Sadako at peace

Restoration of the Sadako Sasaki peace statue in Seattle is testament to the decency and goodness of many people in the face of some sorry soul's misguidedness.

With an outpouring of support from around the world, sculptor Daryl Smith has repaired the arm and ankle of the life-sized bronze figure of Sadako, the 12-year-old Hiroshima survivor who subsequently died from leukemia. The young girl believed, according to Japanese legend, that if she folded 1,000 origami cranes, she would be granted her wish of becoming well. She folded hundreds before dying in 1955 from the atom bomb's effects. Her statue embodies the search for peace, and has drawn many visitors, especially children, who leave their own paper cranes in unity.

Late last year, a vandal hacked off the statue's right arm, which held aloft a crane; and also damaged an ankle on the sculpture.

Thanks are due to Michiko Pumpian and the World Peace Project for Children she founded in Issaquah. They spearheaded the campaign to raise money for repairing the statue. A dedication ceremony was held yesterday, the anniversary of the Hiroshima bombing, at Seattle Peace Park, across from the University Friends Meetinghouse. Sadako's older brother, Masahiro Sasaki, was an invited guest from Japan.

The small park was built by a longtime Quaker, the late Floyd Schmoe, who used the $5,000 from his Hiroshima Peace Prize to clear the site and commission Smith's sculpture for it.

Still to be determined is whether Sadako's statue will be moved to a new, more visible location in the city. A number of groups will be involved, according to Dewey Potter, spokeswoman for Seattle Parks and Recreation.

Let's hope, wherever Sadako is located, that her message of peace long will prevail over any single act of violence.