×

News

Students of Fukuyama City University receive origami cranes from students in France

by Kyosuke Mizukawa, Staff Writer

Origami cranes have been sent from French elementary school students to a university in Fukuyama, Hiroshima Prefecture. Mie Oba, an associate professor at Fukuyama City University, and her students created a picture-story show about an A-bombed aogiri tree, or Chinese parasol tree, and have been presenting storytelling performances and donating sets of picture cards illustrating the story inside and outside of Japan. A French elementary school which received a copy of the picture-story has sent paper cranes to the university in thanks. The paper cranes will be displayed at the Fukuyama City Central Library, located in Kasumi-cho, Fukuyama, until November 11 to share information about the exchange to the public.

The story involves the seeds of the A-bombed aogiri, or seeds of peace, which are carried by cranes to all corners of the earth. The story was created in 2006 by Ms. Oba, then a teacher at Fukuyama City Junior College for Women, and her students. In 2008, they presented storytelling performances in schools and other facilities in France and donated French-language versions of the story.

One such school is Republique Elementary School in the city of Saint-Cyr. Paper cranes made by about 60 students and teachers at the school, who used the picture-story show for their peace education studies, along with messages of peace, were delivered to the university in late October.

These paper cranes and messages have been affixed to a large sheet of paper by seven students at the university who have been involved in storytelling performances. Ms. Oba commented, “I would like many people to see these heartwarming gifts from children who wish for peace,” adding, “I hope to continue presenting the picture-story show with my students in Fukuyama, too.”

(Originally published on November 10, 2012)

Archives