A Thousand Cranes – Color Your World

Folded paper cranes at the memorial for children who were victims of the atomic bomb dropped on Hiroshima on August 6th, 1945.

The cranes have long had cultural significance in Japan as a symbol of long life and eternal good luck. The have also become a modern day symbol of the children who died as a result of the atomic bombing of Hiroshima. The story of Sadako Sasaki, a 12 year old who was diagnosed with leukemia and died some ten years after the bombing is famous worldwide. Sadako folded cranes before she died in the hope she could make a wish to live once she folded 1000 cranes.

In 1958, a statue of Sadako holding a golden crane above her head  was unveiled in the grounds of the Hiroshima Peace Memorial. The plaque at its base reads,

This is our cry. This is our prayer. Peace on Earth.

In response to Jennifer Nichole Wells – Color Your World – Blue Violet (January 14th)

Yoroshiku Onegai shimasu

Leanne