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One Thousand Paper Cranes

By Gaea M. Claver

One Thousand Paper Cranes is a true story set during World War II. It was written by Japanese author Takayuki Ishii, whose goal was to tell the story of twelve-year-old girl Sadako Sasaki, a victim of war, and how the Children’s Peace Statue in Japan came to be.

When an atomic bomb was dropped on Hiroshima, Japan by the United States whose intention was to end the war by doing so, the radiation caused Sadako Sasaki to suffer the Atomic Bomb Disease. Sadako was hospitalized and confined in a room with a girl named Kiyo, who was herself suffering from tuberculosis. They soon became good friends. Then one day, a girl sent patients in the hospital some paper cranes because according to Japanese legend, paper cranes symbolized peace and hope. The legend goes that if a person folded a thousand paper cranes, he can wish for anything he likes. So Sadako and Kiyo were determined to fold a thousand paper cranes, hoping that it can help them get better and probably end the sufferings that the war caused. Later, Kiyo was discharged from the hospital, while Sadako was left alone to do the job. Although she had already finished making a thousand cranes, she planned to make another thousand more. Because of her condition, she then started to feel weaker and weaker everyday and she only managed to fold 1,500 paper cranes. By mid-October, she was too sick that she was permanently confined to her bed. On October 25, 1955 at 8 a.m., Sadako was confirmed to be dying. Her mother called all of Sadako’s relatives and friends. She died that day, and her classmates and teacher Mr. Kawamoto planned to make a fundraiser to help make a statue in memory of the girl.

Today, that marker named the Children’s Peace Statue, is in Peace Memorial Park in Japan and is often visited by people who put flowers and folded paper cranes at the statue to symbolize their tribute and gratitude to Sadako.

One Thousand Paper Cranes is a very touching true story. Although it is mostly drama, it also has some light, comical parts.

The story is rich with values such as faith, hope, courage and friendship. Sadako had faith in herself and on the paper cranes to make her better. Her relatives and friends had hoped that she will somehow survive the sickness that eventually claimed her life. Sadako and Kiyo themselves were very hopeful that they would get better and so will the other victims of war. Sadako would not have lived that long were it not for her determination to get well and her admirable courage. Also, when she and Kiyo were together, they supported and motivated each other to become brave so that they could bear the pain they endured. Without Sadako’s friends’ support for her, she could have been too depressed to fight to get well. Kiyo’s and Sadako’s friendship was also the starting point of their combined will to make paper cranes and bring forth the message of peace.

One Thousand Paper Cranes is a story of a girl’s determination to overcome personal pain and to somehow look on the positive side of things, despite the terrible things happening around her. It tells us also about the effects of the bomb that the Americans dropped down on the Japanese people, how unfair and painful it is to involve innocent people in times of war. This story will leave readers feeling extremely guilty, how we do not even think how lucky most of us are, to be healthy and to be living, and to be thankful for all these. I really liked this story and I recommend it to both adults and teens, for they can relate to the issue of war and its victims. I think people who like reading about historical subjects and dramatic stories like Les Miserables, which is set in a time of revolution in France, will like One Thousand Paper Cranes. While these stories describe specific historical circumstances, they are both tales of human struggle and desire for peace and an end to people’s cruelty against each other. I hope readers will get the chance to read this book and enjoy it as much as I did. #

One Thousad Paper Cranes is available at National Bookstore.

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