The Okiku Doll is one very bizarre toy. Unlike dolls that can be fed and burped, this doll’s hair continues to grow!
Legend has it that, in 1918, the doll was purchased by a young man who planned to gift it for his baby sister, Okiku. His sister loved the doll and was seen playing with it every day until she died of a cold the following year. The family kept the Okiku Doll on their altar and prayed to it.
After some time, they discovered the doll’s hair had grown, and thus concluded that the spirit of Okiku resided within the toy. Since then, the Okiku Doll has made its home at Mannenji temple and still no one can explain the doll’s hair growth.
According to the temple, the traditional doll initially had short cropped hair, but over time it has grown to about 25 centimeters (10 in) long, down to the doll’s knees. Although the hair is periodically trimmed, it reportedly keeps growing back.
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