Inspired by Sadako Sasaki, who was two years old when the bomb fell and eleven when she developed leukaemia, this monument is surrounded by thousands of colourful paper cranes sent by schoolchildren from around the world. Sadako believed that folding 1,000 cranes would cure her; she died before reaching her goal, but her classmates finished them for her. The cascading strings of cranes, constantly replenished, make this the most emotionally direct memorial in the park.