ᴀ ᴍʏsᴛᴇʀɪᴏᴜs ᴅᴏʟʟ sᴜᴘᴘᴏsᴇᴅʟʏ ᴘᴏssᴇssᴇᴅ ʙʏ ᴛʜᴇ sᴘɪʀɪᴛ ᴏғ ᴀ ᴄʜɪʟᴅ ʜᴀs ᴄᴀᴘᴛᴜʀᴇᴅ ᴛʜᴇ ᴄᴜʀɪᴏsɪᴛʏ ᴏғ ᴘᴇᴏᴘʟᴇ ᴀᴄʀᴏss ᴊᴀᴘᴀɴ ғᴏʀ ᴅᴇᴄᴀᴅᴇs. ᴛʜᴇ ʟᴇɢᴇɴᴅᴀʀʏ ᴏᴋɪᴋᴜ ᴅᴏʟʟ (お菊人形) , ɴᴀᴍᴇᴅ ᴀғᴛᴇʀ ᴛʜᴇ ɢɪʀʟ ᴡʜᴏ ʟᴏɴɢ ᴀɢᴏ ᴜsᴇᴅ ᴛᴏ ᴘʟᴀʏ ᴡɪᴛʜ ɪᴛ, ɪs ᴀ 40 ᴄᴇɴᴛɪᴍᴇᴛᴇʀ ᴛᴀʟʟ ᴋɪᴍᴏɴᴏ-ᴄʟᴀᴅ ғɪɢᴜʀᴇ ᴡɪᴛʜ ʙᴇᴀᴅʏ ʙʟᴀᴄᴋ ᴇʏᴇs ᴀɴᴅ ʜᴀɪʀ ᴛʜᴀᴛ ɢʀᴏᴡs. ᴛʜᴇ ᴏᴋɪᴋᴜ ᴅᴏʟʟ ʜᴀs ʀᴇsɪᴅᴇᴅ ᴀᴛ ᴛʜᴇ ᴍᴀɴɴᴇɴᴊɪ ᴛᴇᴍᴘʟᴇ ɪɴ ᴛʜᴇ ᴛᴏᴡɴ ᴏғ ɪᴡᴀᴍɪᴢᴀᴡᴀ sɪɴᴄᴇ 1938. ᴀᴄᴄᴏʀᴅɪɴɢ ᴛᴏ ᴛʜᴇ ᴛᴇᴍᴘʟᴇ, ᴛʜᴇ ᴛʀᴀᴅɪᴛɪᴏɴᴀʟ ᴅᴏʟʟ ɪɴɪᴛɪᴀʟʟʏ ʜᴀᴅ sʜᴏʀᴛ ᴄʀᴏᴘᴘᴇᴅ ʜᴀɪʀ, ʙᴜᴛ ᴏᴠᴇʀ ᴛɪᴍᴇ ɪᴛ ʜᴀs ɢʀᴏᴡɴ ᴛᴏ ᴀʙᴏᴜᴛ 24 ᴄᴇɴᴛɪᴍᴇᴛᴇʀs ʟᴏɴɢ, ᴅᴏᴡɴ ᴛᴏ ᴛʜᴇ ᴅᴏʟʟ's ᴋɴᴇᴇs. ᴀʟᴛʜᴏᴜɢʜ ᴛʜᴇ ʜᴀɪʀ ɪs ᴘᴇʀɪᴏᴅɪᴄᴀʟʟʏ ᴛʀɪᴍᴍᴇᴅ, ɪᴛ ʀᴇᴘᴏʀᴛᴇᴅʟʏ ᴋᴇᴇᴘs ɢʀᴏᴡɪɴɢ ʙᴀᴄᴋ. 
  ɪᴛ ɪs sᴀɪᴅ ᴛʜᴀᴛ ᴛʜᴇ ᴅᴏʟʟ ᴡᴀs ᴏʀɪɢɪɴᴀʟʟʏ ᴘᴜʀᴄʜᴀsᴇᴅ ɪɴ 1918 ʙʏ ᴀ sᴇᴠᴇɴᴛᴇᴇɴ ʏᴇᴀʀ-ᴏʟᴅ ʙᴏʏ ɴᴀᴍᴇᴅ ᴇɪᴋɪᴄʜɪ sᴜᴢᴜᴋɪ ᴡʜɪʟᴇ ᴠɪsɪᴛɪɴɢ sᴀᴘᴘᴏʀᴏ ғᴏʀ ᴀ ᴍᴀʀɪɴᴇ ᴇxʜɪʙɪᴛɪᴏɴ. ʜᴇ ʙᴏᴜɢʜᴛ ᴛʜᴇ ᴅᴏʟʟ ᴏɴ ᴛᴀɴᴜᴋɪ-ᴋᴏᴊɪ, sᴀᴘᴘᴏʀᴏ's ғᴀᴍᴏᴜs sʜᴏᴘᴘɪɴɢ sᴛʀᴇᴇᴛ, ᴀs ᴀ sᴏᴜᴠᴇɴɪʀ ғᴏʀ ʜɪs ᴛᴡᴏ ʏᴇᴀʀ-ᴏʟᴅ sɪsᴛᴇʀ, ᴏᴋɪᴋᴜ. ᴛʜᴇ ʏᴏᴜɴɢ ɢɪʀʟ ʟᴏᴠᴇᴅ ᴛʜᴇ ᴅᴏʟʟ ᴀɴᴅ ᴘʟᴀʏᴇᴅ ᴡɪᴛʜ ɪᴛ ᴇᴠᴇʀʏ ᴅᴀʏ, ʙᴜᴛ ᴛʜᴇ ғᴏʟʟᴏᴡɪɴɢ ʏᴇᴀʀ, sʜᴇ ᴅɪᴇᴅ sᴜᴅᴅᴇɴʟʏ ᴏғ ᴀ ᴄᴏʟᴅ. 
  ᴛʜᴇ ғᴀᴍɪʟʏ ᴘʟᴀᴄᴇᴅ ᴛʜᴇ ᴅᴏʟʟ ɪɴ ᴛʜᴇ ʜᴏᴜsᴇʜᴏʟᴅ ᴀʟᴛᴀʀ ᴀɴᴅ ᴘʀᴀʏᴇᴅ ᴛᴏ ɪᴛ ᴇᴠᴇʀʏ ᴅᴀʏ ɪɴ ᴍᴇᴍᴏʀʏ ᴏғ ᴏᴋɪᴋᴜ. sᴏᴍᴇ ᴛɪᴍᴇ ʟᴀᴛᴇʀ, ᴛʜᴇʏ ɴᴏᴛɪᴄᴇᴅ ᴛʜᴇ ʜᴀɪʀ ʜᴀᴅ sᴛᴀʀᴛᴇᴅ ᴛᴏ ɢʀᴏᴡ. ᴛʜɪs ᴡᴀs sᴇᴇɴ ᴀs ᴀ sɪɢɴ ᴛʜᴀᴛ ᴛʜᴇ ɢɪʀʟ's ʀᴇsᴛʟᴇss sᴘɪʀɪᴛ ʜᴀᴅ ᴛᴀᴋᴇɴ ʀᴇғᴜɢᴇ ɪɴ ᴛʜᴇ ᴅᴏʟʟ. ɪɴ 1938, ᴛʜᴇ sᴜᴢᴜᴋɪ ғᴀᴍɪʟʏ ᴍᴏᴠᴇᴅ ᴛᴏ sᴀᴋʜᴀʟɪɴ, ᴀɴᴅ ᴛʜᴇʏ ᴘʟᴀᴄᴇᴅ ᴛʜᴇ ᴅᴏʟʟ ɪɴ ᴛʜᴇ ᴄᴀʀᴇ ᴏғ ᴍᴀɴɴᴇɴᴊɪ ᴛᴇᴍᴘʟᴇ, ᴡʜᴇʀᴇ ɪᴛ ʜᴀs ʀᴇᴍᴀɪɴᴇᴅ ᴇᴠᴇʀ sɪɴᴄᴇ. 
  ɴᴏʙᴏᴅʏ ʜᴀs ᴇᴠᴇʀ ʙᴇᴇɴ ᴀʙʟᴇ ᴛᴏ ғᴜʟʟʏ ᴇxᴘʟᴀɪɴ ᴡʜʏ ᴛʜᴇ ᴅᴏʟʟ's ʜᴀɪʀ ᴄᴏɴᴛɪɴᴜᴇs ᴛᴏ ɢʀᴏᴡ. ʜᴏᴡᴇᴠᴇʀ, ᴏɴᴇ sᴄɪᴇɴᴛɪғɪᴄ ᴇxᴀᴍɪɴᴀᴛɪᴏɴ ᴏғ ᴛʜᴇ ᴅᴏʟʟ sᴜᴘᴘᴏsᴇᴅʟʏ ᴄᴏɴᴄʟᴜᴅᴇᴅ ᴛʜᴀᴛ ᴛʜᴇ ʜᴀɪʀ ɪs ɪɴᴅᴇᴇᴅ ᴛʜᴀᴛ ᴏғ ᴀ ʏᴏᴜɴɢ ᴄʜɪʟᴅ.