It is crucial for children who have lost a parent to receive ongoing daily emotional support. They also need a safe place to release stressful emotions. Close to 600 children lost either one or both parents as a result of the Great Hanshin (Kobe) Earthquake that struck the city of Kobe in 1995. At a summer camp held by Ashinaga for those children that same year, a fourth-grade boy drew a rainbow in the night sky with the moon and stars--but colored the rainbow black. This painting became known as the "Black Rainbow", and it highlighted how deeply these children's hearts were scarred. This inspired Ashinaga to create places to help children recover from their emotional wounds. The Kobe and Tokyo "Rainbow Houses" were built as places of healing, which children can visit to play and share their feelings with other orphaned children and trained staff.
