SADAKO SASAKI. FROM THE SERIES BIOGRAPHIES OF HEROIC WOMEN
Sadako Sasaki (January 7, 1943 - October 25, 1955) was a Japanese girl from the city of Hiroshima, who was only two years old when the first atomic bomb “Little” in the history of this civilization was dropped on the heads of the inhabitants of a peaceful city!
Sadako was born at the height of the Second World War into an ordinary Japanese family: father Shigeo Sasaki and mother Fujiko Sasaki loved their daughter very much. When Sadako was only 2 years old, on August 6, 1945, the American atomic bomb “Little” was dropped on Hiroshima.
The little girl Sadako was 2 years old at the time of the explosion. Sadako's house was less than two kilometers from the epicenter of the explosion. From the blast wave she was thrown out the window, where she was later found under the rubble. Sadako was lucky - she remained alive: there were no wounds or even scratches on her. But the city was burned and wiped off the face of the earth. On that day, 92,133 people died immediately from the explosion. In total, out of 255,000 residents of Hiroshima, 176,987 people were affected. It seemed that God had saved this family - everyone remained alive. But for many years and decades after the atomic explosion, both in Hiroshima and in Nagasaki, where the atomic bomb was also dropped, people continued to die from radiation sickness.
Nine years later, in 1954, the matured Sadako showed the first signs of the disease: a suspicious red rash began to appear on her neck and behind her ears. On January 9, she told her mother that her throat hurt, it was difficult to swallow and breathe - her lymph nodes were enlarged. In June, Sadako underwent another routine medical examination at the ABCC, the Atomic Bomb Victims Commission. But the doctors assured that “everything is fine.”
Cheerful and active Sadako went to school, studied and played like all children. She loved to run, jump... She always liked movement... But the rash was getting bigger.
Once, during a school relay race, while running, the girl felt severe fatigue and dizziness, which were incomprehensible and caused anxiety... She tried to forget this incident, but the attacks of dizziness were repeated every time she tried to run. She didn't tell anyone about this, not even her best friend. But mom suspected trouble...
One day Sadako fell and could not get up immediately. In January 1955, a tumor appeared on his legs. On February 21, she was taken to the Red Cross hospital for examination, after which she was diagnosed with leukemia (blood cancer). Doctors gave her no more than a year to live. At first they hid from Sadako that she had cancer. And then she finally found out the truth and she became scared, she didn’t want to die... The struggle for life began! The struggle is spiritual, psychological and physical!..
On August 3, 1955, she was once again visited by her friend, Chizuko Hamamoto. But this time she brought with her a sheet of gilded paper and, in front of her surprised friend, made a crane out of it. She told Sadako an old Japanese legend.
The crane is considered in Japan to be a bird that brings happiness and longevity. And if a sick person makes a thousand cranes out of paper, he will definitely be cured. You need to make a wish and to make it come true, make 1000 paper “tsuru” cranes. If all 1000 cranes are made, then providence will fulfill the wish and give a cure for the disease and a long life... In order to make paper cranes, 12 operations were required with each piece of paper. It would seem simple, but for a sick child to make 1000 cranes is a very difficult task. And yet, she gave Sadako hope, and the girl got to work, but because of her illness, she quickly got tired, her hands did not obey, it became more and more difficult to concentrate and she could not work for a long time. 1000 cranes means at least 12,000 actions with paper that require attention and precision. When she felt better, she managed to make more cranes... But every day her strength faded...
Everyone around her - family, friends, doctors - everyone supported her. The girl’s courageous heart did not give up. She knew that in Japan many adults and children suffered and died from radiation sickness. And I wanted to help other sick children who may not know about the wonderful cranes or do not have the opportunity to make them. Overcoming herself, she began to make more and more cranes, wanting to save at least a few more children... People were amazed at her courage, compassion, perseverance and desire to save not only herself but also other children, while she herself was already living her last days.
When she began to run out of paper, she looked for and found it from nurses and patients from other wards, using any suitable piece of paper that she could find to make as many cranes as possible!.. She even made them in secret from doctors who did not they allowed her to overwork... Her condition worsened every day. By the beginning of October she could no longer walk at all. Her rash-covered legs were swollen and hardly moved... She only managed to make 644 cranes!..
Sadako died on October 25, 1955. Chizuko Hamamoto and her other friends brought more than 1,000 paper cranes to her funeral. They wove senbazura - thousands of cranes connected together and buried Sadako in the interweaving of thousands of heavenly birds of happiness!
The courageous girl was not forgotten, although there were many sick people like her... In 1956 it was published open letter to Sadako and her mother, Sasuke Fujiko. The grief of a woman who lost a child was familiar and understandable to many women in Japan of that period. All letters were published. Sadako's feat was appreciated. All of Japan learned about her. Young people from all over the country began to raise funds to build a monument to Sadako - and all the children who died as a result of the nuclear bombing. Sadako became a symbol of heroic struggle Japanese people against the senseless inhumane victims of peaceful children, women and men...
On May 5, 1958, the monument was opened. In 1958, a statue depicting Sadako holding a paper crane was erected in the Peace Park in Hiroshima. On the pedestal of the statue was written: “This is our cry, This is our prayer, World peace.”
Sculptors Kazuo Kikuchi and Kiyoshi Ikebe created the monument, which was built with donations from people. It was called the "Children's Monument to Peace." Hundreds of people brought paper cranes and whole senbazuru to the monument. Paper structures were destroyed by the rains - but people brought new ones.
Later, several senbazurus were enclosed in glass boxes around the monument. At the base of the monument there is an inscription carved: “This is our cry and our prayer for world peace.”
In 1995, a twin statue was erected in Santa Fe, New Mexico, USA, in memory of the 50th anniversary of the fall of “The Kid” on Hiroshima. 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).
On the 50th anniversary of the atomic bombing of Hiroshima on August 6, 1995, the Peace Garden was opened and named in honor of Sadako Sasaki. On June 30, 2002, the park entered the Gardens of the World network. Sadako Peace Garden is located in Santa Barbara, California, USA. Isabel Green and Irma Kavat created a garden for reflection and inspiration. In the depths of the garden there are stones with cranes carved on them.
Association of Students of the Municipal Youth High School Nobori-cho unveiled the Paper Crane Monument on October 26, 2000. The words are carved on the pedestal of the monument: “Prayers of the paper cranes here” - Here are the prayers of the paper cranes.
American writer Eleanor Coerr wrote and published the book “Sadako and the Thousand Paper Cranes” in 1977. The book, which was a great success, was based on real events, Eleanor talked a lot with Sadako's relatives and friends. It was published in 18 countries around the world. A film was made based on the book in the USA.
The book “Day of the Bomb” by the Austrian writer Karl Brückner, as well as the book “Children of Ash” by Robert Junk, talk about Sadako Sasaki. In total, about 20 books have been written about Sadako. Based on the story of Sadako Sakaki, the song “The Japanese Crane” was written (lyrics by Vladimir Lazarev, music by Serafim Tulikov)
At the film studio. M. Gorky director Mark Donskoy created the feature film “Hello, children!” Tragic fate Sadako Sasaki served as the basis for the plot of this 1962 film.
In 1969 famous poet Rasul Gamzatov, inspired by the story of Sadako, wrote one of his most famous poems, “Cranes”. Later, verses emerged from the poem, 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 memory of mankind will not forget Sadako Sasaki, just like this monstrous atrocity itself - the atomic bombing of the Japanese cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, which resulted in the painful death of hundreds of thousands of children and adults over the course of decades...
The little girl who was born during the war and died from an atomic explosion had nothing to do with the war, nor with those who started it, nor with those who dropped atomic bombs on the heads of peaceful, innocent people! And there were tens of thousands of such girls and boys... Didn’t they, like Sadako, who became a symbol of protest against the cruelest violence against the soul and body of innocent children and people with the help of weapons of mass destruction, ask the question - “For what?!.” Did they answer?.. Can there be an excuse for this?.. But courageous Sadako showed mental and spiritual heroism and with all her soul was directed towards peace and happy life in tragic circumstances for her and her country!..
A friend told me... yes, everyone has read this legend, but still...
In Japan, paper cranes are considered a symbol of good luck and longevity.
There is a tradition based on beautiful legend: “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.”
Japanese girl Sadako Sasaki (January 7, 1943 - October 25, 1955), irradiated during the atomic bombing of Hiroshima on August 6, 1945. Her house was located a mile from the explosion, yet outwardly she continued to grow up as a healthy child. Signs of the disease appeared in November 1954, on February 18, 1955 he was diagnosed with leukemia, and on February 21 he was admitted to the hospital. According to doctors' forecasts, she had no more than a year to live. On 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 wish of a person who folds a thousand paper cranes will be fulfilled.
The legend influenced Sadako, and she began to fold cranes from any pieces of paper that fell into her hands. 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.
A monument was built in memory of Sadako and all the other children who died from the atomic bombing. Young people from all over Japan raised funds for this project, and in 1958 a statue depicting Sadako holding a paper crane was erected in the Peace Park in Hiroshima. On the pedestal of the statue is written: “This is our cry. This is our prayer. World peace". The little courageous girl became a symbol of rejection of nuclear war, a symbol of protest against war.
In 1990, a monument to Sadako was erected in Peace Park in Seattle (USA), in 1995 - a Children's Peace Statue in Santa Fe (USA, New Mexico - the bomb dropped on Hiroshima was made in this state; the statue in Santa Fe - "sister" of the Hiroshima Children's Memorial), in the same year the Sadako Peace Garden was opened in Santa Barbara with a stone engraved with a crane. In 2000, a monument to a golden paper crane was erected near Sadako's school in Hiroshima.
It is believed that 10 thousand paper cranes will save one life.
Cranes are a symbol of purity, happiness, honesty, readiness for selfless help. The Japanese called cranes “people in feathers” and called the bird “the venerable Mr. Crane.” The Japanese crane is the hero of many fairy tales and legends. For the Japanese, the crane symbolizes longevity and prosperity. Strangely united into one hieroglyph with the Tsurukame turtle - the crane became a wish many years life. The crane also symbolizes hope. It is believed that if you make a thousand sembazuru paper cranes, your wishes will come true and even a serious illness will recede.
Tsuru werewolf cranes in Japanese mythology, which quite rarely turn into people, in human form are very kind, sweet, beautiful creatures with an all-understanding look. They often take the form of wandering monks and travel in search of those in need of their help. They hate violence.
Everywhere in Japan there is a legend about a wounded crane that turned around. beautiful girl, who married the young man who saved her. The girl turned out to be an excellent weaver. In the form of a crane, she wove amazing fabrics from her feathers, closing herself off from everyone in the room. When her husband spied on her, she became a bird again and flew away.
It is believed that if cranes turn into people, they often take the form of wandering monks and travel in search of those who need their help.
for those who are too lazy to look. This is how they are assembled:
Sadako Sasaki (January 7, 1943 – October 25, 1955) was a Japanese girl who lived in Hiroshima, Japan.
During the atomic bombing of Hiroshima, she was at home, just a mile from the epicenter of the explosion, and remained alive. I grew up as a strong, healthy and active child.
In November 1954, she showed the first signs of radiation sickness. On February 21, 1955, she was admitted to the hospital with a diagnosis of leukemia.
From her best friend, 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.
On October 25, 1955, she died, having made more than a thousand paper cranes.
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 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.
Sadako Sasaki has become a symbol of opposition to nuclear war.
In 1969, the famous poet Rasul Gamzatov, inspired by the story of Sadako, wrote one of his most famous poems, "Cranes".
CRANES
Sometimes it seems to me that the soldiers
Those who did not come from the bloody fields,
They once did not perish in this earth,
And they turned into white cranes.
They are still from those distant times
They fly and give us voices.
Isn’t that why it’s so often and sad
Do we fall silent while looking at the heavens?
Today, in the early evening,
I see cranes in the fog
They fly in their own specific formation,
Like people they wandered through the fields.
They fly, complete their long journey
And they call out someone's name.
Isn’t that why with the cry of a crane
Has Avar speech been similar since centuries?
A tired wedge flies, flies across the sky -
Flying in the fog at the end of the day,
And in that order there is a small gap -
Maybe this is the place for me!
The day will come, and with a flock of cranes
I will swim in the same gray haze,
Calling from under the sky like a bird
All of you whom I left on earth.
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 in Memorial Museum world in the city of Hiroshima, it is reported 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. Child of the world. 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 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.
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.
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, and 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 (folding it required only 12 operations). 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 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
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 peace in the world)
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, a monument to the Paper Crane was unveiled by the Student Association of Nobori-cho Municipal Youth High School. 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 Eleanor Coerr's book “Sadako and the Thousand Paper Cranes”, published in 1977 and published in 18 countries. A film was made based on the book in the USA.
