Origami cranes are recognized internationally as symbols of peace.
The reason behind this, and why folding origami cranes became so popular is through the story of Sadako Sasaki.
Sadako Sasaki was only two years old, and living one mile from ground zero when Hiroshima was bombed.
As a Hiroshima survivor, Sadako went on to lead a fairly normal and happy childhood until she became ill at age 11. Her symptoms were diagnosed as leukemia as a result of exposure to radiation from Hiroshima.
Sadako’s symptoms worsened quickly and doctors estimated she had at most one year to live. While she was in the hospital, her classmates brought her origami cranes. It was then that she learned of the Ancient Japanese legend of the cranes.
The crane was a highly regarded animal in Japanese folklore, thought to live a thousand years. Legend said that the gods will grant a wish to anyone who folds a thousand origami cranes.
After learning of the legend, Sadako set a goal of folding a thousand cranes. She would spend her time working towards her goal, using medicine wrappings, patients’ gift wrap, and whatever paper she could find at the hospital.
Sadako said of the cranes,
I will write peace on your wings and you will fly all over the world.
When Sadako died of leukemia at age 12, stories differ on whether she was able to achieve her goal of folding a thousand cranes. Regardless of whether she reached her goal, the story of how she braved her illness while folding the cranes began to spread.
After her death, a statue of Sasaki holding a crane was erected in the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park.
After September 11, people left paper cranes near Ground Zero in tribute to those who were lost. These paper cranes were eventually added to the National September 11 Memorial and Museum, along with thousands of cranes donated by Japanese students.
Sadako’s family, through the Sadako Legacy also donated one of Sadako’s cranes to the September 11 museum. They have gone on to donate Sadako’s paper cranes to various places as a message of peace, and to those in need of healing.
After the Fukushima meltdown, the 9/11 family association returned the gesture and donated a crane welded from World Trade Center debris to Japan. The crane now rests in Koriyama, less than 50 miles from the meltdown.
Because of Sasaki, the origami crane has become an international symbol of peace, hope, and healing. And numerous people around the world have also set their own goals of making a thousand origami cranes.