One Thousand Cranes - Blog Posts

photo: Lillian Howan

Recycled paper created with paper cranes from Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park

The paper cranes honor Sadako Sasaki who was two years old when the atomic bomb was dropped on her home of Hiroshima and twelve when she died of leukemia caused by exposure to radiation.  According to Japanese legend, anyone who folds a thousand origami paper cranes will be granted a wish.  During her lifetime, Sadako began folding paper cranes towards her goal of one thousand and, after her death, her classmates continued folding, completing one thousand paper cranes.