Find me here:
  The Paranormal Guide
  • Home
  • Blog
  • Podcast
  • Videos
  • Photos
  • Atlas
  • Glossary

Haunted Doll Okiku

26/2/2013

Comments

 
Picture
In 1918 a young man bought this doll for his two year old sister. The sister and the doll became inseperable until her untimely death the following year. It was soon after the death that the family noticed the dolls hair getting longer.

Was 'Okiku' the doll inhabited by the spirit of their daughter?

A Curious Looking Doll

PictureOkiku in her shrine.
Located in a little wooden box, on display in the Mannenji temple in the town of Iwamizawa, Hokkaido, Japan, stands a small, 40cm doll, which takes pride of place as part of a shrine.

This doll is no ordinary doll, as every year its hair needs to be trimmed, as it grows. The hair is allowed to grow till it hits knee length on the doll, then is trimmed back to just below shoulder length. Now I am not exactly an expert on such things, but I was always under the impression that a dolls hair does not grow.

The hair has been growing for at least the past 75 years, and it is from this that the shrine has become famous.

The Gift

PictureHaunted Doll Okiku.
The doll was bought in Sapporo by a 17 year old Eikichi Suzuki in 1918, for his 2 year old sister Okiku. He was visiting the area for a marine exhibit, but upon seeing the doll in a shop window, he knew at once that the doll needed to be bought and given to his sister.

The doll stood about 40cms tall and was dressed in a traditional kimono. The hair was black and cut to about shoulder length, in a traditional style, and the eyes were piercing, like black beads pressed into the life-like flesh of the face.

When Eikichi returned home he presented the doll to his little sister, who fell in love with it immediately. The doll became Okiku's favourite toy and, it would seem, best friend.

Okiku played with her doll everyday, and soon gave it the same name as herself, 'Okiku'. The doll would never be out of Okiku's sight.

Unfortunately, in 1919, Okiku passed away after a severe fever. She was only three years old. The doll was to be buried along with Okiku, but due to some unforeseen circumstance, the doll was never placed with Okiku in her final resting place.

Okiku (the doll) was instead placed in the family’s altar, in commemoration of their daughter.

Sometime thereafter the Suzuki's noticed that the dolls hair was getting longer. It once had a traditional shoulder length cut with neat ends, but now the doll had hair reaching down towards the waist, and the ends were more random in length.

The family believed the spirit/soul of their daughter inhabited the doll.


Haunted Doll Okiku

Picture
In 1938 the family moved to another locality, but not wanting to take Okiku with them (possibly out of fear that the 'magic' of the doll was due to the proximity with their daughters resting place) they instead took it to the Mannenji Temple.

Here they informed the priest of the dolls hair, and the priest, over time, could confirm that the story was true, the hair did indeed grow. Periodically the hair would get a trim and soon photos of the doll with different lengths began to adorn the small shrine, dedicated to the Okiku the doll and Okiku the girls memory.

It has been said that upon analysis of a cut sample from the hair that it does indeed belong to that of a child, but since the sample was not cut directly from the doll itself, no definitive conclusion can be made.

Ashley Hall 2013

A Question for You

If this doll is indeed haunted, was a part of the young girls essence emparted on her doll in life or has her spirit taken up residence after death?
What do you think?

Comments
comments powered by Disqus

    The Paranormal Guide Articles

    Here you will find all of the articles written for The Paranormal Guide on all things paranormal, strange, dark, macabre, weird, strange and bizarre!

    All photos with the blog posts remain the property of their respectful owners. If one of your photos is featured here without attribution please leave a comment on the blog and full credit will be given.

    Categories

    All
    Bizarre Experiments
    Conspiracy
    Cryptozoology
    Cursed And Haunted Objects
    Curses Demons And Exorcisms
    Earth Mysteries
    Fakes Frauds And Hoaxes
    Ghosts And Hauntings
    Ghosts Ghouls And Demons
    Interesting And Inspiring People
    Investigations
    Miracles
    My Paranormal
    Paranormal Photos
    Paranormal Vocabulary
    Phobias And Philias
    Post Mortem Practices
    Psychics Predictions And Seers
    Questions And Discussions
    Reviews
    Spirituality And Miracles
    Spirituality And Miracles
    Strange And Macabre Places
    Strange And Tragic Deaths
    This Week In Dark History
    Tragedy
    True Crime And Punishment
    Ufos And Aliens
    Unsolved Mysteries
    Urban Legend Superstition And Folklore
    Weird Odd And Bizarre


    Ashley Hall -
    The Paranormal Guide

    Ashley Hall explores The Paranormal, True Crime, Strange Deaths, Dark History, The Weird, The Strange and The Bizarre! Fact or Fiction? You decide!

    Picture

    Contributors

    Picture
    Matty Sweeney
    Picture
    Peet Banks
    Picture
    Nic Hume

    Picture
    Check out The Paranormal Guide Podcast and join three paranormal investigators and researchers for honest and raw discussions on all things paranormal, strange, dark and macabre HERE!

    Archives

    August 2016
    July 2016
    June 2016
    May 2016
    April 2016
    March 2016
    February 2016
    January 2016
    December 2015
    November 2015
    October 2015
    September 2015
    August 2015
    July 2015
    June 2015
    May 2015
    April 2015
    March 2015
    February 2015
    January 2015
    December 2014
    November 2014
    October 2014
    September 2014
    August 2014
    July 2014
    June 2014
    May 2014
    April 2014
    March 2014
    February 2014
    January 2014
    December 2013
    November 2013
    October 2013
    September 2013
    August 2013
    July 2013
    June 2013
    May 2013
    April 2013
    March 2013
    February 2013
    January 2013
    December 2012
    November 2012

    Please note that dates are from when the article was originally made.
    The Paranormal Guide does have posts all the way up to the current date.


    RSS Feed

Powered by Create your own unique website with customizable templates.