Paper cranes folded by President Obama to be displayed at Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum
Jun. 4, 2016
Paper cranes presented by President Obama during his visit to Hiroshima will be exhibited at the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park in downtown Hiroshima as early as next week. Saki Hanaoka, 14, a third-year student at Yoshijima Junior High School, and Masatoshi Yano, 11, a sixth grader at Nakajima Elementary School, who received the paper cranes from Mr. Obama, are eager for the paper cranes to be displayed, hoping that others will feel the president’s wish for peace imbued in them.
The two children, both residents of downtown Hiroshima and third-generation A-bomb survivors, were invited to attend the event at the Peace Memorial Park. In all, Mr. Obama brought four paper cranes to Hiroshima, placing the other two cranes by the guest book in the museum. The museum has been making arrangements to display the paper cranes, including a suitable location for the exhibit.
On the day Mr. Obama visited Hiroshima, Ms. Hanaoka was waiting for him in the museum, near the display of paper cranes folded by Sadako Sasaki. Sadako made these paper cranes with the hope of recovering from leukemia, a disease induced by the A-bomb’s radiation, but she eventually succumbed at the age of 12. Ms. Hanaoka watched as the president gazed at Sadako’s paper cranes.
Reflecting on that moment, Ms. Hanaoka said that Mr. Obama studied the cranes with a serious expression, knitting his brow. Then, with a friendly smile, he spoke to her in English, saying, “Nice to meet you.” Ms. Hanaoka shook his hand and he gave her a pink paper crane. When Mr. Obama told her to work hard in school, she replied, “Thank you.”
Her grandfather on her father’s side is an A-bomb survivor, and her grandmother lost her father and older sister in the A-bomb attack. At school, she wrote an essay about peace, based on the experiences she heard from her grandparents, and was chosen as a participant in the president’s visit.
Mr. Yano, who received a blue paper crane with a traditional Japanese pattern, spoke about his meeting with Mr. Obama in school on May 28, the day following the president’s visit to Hiroshima. He also talked about his experience on the phone with his grandmother, an A-bomb survivor. He said that his grandmother was happy about his participation, and said that Mr. Obama’s visit would be a step toward peace. He also said he was eager to learn more about the atomic bombing.
The two paper cranes given by Mr. Obama to the children were collected by the City of Hiroshima after the event. The City’s Peace Promotion Division said that they hope to display the cranes as soon as possible because they have attracted keen interest from the public.
(Originally published on June 4, 2016)
The two children, both residents of downtown Hiroshima and third-generation A-bomb survivors, were invited to attend the event at the Peace Memorial Park. In all, Mr. Obama brought four paper cranes to Hiroshima, placing the other two cranes by the guest book in the museum. The museum has been making arrangements to display the paper cranes, including a suitable location for the exhibit.
On the day Mr. Obama visited Hiroshima, Ms. Hanaoka was waiting for him in the museum, near the display of paper cranes folded by Sadako Sasaki. Sadako made these paper cranes with the hope of recovering from leukemia, a disease induced by the A-bomb’s radiation, but she eventually succumbed at the age of 12. Ms. Hanaoka watched as the president gazed at Sadako’s paper cranes.
Reflecting on that moment, Ms. Hanaoka said that Mr. Obama studied the cranes with a serious expression, knitting his brow. Then, with a friendly smile, he spoke to her in English, saying, “Nice to meet you.” Ms. Hanaoka shook his hand and he gave her a pink paper crane. When Mr. Obama told her to work hard in school, she replied, “Thank you.”
Her grandfather on her father’s side is an A-bomb survivor, and her grandmother lost her father and older sister in the A-bomb attack. At school, she wrote an essay about peace, based on the experiences she heard from her grandparents, and was chosen as a participant in the president’s visit.
Mr. Yano, who received a blue paper crane with a traditional Japanese pattern, spoke about his meeting with Mr. Obama in school on May 28, the day following the president’s visit to Hiroshima. He also talked about his experience on the phone with his grandmother, an A-bomb survivor. He said that his grandmother was happy about his participation, and said that Mr. Obama’s visit would be a step toward peace. He also said he was eager to learn more about the atomic bombing.
The two paper cranes given by Mr. Obama to the children were collected by the City of Hiroshima after the event. The City’s Peace Promotion Division said that they hope to display the cranes as soon as possible because they have attracted keen interest from the public.
(Originally published on June 4, 2016)
