Key Facts
• Nagasaki’s Yamazato Elementary is 600 meters from the atomic bomb hypocenter.
• 1,300 of 1,581 students at Yamazato Elementary perished in the bombing.
• Annual August 9 memorials feature paper cranes sent from across Japan.
• Akoyama Elementary in Kushima City sent cranes for over 40 years until its closure in March 2025.
• Kitakata Elementary, with nine sixth graders, continues the tradition of folding cranes.
• The activity fosters peace education, teaching war realities and the value of peace.
• Yamazato Elementary appreciates Kitakata Elementary’s continuation of this unique tradition.
• Former Akoyama students, now adults, may share their memories of folding cranes.
Summary
Yamazato Elementary in Nagasaki, located near the atomic bomb hypocenter, lost 1,300 students in the 1945 bombing. Since 1983, Akoyama Elementary in Kushima City sent paper cranes annually for the August 9 memorial, but the school closed in March 2025 due to declining enrollment. Kitakata Elementary has taken over this tradition, with nine sixth graders folding cranes to honor peace. This activity, rooted in peace education, helps students understand the horrors of war and the importance of peace. Yamazato Elementary values this unique contribution, which remains a symbol of remembrance and hope. Former Akoyama students, now adults, may reflect on their role in this enduring tradition.
