Children’s Peace Monument

The Children’s Peace Monument in Peace Memorial Park is known for the sad story of Sadako Sasaki.
Many visitors learn about her story first, but here I would like to introduce another person connected to the monument.

Thousand Paper Cranes

The monument has a bell inscribed with the words “Thousand Paper Cranes” and “The Land, the Sky, and Peace.”
These words were written by Hideki Yukawa.

Hideki Yukawa

Hideki Yukawa was a Japanese theoretical physicist.
He is known as the first Japanese person to win the Nobel Prize, which he received in 1949.
During the war, he was involved in atomic bomb research at Kyoto University. However, because uranium was not available in Japan, the project was eventually canceled.
After the war, he devoted himself to the movement for nuclear disarmament through publications and lectures, while also serving in academic positions at institutions such as Kyoto University and Columbia University.

Wakaba

In Peace Memorial Park, there is also the Peace Statue “Wakaba” (Young Leaves), which bears Yukawa’s poetry:
“Evil fire, never come here again. This is a place for those who pray for peace.”
Please try to find them when you visit the park!