After some delay, the effort to replace the stolen bronze statue of a young Hiroshima bomb survivor is on track again.
A new sculpture honoring Sadako Sasaki is now expected in August of next year.
Sadako became a symbol of peace when she folded a thousand paper cranes while in the hospital. Her story moved Floyd Schmoe, a Seattle park ranger and pacifist who led the effort to create Peace Park where a bronze statue of Sadako stood. But in 2024, the statue was stolen.
Saya Moriyasu is a Seattle artist working on the new sculpture. On a recent trip to Hiroshima, where her father’s family is from, Moriyasu said she was able to gain some insight about the 12-year-old girl who died in 1955.
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During Moriyasu’s trip, she met some of Sadako’s classmates. Although Sadako often appeared serious in old photos, Moriyasu said her classmates remember a dynamic, smiling girl.
“She was a real ringleader,” Moriyasu said, “and a very loving person that brought people together.”
Today, Sadako’s classmates are in their 80s. Many of them volunteer their time to preserve the stories of the victims and survivors. Moriyasu said she was moved by their dedication.
“There’s still people, 80 years later, that devote themselves to the message of peace,” she said.