In 1918, a 17-year-old boy named Eikichi Suzuki bought a doll for his little sister, Okiku, in Japan. Okiku loved the doll and even gave it her own name. Sadly, just a year later, Okiku passed away from pneumonia on January 24, 1919.
Heartbroken, the Suzuki family wanted to bury the doll with Okiku, but in their grief, they forgot. To honor her memory, they built a small altar at home and placed the doll at the center. That was when something strange happened — the doll’s hair started to grow.
At first, the family thought it was their imagination. But as time passed, the doll’s hair kept getting longer. They cut the hair, only to see it grow back again. The Suzukis believed that Okiku’s spirit had entered the doll.
Before going to serve in the military, Eikichi decided to give the doll to the priests at the Mannenji Temple in Hokkaido. Years later, when he returned, he saw that the doll’s hair had grown even longer — about 25 cm.
Scientists have studied the Okiku doll and confirmed that the hair is real human hair, belonging to a young girl. However, no one knows how or why the hair keeps growing.
The Okiku doll is still at the Mannenji Temple in a glass display case. Every month, on the 21st day, the priests cut the doll’s hair during a special ceremony. Visitors from all over the world come to see the doll and hear its story.