Watch a video of Yamaguchi explaining the meaning of the folded crane.
	Watch a video of Yamaguchi folding a paper crane.
	How to Fold a Paper Crane in PDF format
	Stall in the Memorial Peace Park, Hiroshima, Japan, displaying paper cranes folded from people around the world

Paper cranes folded by community members from Bozeman, Montana. The cranes are destined for display in the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park, Hiroshima, Japan.

Sadako Sasaki was two years old when a blinding flash and a hot blast attacked her and her family while eating breakfast. It was the morning of August 6, 1945 in Hiroshima, Japan. She and her family took refuge from the fires engulfing the city in a decrepit boat on the river.

Years passed and Sadako grew healthy and strong in a Japan recovering from the devastation of World War II. At the age of eleven, however, Sadako contracted leukemia from atomic bomb radiation exposure. She was admitted to Hiroshima Red Cross Hospital. One day, high school students distributed folded paper cranes to patients, including Sadako. According to a Japanese legend, anyone who folds a thousand paper cranes will be granted a wish. Determined to live, Sadako folded paper cranes to save herself. Unfortunately, she passed away on October 25, 1955 at the age of twelve.

The story of Sadako's heroic effort circulated in Japan and then around the world. As it did, the act of folding a paper crane took on a new meaning--the wish for peace on earth. Today, people from many different countries send paper cranes to the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum in Japan, where they are collected in stalls in the Peace Park.

Paper cranes folded by citizens of Bozeman, Montana packed in a box for shipping to the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum, Hiroshima, Japan

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