Sadako and the Thousand Paper Cranes

by Eleanor Coerr

  She looked at her flock hanging from the ceiling. As she watched, a light autumn breeze made the birds rustle and sway. They seemed to be alive and flying out through the open window. How beautiful and free they were! Sadako sighed and closed her eyes.

  She never woke up.

  EPILOGUE:

  SADAKO SASAKI died on October 25, 1955.

  Her classmates folded 356 cranes so that 1,000 were buried with Sadako. In a way she got her wish. She will live on in the hearts of people for a long time.

  After the funeral the bamboo class collected Sadako’s letters and her journal and published them in a book. They called it Kokeshi, after the doll they had given to Sadako while she was in the hospital. The book was sent around Japan and soon everyone knew about Sadako and her thousand paper cranes.

  Sadako’s friends began to dream of building a monument to her and all children who were killed by the atom bomb. Young people throughout the country helped collect money for the project. Finally their dream came true. In 1958 the statue was unveiled in the Hiroshima Peace Park. There is Sadako, standing on top of a granite mountain of paradise. She is holding a golden crane in outstretched hands.

  A Folded Crane Club was organized in her honor. Members still place thousands of paper cranes beneath Sadako’s statue on August 6—Peace Day. They make a wish, too. Their wish is engraved on the base of the statue:

  This is our cry,

  this is our prayer;

  peace in the world.

  MORE ABOUT THE AUTHOR AND THIS BOOK:

  ELEANOR COERR was born in Kamsack, Saskatchewan, Canada, and grew up in Saskatoon. Two of her favorite childhood hobbies were reading and making up stories.

  Her fascination with Japan began when she received a book called Little Pictures of Japan one Christmas. It showed children in beautiful kimonos playing games, chasing butterflies, and catching crickets. She pored over the colored illustrations, dreaming of one day joining those children in Japan. Her best friend in high school was a Japanese girl whose family introduced her to brush painting, eating with chopsticks, and origami. Eleanor’s desire to visit that magical place never faded, and her well-thumbed copy of that favorite book is still in her library.

  Eleanor began her professional life as a newspaper reporter and editor of a column for children. Luckily, she traveled to Japan in 1949 as a writer for the Ottawa Journal, since none of the other staff wanted to go to a country that had been devastated by war. To learn Japanese, Eleanor lived on a farm near Yonago for about one year, absorbing the culture and enjoying rural celebrations. Soon she was able to visit nearby schools and speak to young audiences about her country. Eleanor wrote and illustrated Circus Day in Japan, using the farm family and a visit to the circus as models. It was published in Tokyo in 1953.

  Her most difficult trip while she was in Japan was to Hiroshima. Eleanor was shocked by the horrible destruction and death caused by one atom bomb. Of course, she did not know Sadako Sasaki at that time, although she was living there with her family. The misery and suffering Eleanor witnessed was burned into her mind, and she hoped future world leaders would avoid wars at all costs.

  One beautiful day in 1963, Eleanor revisited Hiroshima and saw the statue of Sadako in the Hiroshima Peace Park. Impressed by the stories she heard about Sadako’s talent for running, courage when faced with cancer, and determination to fold one thousand paper cranes, Eleanor was inspired to find a copy of Kokeshi, Sadako’s autobiography.

  Eleanor looked everywhere she could think of and asked all of her Japanese friends to help. Since the school had copied the ninety-four pages and stapled them together, most of the books had fallen apart. Years passed, and Eleanor continued writing for newspapers in various countries and wrote more children’s books. But she was always hoping to find Kokeshi.

  One fateful afternoon, Eleanor was having tea with a missionary who had lived in Hiroshima all through the war.

  “Eleanor,” she said, “you should write a biography of Sadako Sasaki for American children to read.”

  “I would love to,” said Eleanor, “but I must have Kokeshi to get all the true facts about Sadako.”

  The missionary took Eleanor to her attic. Lo and behold, at the bottom of an old trunk was an original copy of Kokeshi. Eleanor rushed to have it translated properly and began writing ‘Sadako and the Thousand Paper Cranes as soon as she could.

  “It’s like magic. I was meant to write her story,” Eleanor said.

  Sadako and the Thousand Paper Cranes has been translated into many languages and has moved both children and adults to write plays, perform ballets, compose songs, and collect money for peace statues—all celebrating Sadako and her wish for peace. Eleanor has visited schools all around the world, encouraging her audiences to work for a nonviolent world. Folded cranes are everywhere, and always underneath the statue of Sadako in Hiroshima’s Peace Park.

  Eleanor receives many letters about the effect Sadako’s story has had on readers. A few are included on the next page.

  Dear Author,

  I learned that we dropped a bomb and people died. We also suffered in Pearl Harbor when the Japanese dropped a bomb there. I think Sadako is important because she did not want any more wars to hurt people.

  Dear Eleanor Coerr,

  My mother is dying of cancer. Her name is Mabel. Please know that she is bravely struggling to live, never complains, and is learning how to fold paper cranes like Sadako. Thank you for writing the Sadako book. It is helping my mother.

  Dear Author,

  I like your story about Sadako because even though she was sick, she never lost hope. She was steadfast. When I grow up I want to be a writer like you. I am going to make people stop fighting.

  Dear Mrs. Coerr,

  We are studying about survival in our class. The teacher read your story about Sadako. It taught us to always believe in yourself. And never give up. I will never forget this book. You made the sentences come alive.

  HOW TO FOLD A PAPER CRANE

  BY GAY MERRILL GROSS

  The paper crane that Sadako folded is an example of origami, which in Japanese means folded paper.

  Because it symbolizes long life, good health, and good fortune, the origami crane has long been the most popular origami figure in Japan. As the story of Sadako has spread, the paper crane has also come to be known around the world as a symbol of peace.

  Beginning on the next page are instructions for you to fold the same origami crane that Sadako made.

  For more information on origami and origami books and paper, contact:

  OrigamiUSA

  15 West 77th Street

  New York, NY 10024-5192

  (212) 769-5635

  www.origami-usa.org

  Getting Started:

  You will need a square of lightweight paper, approximately 6 to 8 inches square. Special origami paper is available at many toy and craft stores. If your paper is colored on one side only, begin with the colored side facing up.

  Hint 1: Always do origami on a hard, flat surface.

  Fold in half, corner to corner, to make...

  ... a triangle. Crease sharply and unfold back to a square.

  Hint 2: Fold neatly and carefully.

  Fold in half again, side corner to side corner.

  Hint 3: Make very sharp creases.

  Crease sharply and unfold back to a square.

  Turn your paper over to the white side and position it as shown in drawing 6.

  Fold in half edge to edge to make...

  ... a rectangle. Crease sharply and unfold back to a square.

  Fold in half, top edge to bottom edge. This time leave the fold in place.

  Hold the sides in each hand (as shown) and push your hands down and together.

  Notice that as you push, the middle of the front and back layers are spreading away from each other. Continue to push your hands down and together until...

  ... your paper has collapsed (like an umbrella) and you see four triangular fl
aps. Pair together two flaps on the right and two flaps on the left.

  Flatten your paper and sharpen all folded edges. This multilayered square form is called a Preliminary Base. It is the beginning form for hundreds of origami figures.

  Fold the right and left open edges (front flaps only) to the center crease line. Crease sharply.

  Checkpoint: Make sure the pointed bottom of the cone shape you have formed is at the open end of the Preliminary Base.

  You should now see an ice cream cone on top of a diamond-shaped background. Fold the top triangle (the “ice cream”) down over the “cone.” Crease very sharply.

  Unfold the two flaps that form the “cone,” but leave the top “ice cream” triangle folded down.

  Hint 4: Always look ahead to the next drawing to see the result of the step you are doing.

  Lift the very first layer at the bottom corner while holding the other layers in place. As you raise the first layer upward, the “ice cream” triangle should also rise upward until you see...

  ... a large mouth form. Fold the long side edges inward along existing creases to meet neatly in the middle.

  This forms a tall diamond shape. Smooth your paper flat and neaten the top and bottom corners so they form sharp points. Turn your paper over.

  Repeat steps 12 through 17 on this side.

  This tall diamond-shaped form is called a Bird Base. The two top flaps will form the crane’s wings. At the bottom is a split giving you two thin flaps that will become the neck and tail of the crane.

  Narrow the neck and tail by folding the slanted outside edge of each (front layer only) to almost touch the center split.

  Checkpoint: Make sure you have narrowed the split end (the neck and tail) and not the wing end.

  Here is the result. Turn your paper over and repeat step 19 on the back.

  Fold the front wing down as far as it will go. Turn your paper over and repeat on the back.

  Lift the right half of the front wing and swing it to the left as if turning the page of a book. This will cause the slender neck that is sandwiched between the wings to spread open.

  Fold up the neck (the long, thin front flap) as high as it will go.

  Fold the tip of the neck down as shown to form a head. Crease firmly.

  Lift the leftmost front flap and swing it to the right. You will again see the wing. The neck and head should be folded neatly in half.

  Slide the head out and up to the position shown in drawing 27. Set the head in place by pinching the top of the head.

  Lift the left half of the front wing and swing it to the right. This will cause the slender tail that is sandwiched between the wings to spread open.

  Fold up the tail (the long, thin front flap) as high as it will go.

  Lift the rightmost front flap and swing it to the left. You will again see the wing. The tail should be folded neatly in half.

  Hold the crane at the top of the wings. With your other hand, slide the neck out to the side (see position in next drawing). Set it in place by pressing firmly at the bottom of the neck (which lies hidden between the wings). Repeat on the left, pulling out the tail.

  Gently lift the front and back wings and let them rest out at the sides at a slight upward angle.

  You may leave the crane’s body flat or expand it. To expand, hold a wing in each hand, close to the body, and gently spread your hands apart. Try to give the body a rounded shape.

  Your paper crane is finished! If you wish, hang it from a thread. Give it as a token of friendship, good wishes, and peace.