Structure, balance and precision form the shape of tsuru, the origami paper crane that came to be known as a global peace symbol.
The life that inspired this arrangement will forever remind us of the crucial need for peace – the story of one little girl, Sadako Sasaki.
The Sasaki family lived one mile from the first atomic bomb dropped in Hiroshima in 1945. Though they survived the blast they could not escape the radioactive soot that began to fall like snow all around them. Sadako was aged just two at the time. When she turned twelve, she began to suffer from the effects of radiation sickness. It is believed that if a sick person should fold one thousand paper cranes then he or she will recover and go on to live a long and happy life. So Sadako began to fold paper cranes… After some time she realized that she would not recover. Instead of folding for herself, she continued to fold for other children who were similarly afflicted.
Each crane she folded became a prayer.
“I will write peace on your wings and you will fly all over the world”
– Sadako Sasaki
– Sadako Sasaki
Sadly, Sadako did not live to fold all of her one thousand cranes. Her friends and schoolmates gathered together to fold the remaining 356 and the one thousand cranes were buried with her. Her story inspired the Children’s Peace Memorial in Hiroshima and the statue of Sadako in Seattle.
In many ways the prophecy of one thousand cranes proved true for Sadako as she lives on today in our memory. Her life and struggle came to represent the numerous innocent victims of war. Each year on peace day (August 6th), tens of thousands of origami cranes are sent to Hiroshima by children from all over the world, asking for peace.
It only seems right that origami, folded in the palms of human hands, should represent such a poignant message. It demonstrates that with determination we can achieve what may at first seem impossible. Akira Yoshizawa, acknowledged grandmaster of origami, describes the art as “folding the laws of nature, the dignity of life, and the expression of affection”.
“This is our cry, this is our prayer, for building peace in the world”
(Left) Seattle Peace Park. (Right) Hiroshima Children’s Peace Memorial
