A story about a girl from Hiroshima and Nagasaki. The tragic fate of a girl from Hiroshima: How the Japanese legend of a thousand paper cranes made the whole world empathize

This story happened in 1945, when the first atomic bomb in human history was dropped on the Japanese city of Hiroshima. Together with half a million of its other inhabitants, the family of the Japanese girl Sadako Sasaki, who was then two years old, also had to endure this misfortune. The city burned and was destroyed to the ground. Sadako was then a little closer than two kilometers from the place where the nuclear explosion occurred, but did not receive any burns or other visible injuries.

A few weeks later, the surviving residents of the city began to die from a terrible, incomprehensible disease. Their strength suddenly left them, they weakened and their soul left their body... Little Sadako’s mother hugged her own daughter, stroked her head and for a long time, silently, watched her play. She never once revealed her anxiety to the child...

At the age of twelve, cheerful and nimble Sadako went to school, studied and played like all children. She loved to run, most of all she loved movement.

Terrible diagnosis

She began to show signs of radiation sickness in November 1954. One day, while participating in a school relay race, after running the girl felt very tired and dizzy. She tried to forget about what happened, but the attacks of dizziness recurred, especially if she tried to run. She didn't tell anyone about this, not even her best friend. Only the mother and the female neighbors who had children suspected something was wrong; each heart sank with unkind thoughts.

One day she fell and could not get up immediately. Sadako was taken to the Red Cross hospital for testing and it became clear that she had leukemia (blood cancer). At that time, many of the girl’s peers were suffering from leukemia and dying. Sadako was scared, she didn’t want to die.

1000 paper cranes

She was lying in the hospital when Chizuko's best friend came and brought with her special paper from which she made a crane, and told Sadako one legend: the crane, which in Japan is considered a lucky bird, lives for a thousand years; If a sick person makes a thousand cranes out of paper, he will recover.

This legend goes back to the Japanese Middle Ages, when it became popular among the nobility to make messages in the form of folded paper figures (“origami”). One of the simplest figures was precisely the “tsuru” - a crane (it required only 12 operations to fold it). In those days in Japan, the crane symbolized happiness and longevity. This is where the belief arose - if you make a wish and add a thousand “tsuru”, it will definitely come true.

Sadako believed in the legend, as any of us, who wanted to live with all our being, probably would have believed. It was Chizuko who made the first crane for Sadako.

A thousand cranes are a thousand pieces of paper. Sadako decided to make a thousand cranes, but due to her illness she was very tired and could not work. As soon as she felt better, she folded small cranes out of white paper.

According to one version of history- the girl managed to make a thousand cranes, but the disease continued to worsen. Relatives and friends supported her as best they could. And then, instead of giving up in the face of mortal misfortune, or simply being disappointed, she began to make new cranes. There were many more than a thousand of them. People were amazed by her courage and patience.

According to another version- despite the fact that she had enough time to fold the cranes, she did not have enough material - paper, she used any suitable piece of paper that she managed to get from nurses and patients from other wards, but she was able to make only 644 cranes and so her friends completed the cranes after her death.

Sadako died on October 25, 1955, and many more than a thousand paper cranes flew to her funeral. Thousands of cranes connected by invisible threads.

Memory of Sadako

The courageous little girl Sadako Sasaki became a symbol of rejection of nuclear war, a symbol of protest against war. Inspired by her courage and willpower, Sadako's friends and classmates published her letters. They began planning to build a monument in memory of Sadako and all the other children who died from the atomic bombing. Young people from all over Japan began to raise funds for this project. In 1958, a statue depicting Sadako holding a paper crane was erected in the Peace Park in Hiroshima. On the pedestal of the statue it is written:

“This is our cry, This is our prayer, World peace.”

There is also a statue of Sadako in Peace Park in Seattle, USA. The life-size statue also depicts a girl holding a paper crane. On the pedestal it is written:

SADAKO SASAKI
PEACE CHILD
SHE GAVE US THE PAPER CRANE
TO SYMBOLIZE OUR YEARNING FOR
PEACE IN THE WORLD.

(Sadako Sasaki. Child of Peace. She gave us a paper crane, symbolizing our desire for world peace)

The Sadako Peace Garden was opened on August 6, 1995, on the 50th anniversary of the atomic bombing of Hiroshima and named after Sadako Sasaki. On June 30, 2002, the park entered the Gardens of the World network. The garden is located at La Casa Maria Retreat Center in Santa Barbara, California, USA. Created by Isabel Green and Irma Kavat as a garden for reflection and inspiration. Project of Nuclear Age Peace Foundation and La Casa de Maria. In the depths of the garden there are stones on which cranes are carved.

On October 26, 2000, the Nobori-cho Municipal Youth High School Student Association unveiled a monument to the Paper Crane. The words “Prayers of the paper cranes here” are carved on the pedestal of the monument.

Sadako Sasaki in creativity

The tragic fate of Sadako Sasaki served as the basis for the plot of the feature film “Hello, Children!”, filmed in 1962 at the film studio named after. M. Gorky (dir. Mark Donskoy).

In 1969, the famous poet Rasul Gamzatov, inspired by the story of Sadako, wrote one of his most famous poems, “Cranes,” which became the text for the famous song of the same name.

Children's books, comics, films and cartoons were made about Sadako, and music was written.

The most famous of the books is the book by Eleanor Coerr “Sadako and the Thousand Paper Cranes” (English “Sadako and the Thousand Paper Cranes”) published in 1977 and was published in 18 countries. A film was made based on the book in the USA.

The theme of collecting a thousand paper cranes to make a wish come true was used in episode 11 of the second season of the anime Ghost in the Shell: Loner Syndrome.

In the anime "Children's Time", the main character collects a thousand cranes so that her mother does not die of cancer.

When I was in school, and this was a long time ago and in another country bearing the proud name of the USSR, we made such cranes, and it seems to me that everyone knew this story. And now, for a comfortable life, it’s enough to give a rating or a like to consider your mission of help completed and forget. For those who didn’t know, and their parents were so busy making money that they forgot, this story is about the time when there were no social networks, what “support” means.

This story happened on August 6, 1945, when the first atomic bomb in human history was dropped on the Japanese city of Hiroshima. Together with half a million of its other inhabitants, the family of the Japanese girl Sadako Sasaki, who was then two years old, also had to endure this misfortune. The city burned and was destroyed to the ground. Sadako was then a little closer than two kilometers from the place where the nuclear explosion occurred, but did not receive any burns or other visible injuries.

At the age of twelve, cheerful and nimble Sadako went to school, studied and played like all children. She loved to run, most of all she loved movement.

Terrible diagnosis

1000 paper cranes

Sadako believed in the legend, as any of us, who wanted to live with all our being, probably would have believed. It was Chizuko who made the first crane for Sadako.

According to one version of the story, the girl managed to make a thousand cranes, but the disease continued to worsen. Relatives and friends supported her as best they could. And then, instead of giving up in the face of mortal misfortune, or simply being disappointed, she began to make new cranes. There were many more than a thousand of them. People were amazed by her courage and patience.

According to another version, despite the fact that she had enough time to fold cranes, she did not have enough material - paper, she used any suitable piece of paper that she managed to get from nurses and patients from other wards, but she was able to make only 644 cranes and therefore her friends completed the cranes after her death.

Sadako died on October 25, 1955, and many more than a thousand paper cranes flew to her funeral. Thousands of cranes connected by invisible threads.

Memory of Sadako

“This is our cry, This is our prayer, World peace.”

There is also a statue of Sadako in Peace Park in Seattle, USA. The life-size statue also depicts a girl holding a paper crane. On the pedestal it is written:

SADAKO SASAKI. PEACE CHILD. SHE GAVE US THE PAPER CRANE, TO SYMBOLIZE OUR YEARNING FOR PEACE IN THE WORLD (Sadako Sasaki. Child of Peace. She gave us a paper crane, symbolizing our desire for peace in the world)

Sadako Sasaki in creativity

The tragic fate of Sadako Sasaki served as the basis for the plot of the feature film “Hello, Children!”, filmed in 1962 at the film studio named after. M. Gorky (dir. Mark Donskoy).

In 1969, the famous poet Rasul Gamzatov, inspired by the story of Sadako, wrote one of his most famous poems, “Cranes,” which became the text for the famous song of the same name.

Children's books, comics, films and cartoons were made about Sadako, and music was written.

SADAKO SASAKI

Dates of life: January 7, 1943 - October 25, 1955
Place of Birth: Hiroshima City, Chugoku, Japan
A Japanese girl who lived in the city of Hiroshima. On August 6, 1945, during the atomic bombing of Hiroshima, she was at home, just one and a half kilometers from the epicenter of the explosion. She died 10 years later from leukemia, which most likely was a consequence of radiation exposure.

At the time of the “Baby” detonation, two-year-old Sadako was at home at a distance of approximately 2 kilometers from the epicenter. The blast wave carried her through the window, but the girl remained alive. In November 1954, she showed the first signs of the disease - a tumor appeared on her neck and behind her ears.
In January 1955, a tumor appeared on her legs, and on February 21, the girl was admitted to the hospital with a diagnosis of leukemia. According to doctors, she had no more than a year to live.
On August 3, from her best friend Chizuko Hamamoto, she learned about a legend according to which a person who folds a thousand paper cranes can make a wish that will certainly come true. The legend influenced Sadako, and she, like many hospital patients, began to fold cranes from any pieces of paper that fell into her hands.
Meanwhile, Sadako's health gradually deteriorated and she died on October 25, 1955.

According to the legend from the book “Sadako and the Thousand Paper Cranes”, she managed to make only 644 cranes. Her friends finished their work, and Sadako was buried along with a thousand paper cranes. At the exhibition dedicated to Sadako, which is located at the Peace Memorial Museum in the city of Hiroshima, information is provided that the girl managed to make more than a thousand paper cranes.
Sadako Sasaki has become a symbol of opposition to nuclear war.

MONUMENTS

Monument in the city of Hiroshima

Inspired by her courage and willpower, Sadako's friends and classmates published her letters. They began planning to build a monument in memory of Sadako and all the other children who died from the atomic bombing. Young people from all over Japan began to raise funds for this project.
In 1959, a statue depicting Sadako holding a paper crane was erected in the Peace Park in Hiroshima. On the pedestal of the statue it is written: “This is our cry. This is our prayer. World peace".

Monument in Peace Park in Seattle (USA)

There is a statue of Sadako in Peace Park in Seattle, USA. The life-size statue also depicts a girl holding a paper crane. On the pedestal is written: “Sadako Sasaki. Peace Child. She gave us a paper crane, symbolizing our hope for world peace.”
The Sadako Peace Garden was opened on August 6, 1995, on the 50th anniversary of the atomic bombing of Hiroshima and named in honor of Sadako Sasaki. On June 30, 2002, the park entered the Gardens of the World network.
The garden is located at La Casa Maria Retreat Center in Santa Barbara, California, USA. Created by Isabel Green and Irma Kavat as a garden for reflection and inspiration.
In the depths of the garden there are stones on which cranes are carved.

Monument at Nobori-cho

On October 26, 2000, the Student Association of the Municipal Youth High School Nobori-cho unveiled a monument to the paper crane. The words “Prayers of the paper cranes here” are carved on the pedestal of the monument.

Monument in Wales (England)

The most famous of the books, Eleanor Coher's book “Sadako and the Thousand Paper Cranes,” was published in 1977 and was published in 18 countries. A film was made based on the book in the USA.

The tragic fate of Sadako Sasaki served as the basis for the plot of the feature film “Hello, Children!”, filmed in 1962 at the film studio named after. M. Gorky (director Mark Donskoy).

SONG “JAPANESE CRANE”
(music by Seraphim Tulikov, lyrics by Vladimir Lazarev):

Returning from Japan, having walked quite a few miles,
A friend brought me a Japanese crane.
And with this little crane the story is the same
About a girl who was irradiated.

Chorus:
Fly, don't disturb this world,
You are an ever-living souvenir.

When I see the sun, I asked the doctor.
And life stretched thinly, like a candle in the wind
And the doctor answered the girl, spring will come.
And you will make a thousand cranes yourself.

Chorus:
I'll spread paper wings for you,
Fly, don't disturb this world,
Crane, crane, Japanese crane,
You are an ever-living souvenir.

But the girl did not survive and soon died
And she didn’t make a thousand cranes
The last little crane fell from children's hands
And the girl did not survive like many around.

Chorus:
I'll spread paper wings for you
Fly don't disturb this world, this world.
You are an ever-living souvenir.
Crane, Japanese crane
You are an ever-living souvenir.

Nowadays, the legend that cranes made of paper can make a wish come true is known all over the world. But few remember the tragic circumstances under which this legend became publicly known. The atomic bombing of Hiroshima in August 1945 affected tens of thousands of Japanese, including a little girl whose symptoms did not appear until 9 years later. The legend of a thousand paper cranes was her last hope - like many Japanese, she believed that they could fulfill her deepest desire...

When the United States dropped the first atomic bomb in human history on Hiroshima, Sadako Sasaki was only 2 years old. The epicenter of the explosion was two kilometers from her house; the shock wave threw her out of the window, but the girl did not receive any visible injuries. Signs of radiation sickness appeared in her only 9 years later. One day, during a school relay race, Sadako felt unwell, then attacks of dizziness and severe fatigue began to recur more and more often. During a medical examination, it turned out that Sadako had leukemia (blood cancer).

In February 1955, the girl was hospitalized. The doctors' forecasts were disappointing - she had no more than a year to live. Friends often visited her in the hospital, and one day one of them reminded her of an ancient Japanese legend that a thousand paper cranes can bring healing even to a seriously ill person. The fact is that since ancient times the crane in Japan has been considered a symbol of longevity, happiness and selfless help. Even in the Middle Ages, the tradition of making origami - paper figures - became very widespread. One of the simplest was the “tsuru” - crane, since folding it required few operations. Later, a belief arose: if you make a wish and add a thousand tsuru, it will certainly come true.

The legend was interpreted in different ways, calling the crane both a symbol of longevity, and simply a fulfiller of any desires: “ If you fold a thousand paper cranes with love and care, give them to others, and receive a thousand smiles in return, all your wishes will come true" Sadako believed in this legend, a thousand paper cranes became her last hope for healing. According to one version, she managed to collect much more than a thousand cranes; later a legend was born that she only managed to make 644 cranes, since the girl’s strength left her too quickly. On October 25, 1955, Sadako Sasaki died, but her friends completed the paper cranes after her death, and many more than a thousand cranes gathered for her funeral.

Soon the story of the little Japanese woman became known throughout the world. People were amazed by her patience, courage and undying hope. Her name, like the paper crane itself, became a symbol of the struggle for peace and a constant reminder of the terrible consequences of a nuclear explosion. People from all over Japan began to raise funds to erect a monument in memory of Sadako and all those who died after the bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki.

In 1958, a monument depicting Sadako holding a paper crane was erected in the Peace Park in Hiroshima. On the pedestal was written: “This is our cry. This is our prayer. World peace". A monument to the girl also appeared in Peace Park in Seattle (USA). In 1995, the Sadako Peace Garden was opened in Santa Barbara (California, USA). The tragic fate of a little Japanese girl inspired poets, directors, artists and sculptors from all over the world. Sadako’s story became the basis for the plot of the film “Hello, Children!”, filmed in 1962 in the USSR. In 1969, Rasul Gamzatov wrote the poem “Cranes”, which became the text of the song of the same name. Eleanor Coher wrote the book “Sadako and the Thousand Paper Cranes” in 1977, which was published in 18 countries, and a film was made based on it in the USA.

And today, debate continues about how justified the US actions were in 1945. Many historians believe that the issue of Japan’s surrender was resolved, there was no military need to accelerate events, and the United States carried out bombings for the sole purpose of demonstrating its nuclear power . , do not let us forget about its consequences for all humanity.

Sadako Sasaki born January 7, 1943 in Hiroshima.
She was two years old when the first atomic bomb was dropped on the city on August 6, 1945. Her family's home was located approximately 1.7 km from the epicenter. Although it was destroyed by the explosion, the girl did not suffer burns or external injuries. However, she and her mother were caught in the radioactive "black rain".

Despite the bombing and post-war poverty, Sadako grew up as an energetic and healthy girl. She was fond of sports and ran the fastest in her class.

But in 1954, at the age of 11, she developed health problems. At the hospital, Sadako was diagnosed with leukemia, “atomic disease.”
The doctor told her father that she had no more than a year to live.

On February 21, 1955, she was admitted to the hospital with a diagnosis of leukemia.
August 3, 1955 her best friend Chizuko Hamamoto brought her a piece of golden paper and folded it into a crane, recalling the Japanese belief that The person who folds a thousand paper cranes will have his wish come true.

The legend influenced the girl, and like many hospital patients, Sadako began to fold cranes from any pieces of paper that fell into her hands.. Sadako hoped that she would fold a thousand cranes and become healthy again. She continued folding paper cranes until her death.

On October 25, 1955, she died. According to legend from books "Sadako and the Thousand Paper Cranes", she managed to make only 644 cranes. Her friends finished their work and Sadako was buried along with a thousand paper cranes.

At the exhibition dedicated to Sadako, which is located in Peace Memorial Museum in Hiroshima, information is provided that the girl managed to make more than a thousand paper cranes.

Sadako's untimely death came as a shock to her classmates, many of whom were also atomic bomb survivors. Sadako's friends and classmates began to think about erecting a monument to her and all the children who died as a result of a nuclear explosion. Young people from all over Japan helped raise money for this project.

In 1958 A statue was erected in the Peace Park in Hiroshima,
depicting Sadako holding a paper crane.

On the pedestal of the statue it is written: "This is our cry, This is our prayer, World peace" .

The statue of Sadako Sasaki crowning the Children's Peace Memorial in Peace Park is located in the city of Hiroshima. There is also Statue of Sadako in Peace Park in Seattle, USA. The life-size statue also depicts a girl holding a paper crane.

"Sadako Sasaki. Peace Child.
She gave us a paper crane,
symbolizing our desire for world peace"

Sadako Peace Garden(English: Sadako Peace Garden) was opened on August 6, 1995, on the 50th anniversary of the atomic bombing of Hiroshima and named after Sadako Sasaki. On June 30, 2002, the park entered the “Gardens of the World” network.
The garden is located at La Casa Maria Retreat Center in Santa Barbara, California, USA.

Sadako Sasaki has become a symbol of opposition to nuclear war.