Seattle police launched an investigation after receiving a report about a missing statue of a Japanese atomic bomb victim in the area. The perpetrator cut the statue off at its feet.
Investigation is underway
Police are investigating the disappearance of the statue of a Hiroshima bombing survivor in Peace Park in Seattle’s University District. The statue follows after the Children’s Peace Monument statue in Hiroshima, Japan.
The statue, “Sadako and the Thousand Cranes,” is the work of artist Darly Smith. Peace activist Floyd Schmoe led the effort to create Peace Park in 1990.
Last Friday, parkgoer Avery Lockett found the lifelike 1.5-meter statue of atomic bomb survivor Sadako Sasaki stolen and cleanly severed at the feet. The Seattle Police Department continues to investigate the case. The city’s Parks and Recreation Department filed a police report on July 12th for first-degree theft and malicious mischief.
Community members believe that a thief took the statue for its valuable bronze cast copper.
Who is Sadako?
Sasaki Sadako was a 12-year-old girl who survived the 1945 Hiroshima atomic bombings. She died of radiation-related leukemia in 1955, though her story lived on to become a symbol of peace.
Each year, hundreds of people visit her and bring paper cranes. That’s not unlike the 1,000+ cranes Sadako made herself during her hospitalization in hopes that the gods would heal her.
A peace group that holds an annual memorial service in Seattle for those who died in the atomic bombings lamented the act. “We are shocked and saddened by the destruction. We hope that in the wake of this tragedy, more people will unite and rebuild the statue anew so that the movement to abolish nuclear weapons can once again gain momentum.”
Displacing Japanese war victims’ memories
Last week’s demolition of Sadako was not the first. In 2003, someone severed her right arm. The community repaired it eight months later thanks to worldwide donations initiated by peace activist Michiko Pumpian.
The erasure of Japanese victims in WW2 has happened before in the area. In 2020, a high-ranking college administrator at Bellevue College, WA, censored an installation that honored the incarceration of Japanese Americans living on the U.S. West Coast.
Prominent citizens in the Seattle area championed the Incarceration. Some used it as an excuse to snap up farmland owned by Japanese residents. The scars of that abuse still exist today: one family that benefited from the seizure, the Freemans, still owns significant real estate in the Seattle area.
Senseless acts in sensitive times
Sadoko’s disappearance comes less than a month away from the annual Peace Memorial Ceremony in Hiroshima on August 6th. The day, also known as “A-Bomb Day,” marks when the U.S. Army Air Force dropped the atomic bomb “Little Boy” on the city. The attack killed about 114,000 within four months, according to Hiroshima City.
NHK reported last week that a record-high 115 countries will attend this year’s ceremony to commemorate the 79th anniversary of the bombing.
At the ceremony, a list of names of atomic bomb survivors who died during the past year will be dedicated at the Cenotaph for victims. This will be followed by the ringing of the “Peace Bell” at 8:15 a.m., when the atomic bomb was dropped. The ringers will be two people, including a representative of the bereaved families. This wil be followed by a minute of silence for all those present.
Mayor Matsui will then read the Peace Declaration, and two elementary school students will deliver the “Pledge for Peace.”
This time, tents will also be set up on the central approach leading to the Cenotaph for the victims and other areas to provide additional protection against the heat.
Ms. Mitsumiko Nakatani, deputy director of the Hiroshima City Citizens Bureau, said, “With conflicts continuing around the world, the desire for peace in Hiroshima has drawn renewed attention and may have led to an increase in the number of countries attending the event.”
Seattle’s Densho project aims to preserve the memories of victims of Japanese incarceration in the United States during World War II. Consider donating to support their work.
Discuss this article with other UJ fans on our Bluesky account or Discord server!
Help keep us going
We’re an independent site that keeps our content free of intrusive ads. If you love what we do, help us do more with a donation to the Unseen Japan Journalism Fund in any amount.
What to read next
Japanese Man Gives Pile of Gold to City for Emergency Shelters
Some say the act was generous, but others question whether he should’ve established a trust rather than trust the city.
Will Japan (Finally) Start Standing on Both Sides of The Escalator?
The city of Nagoya and the 2025 Osaka Expo may be instrumental in reversing a habit that the 1970 Osaka Expo helped popularize.
Osaka Expo Shop Stops Sale of Drink Tied to Controversial Unification Church
The existence at Expo of the carbonated barley drink, whose parent company is almost wholly owned by the Church, caused an online backlash.
Sources
アメリカ シアトル 「サダコ像」足の部分から切断されなくなる. NHK
米 シアトル「サダコ像」盗難 「原爆の子の像」モデルに建立. NHK
