Amazing Wooden Statue of Virgin Mary Dripping with Sweat Which Had a Heavenly Fragrance: The Miracle of Our Lady of Akita

This is a true story of a miraculous wooden statue of the Holy Mother Mary that dripped with sweat which had a heavenly fragrance.

What do you think if you hear from someone that there is a sweating wooden statue like a living person?

I can’t believe it!

That’s not true!

That must be a hoax!

It may be hard to believe in a sweating wooden statue.

However, such an amazing wooden statue of the Holy Mother Mary actually exists in Japan.

In this post, I would like to introduce an amazing sweating wooden statue of Holy Mother Mary, which later wept 101 times.

Our Lady of Akita, a miraculous wooden statue that wept 101 times.

The Miracle of Our Lady of Akita

The following story is based on the book “Akita: The Tears and Message of Mary” written by Father Teiji Yasuda (1916 – 2013), chaplain of Convent-Marian Shrine in Akita, Japan.

Father Teiji Yasuda (1916 – 2013)

In this book, Father Yasuda introduced “Our Lady of Akita,” a miraculous wooden statue of the Holy Mother Mary that wept 101 times and shed blood from its hand.

It may be hard to believe, but on March 14, 1989, the Most Rev. John Shojiro Ito (1909-1993), retired Bishop of Niigata approved this book in the following words:

I recommend this book and testify that its contents are true.

Bishop of Niigata, the Most Rev. John Shojiro Ito (1909-1993).

Actually, the weeping and bleeding statue of the Virgin Mary was so miraculous that it was broadcast on Japanese national television.

Furthermore, it gained notice with the miraculous healing of hearing loss of Sister Sasagawa who received messages from the Blessed Virgin.

Therefore, it was a miracle happened to a convent in Akita.

Source Maximilian Dörrbecker (Chumwa) – Own work

The Wound on the Hand of the Wooden Statue of Virgin Mary Disappeared

On September 29, 1973, sisters in the community went down the hill where the convent was located.

Then, they attended Mass in the parish church of the town.

That day was the feast of Saint Michael.

After they came back and had lunch, Sister Agnes Katsuko Sasagawa (born May 28, 1931) and another sister went into the chapel to pray the Rosary.

When she began to recite the fifth decade, she noticed that the whole statue of Mary was shining white.

So, Sr. Sasagawa tugged at another sister’s sleeve to draw her attention.

While they were praying, both of them looked at the statue.

Particularly, the garment of the statue was shining white and the dazzling light was shining from its both hands.

After reciting the fifth decade, they approached the statue.

Sr. Sasagawa prostrated herself to adore the statue.

At that time, her fellow sister pointed her finger at the right hand of the statue.

Oh! The wound on its hand has disappeared!

The blood of the wound on the right hand of the statue had flowed for the last time on July 27, 1973, but there was always the cross-like mark of wound on the hand.

However, at that time, even the cross-like mark had disappeared from the hand as if it was wiped off.

What is even more surprising them was that the hand became undamaged as it had been three months before.

It was indeed a mysterious phenomenon.

Sweating Wooden Statue of Virgin Mary

After that, when some sisters were reciting a prayer during the course of the evening office, the next surprising incident happened, which gave the metamorphosis of the hand of the statue high visibility among all.

Toward the end of the prayer, the statue began shine brilliantly.

Then the sister at the front noticed that the statue began streaming with something like sweat.

So, she left the chapel to let the other sisters know the incident.

At that time, Sr. Sasagawa did not notice it yet and she was still praying with her head down.

But suddenly, she felt someone near her.

So, she lifted her eyes and saw the guardian angel appeared beside her.

The angel said,

Mary is even sadder than when She shed blood.

Dry the sweat.

So, she joined the other sisters who brought a bag containing absorbent cottons.

Then, the five of the sisters began to wipe the statue gingerly with the new absorbent cotton.

Amazingly, the whole body of the statue was drenched with the sweat.

Especially, on the forehead and the neck, no matter how much they wiped the statue, something like oily sweat oozed out endlessly.

Sr. Sasagawa was amazed and had a pain beyond description in her soul.

Her superior, Sister K. prayed with streaming eyes.

She said,

Holy Mary!

Pardon us for causing you so much sadness and pain.

We beg you pardon for our sins and our faults.

Protect us, help us!

Each sister was devoted to wipe the place they wanted, sharing the same emotion and feeling the sense of awe.

The pieces of the absorbent cotton were wringing wet.

After the dinner, they return to the chapel.

The statue was again drenched with sweat.

So, they began to wipe it in haste.

At that time, Sister O., who was normally frugal with words, murmured sorrowfully as if she did not know what to do.

My cotton does not get wet at all.

It seems that it does not drip with sweat when I wipe.

Just then, as if it was a response to her nervous words, the cotton in her hand began to get soaked with sweat.

Sr. O. saw in amazement the cotton overflowing with sweat like a sponge soaked in water, which impressed her greatly.

The Sweat Emitting Heavenly Fragrance

In the meantime, one of the sisters said,

The cottons had good aroma!

So, each sister began to smell the cottons in their hand.

It was hard to tell whether the perfume of a rose, violet, or lily.

Rather, the cottons seemed to emit an indescribably fine fragrance like the mixture of those flowers.

They had never experienced such a heavenly fragrance and so they went off into ecstasies.

Then, Sr. O. asserted,

Not even the best perfume in the world would give off such a heavenly fragrance!

Everyone agreed with her opinion.

Then, they discussed,

Would the perfume of paradise be something like this?

The Chapel Was Bathed in the Fragrance

On the flowing Sunday, September 30, 1973, when the sisters entered the chapel, they were also struck with the same perfume.

After that, the fragrance continued and thus each time they entered the chapel, they felt as if their spirits were naturally ascended to heaven.

October 7, 1973 was the feast of the Holy Rosary.

Sr. Sasagawa was especially putting her heart into saying each bead of the Rosary.

Particularly, the chapel was bathed in the fragrance.

So, they felt as if their spirits were ascended by the Lord’s love while they were surrounded with Mary’s love.

Sr. Sasagawa felt so drunk with the glee that she had a question in mind.

How long will this fragrance last?

I wish this could continue for the whole month of the Rosary! 

Instantly, the angel appeared on her right and lightly shook her head with a smile:

It will last until the 15th.

After that, you will not be able to smell this fragrance on the earth.

Accumulate virtue, like delicious perfumes.

If you devote yourself to this, with Mary’s help, you will achieve it.

With that, the angel disappeared.

As the angel predicted, the perfume lasted until October 15th.

The Scientific Test of the Sweat

Later, the forensic specialists of Akita University conducted a scientific test of the cotton soaked in the sweat of the statue of Virgin Mary.

Administration Bureau of Akita University

Source 掬茶 – Own work

As a result, they found that it was the fluid of the human body!

Amazingly, even though it was a human sweat, it smelled like heaven.

Furthermore, the wooden statue of Virgin Mary dripped with sweat in full view of everyone.

Thus, there is no longer any doubt that it was an act of divine providence which was scientifically verified.

At first, Father Yasuda was half in doubt, when he received a report from the sisters about the sweating wooden statue of Mary after he arrived at the convent.

However, one day, when he was receiving a visitor, one of the sisters brought one of the absorbent cottons to get the visitor smell it.

To see the visitor amazed, Father Yasuda also tried to smell it.

He was unsure of his sense of smell, because he had undergone an operation on his nose in his youth.

However, Father Yasuda was struck by the fragrance of the cotton, because it was redolent with the scent sweeter than that of a rose.

At the same time, his previous hesitation and doubts disappeared at once and he clearly understood the importance of the miraculous event.

Father Yasuda says in the book  “Akita: The Tears and Message of Mary,”

Like Saint Thomas, do we not all have a tendency not to believe what we do not see, what we do not touch with our fingers, what we do not verify with our senses?

However, after he witnessed a series of miracles, he says,

These were visible (and now scientific proofs) that what was happening here was truly from Heaven.

Further was the fact that the cotton impregnated with sweat from the statue itself exhaled a subtle and unknown perfume, an unquestionable supernatural sign.

In this way, Father Yasuda acknowledged that the sweating wooden statue of Mayr was a supernatural phenomenon.

Is the Sweating Wooden Statue of Virgin Mary a Hoax?

Here, you may think that it was the work of a trickster.

It must be a trick or a hoax!

That’s impossible!

But can it really be so?

Common sense would say no.

Think carefully about the fragrance of the sweat.

The sisters said that the sweat emitted an indescribably fine fragrance like the mixture of a rose, violet, and lily.

Sr. O. said that not even the best perfume in the world would give off such a heavenly fragrance and everyone agreed with her opinion.

If a trickster could make such a heavenly fragrance, there is no doubt that he would become a millionaire like Coco Chanel (1883-1971).

Gabrielle “Coco” Chanel in 1920

Actually, by the mid-1940s, the worldwide sales of Chanel No. 5 amounted to nine million dollars annually (approximately US$240 million today).

Chanel presented Perfume No. 5 to the market in 1922.

Therefore, if there existed a trickster who fabricated the miracle of Our Lady of Akita, he would also be able to create the best perfume in the world, much better than Chanel No. 5.

He would easily become a millionaire by selling perfumes with such a heavenly fragrance in the global market.

However, that was not the case.

So, there is no doubt that that the heavenly perfume included in the sweat was created by supernatural phenomena, not a trickster.

Therefore, the wooden statue of Our Lady of Akita was indeed a living miracle!

Visit Akita and Confirm the Miracles of Our Lady of Akita

As described above, Our Lady of Akita worked various miracles, such as the miraculous cures of a deaf woman and a patient with terminal brain cancer as well as the bleeding and weeping statue.

Nevertheless, some people still cannot believe these miracles.

For such skeptical people, I recommend that you go and see if the miracles of Our Lady of Akita are true.

Especially, if you plan to visit Japan for the 2020 Summer Olympics, you should go to Akita!

For the detailed information of Our Lady of Akita, please click on the following link.

Please go and see the miracles of Our Lady of Akita with your own eyes!

Published on October 6, 2019

Updated on November 23

Written by OTAKUPAPA

References

1. Convent-Marian Shrine of Our Lady of Akita
2. Teiji Yasuda (1994) “Akita: The Tears and Message of Mary”
3. Our Lady of Akita in Wikipedia.