You have surely noticed that our photo banner theme is currently "Peace." Among the pictures that show up is one of a paper crane. Cranes have great symbolism in Asian art and myth, and there is a legend that if you fold one thousand origami cranes your deepest wish will be granted. The origami crane is now a symbol of peace all around the world - as witness the memorials with candles and paper cranes that sprang up in NYC, most notably the one in Union Square, after the WTC attacks. How did this come about?
Much of its present day symbolism of peace and hope for better international understanding came through the simple story of a little Japanese girl named Sadako Sasaki. Here, from ThinkQuest.org, is Sadako's story:
As World War II came to a close, newly inaugurated President Truman was faced with unleashing the United States's powerful atomic bomb, codenamed "The Manhattan Project." He quickly opted to deploy the bomb for military action. On August 6, 1945, the bomb was dropped over Hiroshima, a military base city in Japan. Unbeknownst to Truman or any of the project's members, the bomb's horrific power would, in addition to killing many instantly, claim lives in later years as a result of radiation sickness and forms of cancer.
One of these victims to radiation was Sadako Sasaki. In 1955, she was diagnosed with Leukemia, a cancer of the blood. This disease became so common in Japan, that it was called the "A-bomb" disease. When the Hiroshima bomb was dropped, Sadako was living only one and a half miles from the epicenter. She was two years old. She was initially unharmed, but the effects appeared later. The first indication of Leukemia came after Sadako collapsed in a running race during her sixth grade year.
After she had become sick, Sadako's best friend told her that the crane, which is a sacred bird in Japan, grants a wish to someone who folds one thousand paper cranes. After hearing this, Sadako immediately began folding cranes for her one wish: to get well again. Her health gradually deteriorated and Sadako began to wish instead for world peace, that children could live safe from the effects of wars. Sadly, she did not finish. When Sadako died in October of 1955, she had folded a total of 644 cranes. Her classmates folded the remaining cranes in time for her funeral.
Although she died without finishing, Sadako's dream did not die. After her death, several of Sadako's friends began raising money for the creation of a national peace monument. This monument in Sadako's name, was constructed three years later in Hiroshima's National Peace Park. The statue depicts Sadako standing on top of a granite pedestal holding a golden crane in her arms. At the base of the statue a plaque reads, "This is our cry, this is our prayer, peace in the world." After the monument was erected, people from all over the world sent paper cranes to place on the monument for Peace Day on August 6. This tradition has continued and the paper crane has remained a symbol of peace for children around the world.
You can find out more about Sadako and about the World Peace Project here. There is also a beautiful book for children called Sadako and the Thousand Paper Cranes, by Eleanor Coerr. It is at about a sixth grade reading level, but children much younger can enjoy hearing it read to them. Last year when I was doing an afterschool program with Hispanic children, this book and the resulting origami crane project were some of the most successful activities we enjoyed. We decorated the agency's lobby Christmas tree with the wonderful colored paper cranes the kids produced.
You have surely noticed that our photo banner theme is currently "Peace." Among the pictures that show up is one of a paper crane. Cranes have great symbolism in Asian art and myth, and there is a legend that if you fold one thousand origami cranes your deepest wish will be granted. The origami crane is now a symbol of peace all around the world - as witness the memorials with candles and paper cranes that sprang up in NYC, most notably the one in Union Square, after the WTC attacks. How did this come about?
