Nagatsuka Elementary School, Hiroshima [JAPAN]

last updated 1999.8.26.

Peace message from Hiroshima, JAPAN

(page in Japanese here)

Join our "Kids' 1000 cranes project '99"!

Messages from 5th grade

What on earth does "Peace" means?

Every one, what on earth does "Peace" means? We love peace. We take it for granted,but we think World Peace is a wish common to those who were killed in war with suffering, War gives us nothing but a pain and sorrow. We Japanese have lived with a sence of security since aperiod of peace had started. We wonder what terrible thing happened if the war had continued. We must create this wonderful situation "peace". There exist things that even kids can do. It is to tell people how terrible war is and how important world peace is. How terrible war is:everyone hates each other and countless people are killed.
How important world peace is; everyone lives with a sence of security and has hope and kindness.
Every body! We hope to keep world peace and create the world that never causes war.

What we can do.

Why do people make quarrel? Why can’t people stop the war? Though both should be blamed, the war leaves us tremendous damage even after it ended. Many people lose their lives for the war.
54 years ago, when an atomic bomb was dropped in Hiroshima, so many were injured or died. While the memory of the A-bomb seems to fade away, victims are still suffering from the aftereffect. While people live without a concern of the war, affected A-bomb dome is still stand at the side of the river.
As Sadako’s story has known to the world, more and more people fold paper cranes with a peaceful prayer. It tells that peace is everyone’s desire. “Kid’s 1000 cranes project” is actually making some progress. This world is not thoroughly peace yet, though, as you see many citizen who suffer from the war.
So, we should never forget the horror of the A-bomb. Even after the A-bomb dome had perished, we should never forget the fact that A-bomb actually hit Hiroshima.
5th graders took over the project from those graduated last March. At the peace meeting last summer, we saw 80,000 cranes sent from all over the world. We are impressed how far the internet can reach out globally.
Why don’t you join us by folding paper cranes? Please imagine how beautiful when the cranes with good wishes gathered at one place. Your cranes will be cerebrated at our school’s peace meeting, then offered at Sadako’s statue in the Peace Park in August.

Spreading 1000 cranes all over the world

8:15,August,54 years ago,Hiroshima was scorched black and every thing was burned.
My grand mother said "Black rain fell and a black mush room cloud ran after me."
She ran hard because she thought she would be killed by the cloud when it caught her.
And still Many people suffer from radiation sickness.And there are coutries that is going to war.
I hope to stop them. It is very sad for us to kill each other.
Let's fold cranes and think of the world Peace. Let's fold cranes so that we can understand everyone.

Schedule

July-16 the first deadline;if you want your cranes joinning "peace meeting" in Nagatska .E.S,you should send them no later than this day.
July-17 Peace Meeting in Nagatsuka E.S. Cranes are decorated around the place.
August-1 the second deadline.If you want to send your cranes to Peace Memorial Park,you should send them no later than this day.
August-2 Peace Meeting in Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park. We will donate peace cranes to the Sadako's Monument.
If your cranes reaced after 8-2,the cranes will be send next oppotunity.

How to make origami cranes

http://www.pro.or.jp/~fuji/origami/howto/tsuru-base-eng.html
http://www.pro.or.jp/~fuji/origami/howto/tsuru-eng.html

You can use square paper of any size and color.
Use durable strings to put folded cranes together.
Attach a piece of paper with your name or your school's name and a peace message.

REGULAR MAIL address

Please send cranes for
     Nagatsuka Syougakkou "which means Nagatsuka Elementary School"
     4-15-1, Nagatsuka, Asaminami-ku, Hiroshima-shi(731-0135), Japan
     TEL: 082-239-1764 / FAX: 082-239-7614

We can assist your wishing !

e-mail:cranes@next1.yasuda-u.ac.jp

Members of board of "Kids' 1000 cranes project '99"

5-1 Yokota Shou,Hotta Miyuki, 5-2 Segawa Yoshie,Iehara yousuke,5-3 Nakano Takuya,Hino Ayako.

Peace Forum '99 in The Peace Memorial Park (in front of the Sadako's monument)

The 2nd of August, 1999. We had a Peace Forum of KIDS' 1000 peace cranes project.
Please look at this URL; http://next1.yasuda-u.ac.jp/nagatuka/kids1000/99/park/index_e.html

passed activities

KIDS' 1000 Peace Cranes PROJECT '98
From the first class in 4th grade To elementary school puipils all over the world.

We 4th graders took over "The Kids project of 1000paper cranes" from 6th grade last year.
Innocent people are involeved in a war.There are suffering people though the war is over.
Do you like a war ? In the peace meeting last year,the gym was decorated with 60,000 cranes sent from all over the world.I-net was a good chance to be sent those cranes. We amezed to see such power of I-net. Let's fold paper cranes! Only one crane make use.
If the cranes are gathered,they'll be warm-herated cranes. Crane you have sent will be used on the peace meeting and decorated on the statue of A-bomb Kid in tha Peace Memorial Park. We 4th grader will make best.We look forward arrival of your paper cranes.

Peace Message '98

We need our united efforts, more than ever, in defending peace around the world. We strongly protest against the series of nuclear tests conducted by two of our fellow Asian countries. We are against the possession of nuclear arms by any countries, whatever the reason may be. We are also against the production, sales, possession and use of land mines and other types of weapons by any countries. Wherever they may be used, in Africa, in Asia, in America or in Europe, nuclear arms and weapons would only create deep sorrow and hatred in our minds, especially when children like Sadako become their victims.

Again this year our students at Nagatsuka Elementary School have started the "Kids 1000 Peace Cranes Project 98". It is our hope that our project be understood by many people around the world and to bring peace of mind to millions of people suffering from war.

Let us unite our efforts so that this spirit of peace will encircle the globe and to bring the world a step closer to peace!

June 2, 1998.

"NO MORE WAR!!!" All of our peace cranes are HERE.

KIDS' 1000 Peace Cranes PROJECT '97

Eri HIDA

This year, more than 80 schools participated KIDS' 1000 Peace Cranes PROJECT. The paper cranes are in the peace meeting at this gym. The gym is full of cranes from all over Japan and foreign countries such as United States and Spain. I was touched to know so much people long for peace. I thank you from the heart.

I hope people over the world appeal each other for the ban of war. We appealed by E-mail for folding paper cranes. Then, many people replied to us. I enjoy reading mails to me.

Naruse elementary school, in Kanagawa prefecture, said "Of course it is necessary for us to ban war, but we promised to stop bullying in our life bay folding paper cranes." I think it is very important.

We'll leave school this year, but We want you to proceed KIDS' 1000 Peace Cranes PROJECT. I hope that you understand our longing for creation of peace. The 2nd of August, we send your hope for peace to Peace Memorial Park.

KIDS' 1000 Peace Cranes PROJECT '96

Yumeka MATSUMOTO

52 years ago, the 6th of August, 8:15, a mushroom cloud appeared with a big roaring. A-bomb was dropped at Hiroshima. All glasses of windows were broken and struck people. Countless dead bodies were on the surface of Motoyasu river and on road side. Only one bomb killed countless people. I shoulder at the mere idea of it. But Hiroshima now cannot remind us of the sight, and it doesn't seems real because there was no such terrible war near us.

Our class thought of it. I decided to send paper cranes to Peace Memorial Park for innocent people killed and appealed all over Japan to fold paper cranes for victims of war through the I-net. And we spent our interval folding paper cranes thinking we can't depend completely on other schools. That's the way "KIDS' 1000 Peace Cranes PROJECT" started.

Every time we folded a paper crane, we pray "no more war" . Then after a several weeks,it was the day before the peace meeting. We had about 30000 paper cranes. A corrugated cartoon had various colors of cranes. They were different in scale; there was a small crane made of a sheet of paper and its scale is a quarter of general origami, and there was a large crane of 20cm when it extends its wings. A message about peace was written on every crane, and it seems very warm-hearted. I felt rewarded for my effort.

The day after, there was a peace meeting at the Nagatsuka elementary school. I read my essay. I felt everyone understood my thought because I had written about world peace and read it seriously. I thought we had to send cranes to Peace Memorial Park.

School broke up for the summer. The 1st of August, it was very hot. We went to Peace Memorial Park by bus. I read over the draft in the bus, preparing for read an essay as a representative of us. We arrived Peace Memorial Park soon. I started reading an essay as a representative, with deep breath. "I want to maintain the peace of world". And thought that I would make effort to create peace as much as I can . If we want to create peace, begin by easy things such as avoiding a quarrel as much as possible.

We're in the 6th year, we're starting "KIDS 1000 Peace Cranes PROJECT". We aim to collect more than 30,000, the number of cranes we collected last year, from over the country, North from Hokkaido and south from Okinawa. And our class make effort to fold more than 1000 cranes.

I hope we can pass down our longing to as much people as possible.

"NO MORE WAR!!!" Our peace messages are HERE.

Peace Forum '97 in Nagatsuka Elementary School

The 17th of July 1997.

The Peace Forum took place at The Gym of Nagatsuka elementary school. The Gym was filled of more than 50,000 paper cranes the pupils of the school collected from all over the world by appealing through the I-net.

The cranes will be brought to Peace Memorial Park the 2nd of August. The project is called "KIDS' 1000 Peace Cranes PROJECT". The project was started from last year.

Supporters (1996-1999)