JAPANESE URBAN LEGENDS

OKIKU

A Happy Start
In 1918, there was a 17 year old boy named Eikichi Suzuki, was walking around the shopping market in Hokkaido. He found a large doll, it was a doll with short and straight black hair and a red kimono with floral designs on it. He purchased the doll and went home with it, giving it to his two year old sister, who named it "Okiku doll" after herself. The little girl's name was Okiku.

Tragedy Struck
A year later, the little girl became three years old but sadly passed away from yellow fever, they didn't have great medicine back in the day, so she died. The family made an altar for Okiku and placed the doll next to the altar to remember her. Soon, the family noticed the change in her hair. The length was once to her shoulders, but started to grow like a human's hair. Paranormal things soon happened, the family also dreamt of Okiku and waking up to the doll by their bedside and the lights flickered. It took a while to get used to the paranormal activity and attributed it as Okiku visiting them from the grave.

And The Doll Remains
Nowadays, the doll is displayed at a private and local shrine at Mannen-ji Temple in Hokkaido, Japan. It beckons the fearless and adventurous to visit her. If you are lucky, you might catch a glimpse of her or the priests cutting her hair to maintain the hair length as the hair of the doll still grows today.

RIP Okiku.🕊️