Posted: August 23, 2023   •   Posted in: Peace, Reflections

Folding cranes for peace

Remembering suffering

During August I try to fold quite a few origami cranes and find people who would like to have one as a gift.  Primarily my focus in doing this is to remember those who suffered atomic bombing of Japan at the end of the Second World War.  One does not need to read extensively about the effects of such devastating weapons. You only need to see the images of the flattened towns of Hiroshima and Nagasaki to have any sense of what happened to the people who lived there.

History records various reasons for the usage of these savage weapons. This includes bringing the war to end. Many experts subsequently descended on the bombed areas. Might also have been some hideous test to see the effects of two different bomb designs on civilian targets, whilst at the same time declaring to all other nations how much awful power to destroy now existed?  All these possible reasons seem far removed from the suffering of the victims.

Sadako and the origami crane

The origami crane has become associated with peace through the story of Sadako Sasaki. She experienced the bomb at Hiroshima at the tender age of two and it literally blew her out of her house.  Later, whilst fleeing with her mother, they encountered the heavily irradiated black rain that fell hours after the bomb’s detonation.  As Sadako grew older it was inevitable that she became quite ill and at the age of nine she was diagnosed with Leukaemia.  Whilst in hospital she decided to enact an old Japanese folk tradition. Whoever folds one thousand origami cranes is granted one wish.  Sadako was also very assertive about the need for peace in the world.  Some popular representations of her story state that she did not complete the task, though her family assert she did. Her brother stated that she folded 300 extra in excess of the total.

Unfortunately Sadako died at the young age of twelve years but her friends wanted her to be remembered. They raised funds to erect a memorial to her and all other children in the world affected by war whilst asserting the urgent need for peace.  There is a statue of Sadako in the Hiroshima Peace Park. She is holding aloft a golden origami crane and her story is still taught in schools all over Japan.  Indeed, Sadako has become an international icon for peace. Knowledge of her life has increased globally amongst the young recently as a result of the war in Ukraine.

Learning origami and from the process

Origami does have a reputation for being quite difficult. Indeed, I found myself on quite a learning journey and even a spiritual exploration to learn how to do it.  When young I had always been confused by printed instructions but found the solution was to watch someone else completing a piece.  Alternatively, there are various online tutorials. These are quite helpful and of course you can stop them or re-watch a part to be certain of what is needed.

As I learnt the folds I started to find origami had some things to teach me!  Firstly, like many Japanese traditions, careful attentiveness with little rush is needed.  I often think of the slow pace and careful accuracy of the Tea Ceremony.  Your folds need to be accurate and you need to take your time, easing the paper into the shapes needed.  I also learnt like many Eastern traditions, the goal should not be the main focus; it is the process of getting there that is important.  So if your folding looks a little less than perfect, remember this is not the main aim.  Origami is very mindful. Your focus becomes entirely on the paper. You forget your concerns about the past and future, living just in the moment of executing careful folds.  This is what is principally meant by the journey being more important than the destination.

From simply folding paper I learnt to slow down and be careful. As a goal focused Westerner I learnt not to worry about the end result but just the enjoy 10 minutes of careful focus.  I do think if many more of us could apply some of these lessons to our lives, perhaps we would live in a kinder and gentler world.  Indeed, origami also has a tradition that once you have learnt the folds of a piece, you make gifts of your creations to friends as an expression of friendship.

Creating a friendlier and more peaceful world

This idea underpins the Peace Crane Project for young people. Here students all over the world make a Peace Crane, write messages of peace on its wings and then exchange their crane with a child in another country.  All ages are included with easier folds and colouring pages for the very young.  This simple project hopes to extend the hand of friendship and a commitment to peace throughout the world via the hands of children and I think Sadako would have been pleased to know this exists.

I have always been passionate about the need for peace in the world and in the 80s and 90s attended many anti-Bomb and anti-war protests. It was at these I first encountered Quakers and was impressed by their commitment to peace.  A peaceful world is something I still assert is urgently needed. I often think of the inscription below Sadako’s statue, and I think we can all relate to it.

‘This is our cry.  This is our Prayer.  Peace in the world’

Gina (Beccles Quakers)