Psychic Detective Team - Uncover the Supernatural Phenomena (COMPLETED)

Chapter 6.3

Iya Valley, Shikoku Island,
Tokushima

"At least we can ensure that the spirits that possessed the doll were not spirits from Hiromi-san, Kusagi-san's grandmother," Rui said.

We have gathered at the base. Ayako and Naomasa already left to find information about Akane-chan from the previous owner. Sakuya and Sensei are walking around the house.

"Whoever it is, it's children spirit. That's what I heard from her voice," I said, "Like an Okiku doll, right? But, the Okiku doll is not possessed, right?"

"It is said that the doll was originally purchased in 1918 by a 17-year-old boy named Eikichi Suzuki while visiting Sapporo for a marine exhibition. He bought the doll on Tanuki-koji, Sapporo's famous shopping street, as a souvenir for his 2-year-old sister, Okiku," Kiyoharu said, "The young girl loved the doll and played with it every day, but the following year, she died suddenly of a cold. The family placed the doll in the household altar and prayed to it every day in memory of Okiku,"

"Is the doll haunted by Okiku after that?" Rui asked.

"Sometime later, they noticed the hair had started to grow. This was seen as a sign that the girl's restless spirit had taken refuge in the doll," Kiyoharu said, "In 1938, the Suzuki family moved to Sakhalin, and they placed the doll in the care of Mannenji temple, where it has remained ever since. According to the temple, the traditional doll initially had short cropped hair, but over time it has grown to about 25 centimeters long, down to the doll's knees. Although the hair is periodically trimmed, it reportedly keeps growing back," Kiyoharu sighed, "Nobody has ever been able to fully explain why the doll's hair continues to grow. However, one scientific examination of the doll supposedly concluded that the hair is indeed that of a young child,"

"I wonder why the family left the doll in the temple even though they there's possibility their daughter possessed the doll," I said.

"Well, every family have their own circumstances. But, Okiku doll is harmless. It just the hair keeps growing," Kiyoharu nodded.

"I wonder what really happened," I said, "Rui-kun, when Akane-chan appears in the living room, do you feel the presence of spirits?"

"No. Isn't that strange? But, I feel another presence," Rui said, "Like the feeling when Sakuya-kun's Shikigami appeared,"

"Shikigami don't act by themselves. Onmyōji is the one who controlled them," Kiyoharu said, "What if Akane-chan is Tsukumogami?

"You mean, objects or tools that get souls after service their master more than 100 years?" I asked. Tsukumogami, huh?

"Yes," Kiyoharu nodded, "Tsukumogami, Kami (God) of the tool, is a term used to categorize a type of yōkai (Demon). The Tsukumogami was a concept popular in Japanese folklore as far back as the tenth century, used in the spread of Shingon Buddhism," Kiyoharu explained, "The most accepted definition of the term says that tsukumogami are inanimate objects that once they have served their owners for 100 years, they receive a soul and therefore become alive and self-aware,"

"You mean Akane-chan received a soul and became alive?" Rui looked a bit confused.

"I just want to say, there's a possibility," Kiyoharu said, "But, tsukumogami are usually harmless, though they tend to play small pranks. Still, they have the capacity to get angry and can group up to take revenge against those who threw them away or didn't treat them well. For this reason, jinja ceremonies are performed in Japan to console broken or unusable objects," Kiyoharu explained.