M.O.

千羽鶴 (senbazuru) means "a thousand cranes" in Japanese.

It is an old Japanese legend that whoever folds 1000 origami cranes will be granted a wish from the gods. After the bombings of Hiroshima & Nagasaki, a young girl by the name of Sadako Sasaki started her pursuit in accomplishing this task. Unfortunately, she passed away at the age of 12 due to the radiation, even though she was able to exceed her goal, as her classmates laid her to rest with a thousand cranes. 

Thousand Cranes was created for 2 reasons: 1 - to fulfill a promise to my loved ones gone, to our respective Ancestors, & to self, and 2 - to remind the world that morality and character hold more value than gold; that no matter how much wealth one accumulates in this world, the esoteric value of connecting with family & loved ones who've transcended, both living and dead, is priceless. In true Japanese fashion, Thousand Cranes vows to honor those who we've had to lay to rest, as well as those whose blood runs through our veins. 

      ご

      冥

     福

お  を

祈      

り     

し     

ま     

す     

Nagasaki, 1945

1 of 2 torii that outstood the atomic bombings of 1945.

Spiritual warfare.

 

NUCEAR BLAST SHADOW

Hiroshima, 1945

 

 

“I saw a boy about ten years old walking by. He was carrying a baby on his back. In those days in Japan, we often saw children playing with their little brothers or sisters on their backs, but this boy was clearly different. I could see that he had come to this place for a serious reason. He was wearing no shoes. His face was hard. The little head was tipped back as if the baby were fast asleep. The boy stood there for five or ten minutes. 

The men in white masks walked over to him and quietly began to take off the rope that was holding the baby. That is when I saw that the baby was already dead. The men held the body by the hands and feet and placed it on the fire. The boy stood there straight without moving, watching the flames. He was biting his lower lip so hard that it shone with blood. The flame burned low like the sun going down. The boy turned around and walked silently away." 

- Joe O'Donnell, Nagasaki, 1945