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What is Sendai Peace Tanabata?
Sendai Tanabata is a summer festival representing Tohoku, attracting over 2 million tourists every year. The first day, August 6th, coincides with "Hiroshima Atomic Bomb Day". The following day, August 9th, is "Nagasaki Atomic Bomb Day". "Can we turn Tanabata into a star festival that appeals for peace?" This was the conversation being held among volunteers at the Sendai YMCA. It was 1975. Although the quagmire of the Vietnam War had finally ended, 30 years after the radiation exposure, there was no progress at all in nuclear disarmament, let alone nuclear abolition. In Sendai, there were also reports of suspicious developments, such as a US military band participating in the Tanabata parade.


The following year, in 1976 (Showa 51), the members took action.
We formed the "Tanabata Citizens' Association for Praying for Peace" and decorated a modest streamer made from 2,000 folded paper cranes, along with a streamer sent from Hiroshima. We were not allowed to decorate the shopping district, so the venue was the entrance lobby of Sendai City Hall. This was the first "Peace Tanabata". However, we were refused permission to hang a banner reading "No More Hiroshima".
For the second event, with the cooperation of Hobundo Bookstore (at the time), we were able to decorate a section of the Chuo-dori Arcade Shopping Arcade (now Clyroad), which connects Sendai Station and Higashiichibancho Street, with two streamers. The media reported on the event nationwide.
The circle of friends making paper cranes and streamers expanded beyond YMCAs and Christian churches to include elementary, middle and high schools. The number of paper cranes donated from all over the country increased year by year, from 200,000 in the 7th event (1982) to 800,000 in the 16th event, and reached 1 million in the 18th event (1993).


The 45th Tanabata in 2020 was a bit of a crisis. The Sendai Tanabata itself was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic, citing the risk of spreading the infection. However, Peace Tanabata did not give up. Even if they could not decorate the shopping district, they decided to hold the event in a dispersed manner, saying, "We must not let the appeal for peace be interrupted." Smaller streamers than usual were made and displayed at Miyagi Co-op stores, kindergartens and daycare centers around the country. In addition, streamers calling for nuclear abolition were fluttered in a total of 22 locations, including the lobby of Sendai City Hall, just like the first Tanabata, and four hospitals of the Miyagi Welfare Association.
One nursery school told us that the leis that their children took home prompted many families to talk about the horrors of the atomic bomb and peace. It would be a joy to see the hope of sowing the seeds of peace take root, even if only a little.
Just before the 50th anniversary, most people in Japan were excited by the happy news that the Japan Confederation of A- and H-Bomb Survivors Organizations (Nihon Hidankyo) would be awarded the Nobel Peace Prize. This is especially true for us, who have been working to appeal for nuclear abolition in the same way. However, our shared goal is the realization of a nuclear-free world. We cannot stop our activities until then.


To be honest, the core participants of the "Peace Tanabata" festival are aging. However, in recent years, many high school students have rushed to the early morning of August 6th to help install the streamers, and the circle of sympathy is expanding to the generation that will carry the future.
Starting in June, we will begin making streamers and other items at the United Church of Christ in Japan Sendai Kita Church (Higashi Katsuyama, Aoba Ward) and other locations. Anyone is welcome to participate.
This year marks the 50th anniversary of the "Peace Tanabata" festival.
Shigeo Yuya, Representative of the Tanabata Citizens' Association for Praying for Peace
Oil shop Shigeo

"Peace Tanabata" started in 1976 with just 2,000 folded paper cranes that we made. Since there was no venue in the shopping arcade, we decorated the entrance lobby of Sendai City Hall with small streamers with strips of paper that read "No More Hiroshima" and "No More Anagasaki." This was the birth of a unique citizens' movement.
Half a century has passed since then. For us, the past 50 years have flown by in the blink of an eye. During this time, there was no option to "stop." The number of folded paper cranes sent from all over the country has increased year by year, reaching as many as one million in one year at its peak. This is because we have been driven by such a passionate desire for peace.
Speaking of crisis, it was the 45th Tanabata in 2020. Because the COVID-19 pandemic caused the Sendai Tanabata festival to be canceled to "prevent the spread of infection." We chose to hold the festival in a "distributed" manner. We made smaller streamers than usual and had them displayed at 22 locations, including co-op stores, kindergartens, nursery schools, and hospitals. The sash of "nuclear abolition and peace" was passed on without interruption. This method has since become established, and by the 49th Tanabata last year, the number of places displaying small streamers had increased to 70.
Last year, we also had some good news. The Japan Confederation of A- and H-Bomb Victims Organizations (Nihon Hidankyo), which has been working for many years under the banner of "nuclear abolition," was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize. We were all the more happy because we also hold the flag of "nuclear abolition." However, the reality is that, far from realizing nuclear abolition, there are more than 12,000 nuclear weapons on earth, mainly in the United States and Russia, and the destructive power of each bomb is far greater than those dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki. There are also threats of nuclear use. We cannot stop our activities. This year marks the 50th anniversary of the event, and we are planning to hold a "commemorative lecture" and other events. We would like to ensure that we continue to make progress after the 51st event, and how we can pass on the activities calling for nuclear abolition to future generations.
Shigeo Yuya, Representative of the Tanabata Citizens' Association for Praying for Peace
Shigeo Yuya, Representative of the Tanabata Citizens' Association for Praying for Peace
Shigeo Yuya, Representative of the Tanabata Citizens' Association for Praying for Peace
Shigeo Yuya, Representative of the Tanabata Citizens' Association for Praying for Peace
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