Event

Sadako Sasaki was at home, about away from

ground zero In relation to nuclear explosions and other large bombs, ground zero (also called surface zero) is the point on the Earth's surface closest to a detonation. In the case of an explosion above the ground, ''ground zero'' is the point on the ground ...

, when the United States dropped an atomic bomb on Hiroshima. She was blown out of the window and her mother ran out to find her, suspecting she may be dead, but instead finding her two-year-old daughter alive with no apparent injuries. While they were fleeing, Sadako and her mother were caught in black rain. Her grandmother ran back inside and died near the house, apparently trying to escape fires by hiding in a cistern.

Aftermath

Sadako grew up like her peers and became an important member of her class

relay team A relay race is a racing competition where members of a team take turns completing parts of Race track, racecourse or performing a certain action. Relay races take the form of professional races and amateur games. Relay races are common in runni ...

. In November 1954, Sadako developed swellings on her neck and behind her ears. In January 1955,

purpura Purpura () is a condition of red or purple discolored spots on the skin that do not blanch on applying pressure. The spots are caused by bleeding underneath the skin secondary to platelet disorders, vascular disorders, coagulation disorders, ...

had formed on her legs. Subsequently, she was diagnosed with acute malignant lymph gland

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 ' ...

(her mother and others in Hiroshima referred to it as "atomic bomb disease"). She was hospitalized on February 21, 1955, and given no more than a year to live. Several years after the atomic explosion an increase in leukemia was observed, especially among children. By the early 1950s, it was clear that the leukemia was caused by radiation exposure by the

uranium Uranium is a chemical element with the symbol U and atomic number 92. It is a silvery-grey metal in the actinide series of the periodic table. A uranium atom has 92 protons and 92 electrons, of which 6 are valence electrons. Uranium is weak ...

in the bomb. She was admitted as a patient to the Hiroshima Red Cross Hospital for treatment and given blood transfusions on February 21, 1955. By the time she was admitted, her white blood cell count was six times higher than the average child's levels.

Origami cranes

In August 1955, she was moved into a room with a girl named Kiyo, a junior high school student who was two years older than her. It was shortly after getting this room-mate that cranes were brought to her room from a local high school club. Sasaki's friend, Chizuko Hamamoto, told her the legend of the cranes and she set herself a goal of folding 1,000 of them, which was believed to grant the folder a wish. Although she had plenty of free time during her days in the hospital, Sasaki lacked paper, so she used medicine wrappings and whatever else she could scrounge; including going to other patients' rooms to ask for the paper from their get-well presents. Her best friend, Chizuko, also brought paper from school for Sasaki to use. A popular version of the story is that Sasaki fell short of her goal of folding 1,000 cranes, having folded only 644 before her death and that her friends completed the 1,000 and buried them all with her. (This comes from the novelized version of her life ''

Sadako and the Thousand Paper Cranes ''Sadako and the Thousand Paper Cranes'' is a children's historical novel written by Canadian-American author Eleanor Coerr and published in 1977. It is based on the story of Sadako Sasaki. The book has been translated into many languages and ...

''.) However, an exhibit that 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 H ...

stated that by the end of August 1955, Sasaki had achieved her goal and continued to fold 300 more cranes. Sadako's older brother, Masahiro Sasaki, says in his book ''The Complete Story of Sadako Sasaki'' that she exceeded her goal.

Death

During her time in the hospital, her condition progressively worsened. Around mid-October 1955, her left leg became swollen and turned purple. After her family urged her to eat something, Sadako requested tea on rice and remarked "It's tasty". She then thanked her family, those being her last words. With her family and friends around her, Sadako died on the morning of October 25, 1955, at the age of 12. After her death, Sadako's body was examined by the

Atomic Bomb Casualty Commission The Atomic Bomb Casualty Commission (ABCC) (Japanese:原爆傷害調査委員会, ''Genbakushōgaichōsaiinkai'') was a commission established in 1946 in accordance with a presidential directive from Harry S. Truman to the National Academy of Sc ...

(ABCC) for research on the effects of the atomic bomb on the human body before Sadako was cremated.

Memorials

After her death, Sasaki'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, including another Japanese girl

Yoko Moriwaki Yoko Moriwaki (森脇瑤子, ''Moriwaki Yōko''; June 1932 – 6 August 1945) was a thirteen-year-old Japanese schoolgirl who lived in Hiroshima during World War II. Her diary, a record of wartime Japan before the bombing of Hiroshima, was pub ...

. In 1958, a statue of Sasaki holding a golden crane was unveiled in the

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 ...

. At the foot of the statue is a plaque that reads: "This is our cry. This is our prayer. Peace in the world." There is also a statue of her in the Seattle Peace Park. Sasaki has become a leading symbol of the effects of

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 ...

and has become an international symbol for peace and a peaceful world, especially during the ongoing

2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine On 24 February 2022, in a major escalation of the Russo-Ukrainian War, which began in 2014. The invasion has resulted in tens of thousands of deaths on both sides. It has caused Europe's largest refugee crisis since World War II. An ...

. Sasaki is also a

heroine A hero (feminine: heroine) is a real person or a main fictional character who, in the face of danger, combats adversity through feats of ingenuity, courage, or strength. Like other formerly gender-specific terms (like ''actor''), ''hero' ...

for many girls in Japan. Her story is told in some Japanese schools on the anniversary of the

Hiroshima is the capital of Hiroshima Prefecture in Japan. , the city had an estimated population of 1,199,391. The gross domestic product (GDP) in Greater Hiroshima, Hiroshima Urban Employment Area, was US$61.3 billion as of 2010. Kazumi Matsui h ...

bombing. Dedicated to Sasaki, people all over Japan celebrate August 6 as the annual

peace Peace is a concept of societal friendship and harmony in the absence of hostility and violence. In a social sense, peace is commonly used to mean a lack of conflict (such as war) and freedom from fear of violence between individuals or groups. ...

day. Artist

Sue DiCicco Sue DiCicco (born April 28, 1959) is an American sculptor, children's book author and illustrator, and founder of Armed with the Arts and the Peace Crane Project. Career DiCicco was born in Southern California, and started in the film industry ...

founded the

Peace Crane Project The Peace Crane Project was founded in 2013 by Sue DiCicco, in order to promote world peace and raise awareness of the International Day of Peace (21 September). A "peace crane" is an Orizuru, origami crane used as peace symbol, by reference to th ...

in 2013 to celebrate Sadako's legacy and connect students around the world in a vision of peace. DiCicco and Sadako's brother co-wrote a book about Sadako, ''The Complete Story of Sadako Sasaki'', hoping to bring her true story to English speaking countries. Thei
website
offers a study guide for students and an opportunity to "Ask Masahiro". File:Colours of Peace (5061416867).jpg, Japanese children all over the country create these little cranes in memory of Sadako Sasaki. Sadako and the cranes became a symbol for world peace in Japan after her death in 1955. File:Hiroshima senzaburu.jpg, Japanese schoolchildren dedicate a collection of origami cranes for Sadako Sasaki in

Hiroshima Peace 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 nuclear attack at the end of World War II, and to the memories of the bomb's direct and indirect victim ...

. File:Peace Park - 1.JPG, Sadako Sasaki statue in

Peace Park A transboundary protected area (TBPA) is an ecological protected area that spans boundaries of more than one country or sub-national entity. Such areas are also known as transfrontier conservation areas (TFCAs) or peace parks. TBPAs exist in many ...

in the University District of Seattle, Washington. Park was built by

Floyd Schmoe Floyd Wilfred Schmoe (September 21, 1895 – April 20, 2001) was a Quaker, pacifist, author, college professor, marine biologist, and park ranger living in the Seattle, Washington area for most of his life. He earned Japan's highest civilian hono ...

. File:Des Tsuru dans la rotonde du musée Guimet (Paris) (8212585335).jpg, Memorial in

Paris Paris () is the capital and most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. S ...

, France

In popular culture

The tragic death of Sadako Sasaki inspired Dagestani Russian poet

Rasul Gamzatov Rasul Gamzatovich Gamzatov ( av, ХӀамзатазул Расул ХӀамзатил вас, Ħamzatil Rasul Ħamzatil vas, ; russian: Расу́л Гамза́тович Гамза́тов, p=rɐˈsul ɡɐmˈzatəvʲɪtɕ ɡɐmˈzatəf, a=Rasu ...

, who had paid a visit to the city of

, to write an Avar poem, "

Zhuravli "Zhuravli" (russian: «Журавли́», p=ʐʊrɐˈvlʲi, '' Cranes''), first performed in 1969, is a famous Russian language song about soldiers who did not come back alive from battles. The song was composed by Yan Frenkel on translation of p ...

", which eventually became one of Russia's greatest war ballads. Sasaki's life and death are also the subject of the song "Cranes over Hiroshima" by American singer-songwriter Fred Small.

References

External links

Sadako and the Paper Cranes
��photos and other informational materials on the official homepage of the

Sadako and the Atomic Bombing
��Kids Peace Station at the

Sadako Sasaki
��The Complete Story of Sadako Sasaki website

��a 1797 book of origami designs to be used in the folding of thousand-crane amulets.

��lyrics to a song by Fred Small inspired by Sadako Sasaki.
Sadako and the Thousand Paper Cranes

"Daughter of Samurai"
��a song by Russian rock band

Splean Splean (russian: Сплин) is a popular Russian rock band, formed in Saint Petersburg in 1994.Андрей Бурлака. Рок-энциклопедия. Популярная музыка в Ленинграде – Петербурге. 1965 ...

, inspired by Sadako Sasaki.
"Sadako e le mille gru di carta"
is an album by Italian progressive rock band LogoS; published in 2020, seventy-five years after atomic bombing of Hiroshima, it tells the story of Sadako Sasaki. {{DEFAULTSORT:Sasaki, Sadako 1943 births 1955 deaths Anti–nuclear weapons movement Children in war Deaths from cancer in Japan Deaths from leukemia Hibakusha Japanese children Origami artists People from Hiroshima Child deaths