禎子と千羽鶴 • Sadako and the Thousand Paper Cranes
“Sadako and the Thousand Paper Cranes” commemorates the 75th anniversary of the atomic bombings at Hiroshima and Nagasaki, Japan that occurred on August 6 & 9 (respectively) 1945. Composed by Makana and Kayko Tamaki, the recording features a vocal performance by the Kwassui Girls School Choir. The lyrics are bilingual (English and Japanese).
A Prayer for Peace
The story of Sadako is world renowned. A native of Hiroshima, she was only 2 years old at the time of the bombing. She miraculously survived and grew into what seemed to be a healthy youngster at the age of 12. One day, while running track and field at school, she collapsed. Doctors determined she had leukemia from exposure to radiation caused by the atomic bomb. While in the hospital, Sadako was inspired by a traditional Japanese belief that said one’s wish would come true if they were to fold 1000 origami paper cranes. She used all her will and strength to fold as many cranes as she could, until she passed away. Her schoolmates completed the 1000 cranes in her honor, and eventually her story reached her town and the entire nation. Hiroshima city honored her with a Children's Peace Monument that stands to this day, and Sadako and the Thousand Paper Cranes has become a children’s story known throughout the world as a tale of hope and peace for a world without the threat of nuclear war.
Composer Kayko Tamaki, Hibakusha (atomic bomb survivor) & Pledge for Peace Representative Mr. Yoshiro Yamawaki, Makana
Today, unbeknownst to the general public, the threat of nuclear holocaust looms greater than anytime in human history. Due to a terrifying combination of vulnerable modern technologies, abandoned treaties, a lack of sound policy, and massive armaments held by the United States, the Russian Federation and a handful of other nations, the human race unknowingly teeters on the brink of annihilation. It is a popular myth that with the end of the Cold War, the threat of nuclear war vanished. To the contrary, in the absence of a democratized, engaged policy framework governing the creation, use and disposal of such weapons of mass devastation, humanity has placed it and planet Earth’s fate in the hands of a few men, some of whom may be eager to wield such power. As the Bulletin of Atomic Scientists has publicly stated:
“To call the world nuclear situation dire is to understate the danger—and its immediacy.”
We must democratize the conversation around nuclear policy through education, art and humanizing each other! ABOLISH NUCLEAR WEAPONS.
Makana with Kwassui Junior & High School Students in Nagasaki following his concert broadcast on NHK
lyrics
Sadako was only 2 years old
On the day the atom bomb exploded
In a sea of fire all around
Mother found her baby on the ground
Black rain fell
Mixed with tears
As they fled
Filled with fear
(CHORUS)
KONO INORI O KIITE
この 祈りを 聞いて
(Listen to this prayer)
TSUBASA O HIROGE
翼を ひろげ
(Spreading its wings)
HEIWA NO SENBAZURU
平和の 千羽鶴
(One thousand paper cranes of peace)
WATASHITACHI NO YUME O NOSETE
私達の 夢を 乗せて
(Carrying our dream)
Sadako grew up a happy child
For her friends she always had a smile
But a silent sickness grew within her
From the day the bomb exploded near her
Now she falls
To the floor
Ten years after
The war
(CHORUS)
Gracefully she tries to hide the pain
As her fingers fold a paper crane
Folding cranes until her final hour
As she prays for life with all her power
Sadako
Rest in peace
Help us to
Bring world peace
(CHORUS 2x)