Paper Cranes and Childrens Peace Monument

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Article ID 1009685　

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Visitors to Peace Memorial Park see brightly colored paper cranes everywhere. These paper cranes come originally from the ancient Japanese tradition of origami or paper folding, but today they are known as a symbol of peace. They are folded as a wish for peace in many countries around the world. This connection between paper cranes and peace can be traced back to a young girl named Sadako Sasaki, who died of leukemia ten years after the atomic bombing.

Sadako was two years old when she was exposed to the atomic bomb. She had no apparent injuries and grew into a strong and healthy girl. However, nine years later in the fall when she was in the sixth grade of elementary school (1954), she suddenly developed signs of an illness. In February the following year she was diagnosed with leukemia and was admitted to the Hiroshima Red Cross Hospital. Believing that folding paper cranes would help her recover, she kept folding them to the end, but on October 25, 1955, after an eight-month struggle with the disease, she passed away.

Sadako's death triggered a campaign to build a monument to pray for world peace and the peaceful repose of the many children killed by the atomic bomb. The Children's Peace Monument that stands in Peace Memorial Park was built with funds donated from all over Japan. Later, this story spread to the world, and now, approximately 10 million cranes are offered each year before the Children's Peace Monument.

Sending paper cranes to Hiroshima

Everyone is free to make offerings of folded paper cranes to the Children's Peace Monument in Peace Memorial Park. If you are unable to come to the Park to deliver the cranes directly, we will place the cranes at the Children’s Peace Monument on your behalf if you send them to the address provided below. Please note that it is not possible to specify the day on which the cranes are placed at the monument. Also note that you will be responsible for any and all shipping costs.

Address for Sending Paper Cranes:

Peace Promotion Division, International Peace Promotion Department
Citizens Affairs Bureau, City of Hiroshima

1-5 Nakajima-cho, Naka-ku, Hiroshima City, Japan 730-0811

Notes:

  • Please be sure to tie the strings of cranes in bundles. Due to placement of the hanging hooks in the display booths, the best size for paper crane bundles is within 150 cm long and within 25 cm wide. As there have been cases where the strings have snapped or cranes have fallen off the bottom of the bundles, we recommend that you use sturdy variety of string and tie them very securely to ensure that the cranes do not fall off the end of the string.
  • The paper for the cranes doesn’t have to be origami paper; paper such as paper advertisements and wrapping paper can also be used. You are welcome to fold cranes in any color you like.
  • When making large paper cranes or works in frame or panel, please keep dimensions to within a reasonable scale in consideration of the size of the display booths.
  • If you wish to offer more than 10,000 paper cranes to the monument, please contact us in advance.

In addition, we recommend that you also learn about the realities of the atomic bombing, the origins of the Children's Peace Monument, and the current state of nuclear weapons in the world and discuss them with those around you while you make your paper cranes.

When mailing your cranes to our city via post, please feel free to include a Paper Crane Message Card with your name/the name of your organization and your message. These messages will be displayed on the Hiroshima City website. For more details, please see the Paper Crane Message Card page.

Click the link below for detailed information from the special exhibit about Sadako Sasaki that was on display in the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum from July to December 2001.

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