Photo/Illutration Pilgrims come all the way from Poland on Nov. 11 to pray before the “weeping” statue of the Virgin Mary in Akita. (Hiroaki Abe)

AKITA--Just as suddenly as it started, a wooden statue of the Virgin Mary abruptly stopped shedding tears, leaving the sisters and nuns at a Catholic church here without an explanation.

From the outset, none of them could account for the sacred mother’s weeping.

Early on Jan. 4, 1975, the figurine was found to have wet eyes. The “tearing” phenomenon was reported on a total of 101 occasions until Sept. 15, 1981.

REAL TEARS

The sisters said they witnessed “tears overflowing down her cheeks, running to her chest and sash.” One of them recalled that the tears “once reached the feet” of the statue.

The statue is honored at the Institute of the Handmaids of the Sacred Heart of Jesus in the Holy Eucharist, located 7 kilometers north of central Akita city.

The tears were wiped with absorbent cotton and sent to a university forensic lab for analysis. The scientific conclusion? The tears were human bodily fluid.

The sculpture of the Virgin Mary with a cross on her back is 120 centimeters tall with the stand.

It is said that the face of the statue was specially designed by the late Saburo Wakasa, an Akita native, to resemble that of a Japanese woman. This may explain the Mary figurine’s facial resemblance to the Kannon statue in Buddhism.

UNCONVENTIONAL CHURCH

The church building likewise deviates from the typical style of Christian architecture, as it was erected by carpenters specializing in the construction of traditional temples and shrines.

In another Japanesque tweak, the design could be mistaken for a temple’s main hall. The design reflects the hope that “Catholicism should blend in with the Japanese climate.”

The sisters kept silent on the weeping phenomenon. But word of the “miracle” was soon shared with outsiders by visitors to the church and via other channels.

This led to pilgrims turning up from all around the world, eager to offer prayers.

When the Diocese of Rome organized a “night of prayer” event in 2013 to link 10 pilgrimage destinations featuring Mary worldwide, what is known as “Our Lady of Akita” was picked out alongside facilities in Israel’s Nazareth and France’s Lourdes.

“We present no certain interpretation of her tears,” said Sister Nozomi Akiho, who serves as chair of the Catholic institute. “The only thing we want is for her to help people enrich their faith even more.”

One day in mid-November, a group of 30 pilgrims arrived from Poland. One of them said he was impressed that he was eventually able to see the “miraculous” statue of the Virgin Mary.

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