Above her, the inscription on the monument read:

: Sadako was just two years old on August 6, 1945, when the United States dropped the "Little Boy" atomic bomb on Hiroshima. She was at home, roughly two kilometres away from the hypocentre. While she survived the initial blast without visible injuries, she was exposed to the toxic black rain that followed.

Sadako’s story shows that even a small action—folding a piece of paper—can lead to a massive global movement against the horrors of war.

As her strength faded, Sadako continued to fold. Popular accounts often say she fell short of her goal, reaching 644 before she passed away in October 1955, and that her classmates finished the remaining 356. Other records from her family suggest she may have actually exceeded the thousand-crane mark. Regardless of the number, her determination captured the hearts of her peers and the world.