Japanese traditional
dolls are called "ningyo" in Nihongo, which literally translates as
"human shape". Japan is famous for its highly-skilled craftsmen.
Hence, the dolls that they make are so well made - they even look alive. One
such kind of doll they make is called "ichimatsu ningyo". These are
life-sized dolls; that is, they are as large - and shaped - as an actual human
being. The eerie quality of these life-like dolls came to be associated with
spooky legends and terrifying tales. One tale concerned such a doll in Tokyo,
made sometime in 1958. It is a truly beautiful doll: dressed in a geisha's
kimono, having eyes of amber brown set in a round face and with
shoulder-length, red flowing hair. It was named "Hana" after the wife
of Senosuke Hiroshii, the doll's maker.
Senosuke made the doll as a loving tribute
to his wife. Born to a red-headed Irish woman and her Japanese husband, Hana -
Senosuke's wife – was a redhead like her mother but has her father’s native
looks. When her husband told her he shall create an ichimatsu ningyo in her
image, Hana was both so touched and flattered. That made her promise to
Senosuke that the doll's hair shall come from every strand of her own. She did
so every day for many years as Senosuke made the doll - twenty strands of
Hana's long red hair went to the doll's scalp each day. When it was finished,
the doll was so much like the wife - it was even as tall as her. Senosuke even
put a widow's peak in its hairline as his wife has. By then, Hana and Senosuke
became old - their youthful hair and looks gave way to the white hair strands
and wrinkles of old age. But the doll kept the color and shine of Hana's hair
in her youth - the features of her youth were even copied. Their love was so
strong as it was when they were young- they were that so devoted to each other.
When Hana passed away, Senosuke was greatly sad for the loss of his wife. The
doll gave him the consolation he needed, for part of Hana was still with it. He
treated the doll as if it were a living person, as if it was Hana herself. In
the morning, he would carefully wash its long, red silky hair - a memento from
his dear, departed wife. He would also carefully dry then gently comb it,
making sure that not a single strand would fall off or be damaged. Afterwards,
the body will be wiped with a clean cloth. It will be perfumed then dressed with a fresh kimono. The
doll was then placed in a chair in a special section built into a wall of
Senosuke’s room. Before going to bed at night, he would gently take the doll
beside him and again gently comb its hair then lay it beside him as he goes to sleep. This he did everyday in his remaining years. At
the time of Senosuke’s death, no one attended to the doll. It was forgotten and
it remained in its space for many years - the house it was in became dark,
empty and silent. Senosuke’s relatives then came to the house to tend it and
live in it. The room where the doll was kept became a guest room and from
there, many strange incidents happened.
At night, sounds of a woman crying are
heard whenever someone passes by the room. One can feel the unusual winter cold
inside the room – even at noon and though the window screens are closed. Guests
staying in there for the night would sleep with the creepy feeling that someone
else is in there with them. One male guest narrated a terrifying experience
when he came to the house to stay for two weeks and slept alone in the very
room where the doll was.
In the first few nights, he would smell
sweet perfume within the room. Later on, he would vividly dream of a beautiful
woman with long, red hair caressing his body. Waking up in the morning, he
would find himself totally naked – all of his clothes strewn on the bed and on
the floor. Sometimes, he would wake up in the middle of the night after he felt
what seemed to be sharp fingernails scratching the skin on his arms and legs.
The scariest thing that happened occurred five days before he was to leave. A
voice whispered into his ear saying, “You’ll be with me forever.” It woke him
from his sleep and looked around him. Then, an unseen hand grabbed his private
parts, startling him. He then felt someone gently leaning next to him and
turned around to see the red-haired woman from his dreams. What frightened him
about the woman was that it seemed only the upper half of her body was visible. She was floating near the bed - her waist and legs were missing! In horror, he screamed and ran out of the room waking everyone up in the house.
He told what happened to the head of the household, prompting them to call for
the help of a miko, or a Japanese female shaman. The next day, the miko came to
the house and performed a ritual to put her into a trance. In that state, she
was able to speak to the spirit which turned out to be the long-dead Hana. The
miko learned that Hana still yearns for her dead husband and has been waiting
for him every night for his touch. Her very ghost now inhabits the doll that
Senosuke made. The ghost was then asked why she kept on disturbing the male
guest. It turned out that the young man looked very much like the dead
Senosuke, so the ghost kept on trying to get his attention. It was then decided that
the doll should be removed from the room and brought to the Zōshigaya cemetery,
where the couple was buried. A small shrine was built over the graves of Hana
and Senosuke to place the doll in. When it was finished, the doll was placed
inside and the miko then placed a ritual seal to prevent the ghost from leaving
it. No more did the ghost haunt the room ever again. The doll – and the ghost –
forever shall guard the graves of the couple from then on.
To this day, one can see the shrine that still
stands in that very Tokyo cemetery...
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