Children's Peace Monument

Date of construction: May 5, 1958 (Children's Day) Sasaki Sadako was exposed to radiation at the age of two and died of leukemia 10 years later. Her classmates, shocked by her death, called on the nation to build a memorial for all the children who died in the atomic bombing. With support from over 3,100 students from schools across the nation and from nine countries around the world, including the UK, this 9-meter-tall bronze statue was completed. (Bronze statue 3 meters, pedestal 6 meters) A bronze statue of a girl holding a golden folded paper crane stands atop the tripod-shaped pedestal, and on either side are statues of boys and girls symbolizing a bright future and hope. The stone monument under the statue bears the inscription, "This is our cry. This is our prayer. To build peace in the world." The statue was created by Kazuo Kikuchi, who was a professor at Tokyo University of the Arts at the time.