A Miracle Unexplained, Leaving Sisters and Pilgrims in Awe

The wooden statue of the Virgin Mary at the Institute of the Handmaids of the Sacred Heart of Jesus in the Holy Eucharist, located 7 kilometers north of central Akita city, abruptly stopped shedding tears. The "tearing" phenomenon had been reported on a total of 101 occasions from January 4, 1975, to September 15, 1981.

The sisters at the institute 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 tears were analyzed by a university forensic lab and confirmed to be human bodily fluid.

The statue is 120 centimeters tall with the stand and features a cross on her back. The face of the statue was designed by Saburo Wakasa to resemble that of a Japanese woman, explaining its resemblance to the Kannon statue in Buddhism. The church building itself deviates from typical Christian architecture, resembling a temple's main hall, reflecting the hope that "Catholicism should blend in with the Japanese climate."

The sisters remained silent on the weeping phenomenon, but word of the "miracle" spread through visitors and other channels, attracting pilgrims from all over the world. In 2013, the Diocese of Rome organized a "night of prayer" event linking 10 pilgrimage destinations featuring Mary worldwide, including "Our Lady of Akita" alongside facilities in Israel's Nazareth and France's Lourdes.

Sister Nozomi Akiho, chair of the Catholic institute, stated, "We present no certain interpretation of her tears. 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 expressed his awe at finally seeing the "miraculous" statue of the Virgin Mary.