In 1945, atomic bombs were dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, and in an instant, countless lives—and the futures that should have followed—were taken away.

Later, my father told me that Japan had been prepared to fight to the very last person, and that the atomic bomb might have been a devastating blow that pulled the nation back from the nightmare of total annihilation.

In this way, the power of nuclear weapons is always a double-edged sword.

While scientific progress brings great benefits to humanity, if it loses its balance with ethics, it can lead to irreversible destruction.

We are now walking a perilous tightrope between the two.

Today, the world competes for dominance under the shadow of nuclear power.

Amid this reality, Japan has pledged never to possess nuclear weapons.

However, more than that, I believe Japan has a responsibility to actively work toward a world free of nuclear war.

This is because Japan is the only country to have experienced atomic bombing in war.

We must continue to share this painful history and its lessons with the world and with future generations, so that the same mistake is never repeated.

If we fail to do so, nuclear weapons could once again threaten the very future of humanity.

Quilting, historically, carries a spirit not of conflict, but of cooperation— of people coming together and working with their hands for the sake of others.

Within these quiet acts lies a prayer for peace.

Though my efforts may be small,

I would be grateful if, through quilting, I could help share a call for a world without nuclear weapons.

The photo shows“ the Nagasaki Peace Memorial Statue.”