Children's Peace Monument, Hiroshima

The Children’s Peace Monument is a tribute to the young victims of the atomic bombing of Hiroshima, with particular emphasis on the story of Sadako Sasaki. Designed by Japanese artists Kazuo Kikuchi and Kiyoshi Ikebe, the monument has become a powerful symbol of peace, hope, and the suffering endured by children during and after the bombing.

Following Sadako’s death, her classmates and other schoolchildren across Japan launched a fundraising campaign to build a monument commemorating Sadako and the thousands of children who died as a result of the atomic bombing. Their efforts attracted support from throughout the country, and the monument was unveiled on May 5, 1958, Japan’s Children’s Day. Its central sculpture is commonly known as the “Atomic Bomb Children.”

At the top of the monument stands a bronze figure of a young girl holding a folded paper crane above her head. The figure is associated with Sadako Sasaki, who was two years old when the bomb was dropped. Nearly a decade later, she developed leukemia, a disease linked to her exposure to radiation.

During her illness, Sadako began folding paper cranes, inspired by the Japanese tradition that a person who folds one thousand cranes may be granted a wish. She hoped to recover and, more broadly, for a world free from war and suffering. Despite her determination, Sadako died in 1955 at the age of twelve. Today, visitors, schools, and organizations send or leave thousands of colorful origami cranes at the monument. These paper birds have become enduring symbols of remembrance, solidarity, and the universal hope for lasting peace.