Bronze statue of Sadako Sasaki – 佐々木 貞子 – commissioned for peace garden

It was a privilege to be commissioned to produce a full-figure bronze sculpture of Sadako Sasaki, with a ‘paper crane’, for the Hed Wenn peace garden in Wales. I followed traditional techniques and used a lively live sitter – Emily – to ensure the highest artistic quality. The sculpture was unveiled and the peace garden was blessed in a service on the 21st September 2012, the World Day of Peace. Subsequently we engaged the local primary school with paper crane making and telling the story of Sadako through Kamishibai (Japanese paper theatre).

Why a statue of Sadako Sasaki?

Sadako was twelve when she became ill from the effects of the radiation from the Hiroshima nuclear bomb. Despite becoming increasingly ill she sought to make one thousand origami paper cranes, to have her wish for life granted. She lost the fight for her life but her school friends and family have told her story of determination, courage and her commitment to peace.

Over the years, the story of Sadako and the 1000 paper cranes has travelled far. It is used worldwide in peace education initiatives. Indeed, children from all over the world still send paper cranes to be placed under Sadako’s statue in Hiroshima.

If you are interested in buying one of the limited editions of this bronze sculpture, please email me at hazel [at] hazelreeves.com