The Unsettling Legend of Okiku: The Doll Whose Hair Grows

Deep within the hallowed halls of Menenji Temple in Japan resides a peculiar and unsettling figure: Okiku. Enshrined there since 1938, she's a small doll, barely 40 centimeters tall, dressed in a traditional kimono. Her black hair, cut to shoulder length, adds to her unsettling presence. Okiku's story, however, is far more than just a tale of a pretty doll; it's a legend that whispers of loss, grief, and the uncanny.

The story begins in 1918, when a young boy named Eikichi Suzuki purchased the doll for his two-year-old sister, Okiku, during a visit to a marine exhibition. The little girl and her doll became inseparable, a constant pair. Tragically, Okiku's life was cut short just a year later. She succumbed to an illness, leaving her family devastated.

In their grief, Okiku's family placed her beloved doll on the household altar, a place of prayer and remembrance. There, they honored Okiku's memory. But soon, something strange began to happen. The family noticed that the hair on Okiku's doll had begun to grow. It seemed impossible, yet it was undeniable. The doll's hair, was growing longer, as if it were alive.

The family, understandably shaken, concluded that the spirit of young Okiku, who had died so young, now resided within her cherished doll. The doll remained with the family until 1938, when they moved to a new home. Before leaving, they gave the doll to the Menenji Temple, where she remains enshrined to this day.

The temple named the doll Okiku, after the little girl, and the legend continues. Some believe that the hair continues to grow, a constant reminder of the girl's spirit. There's even a story of a priest who, in a dream, received a message from Okiku herself, asking him to keep her hair trimmed. It's said that in the first few days after arriving at the temple, her hair grew ten inches, reaching down to her knees. And every year, the temple priests must trim her hair, now kept just below shoulder length.

While the temple has reportedly refused to allow the doll to be disassembled and analyzed, some claim that they did allow some of the hair to be trimmed and tested. The results? The hair was indeed determined to be human. This detail, whether factual or simply part of the legend, adds another layer of unsettling mystery to Okiku's story.

But the tale doesn't end there. Rumors persist that the doll's mouth is slowly opening, revealing a set of human teeth. This final, chilling detail adds a layer of visceral horror to the legend of Okiku, transforming her from a symbol of grief into something truly terrifying. Whether a simple doll, a vessel for a child's spirit, or something far more sinister, Okiku remains an unsettling reminder of the mysteries that can lie hidden within the familiar.

Check out our episode on haunted dolls here