Historic background

Our Lady of Akita is the Roman Catholic title of the Blessed Virgin Mary associated with a wooden statue venerated by Japanese faithful who hold it to be miraculous. The image is known due to the Marian apparitions reported in 1973 by Sister Agnes Katsuko Sasagawa in the remote area of Yuzawadai, an outskirt of Akita, Japan.

Our Lady of Akita Prophecy

The messages emphasize prayer (especially recitation of the Holy Rosary) and penance in combination with cryptic visions prophesying sacerdotal persecution and heresy within the Catholic Church.

For several decades, Sasagawa, originally from a Buddhist family, had encountered many health problems as a result of a poorly performed appendix operation and was immobile for over a decade. Her health reportedly improved after drinking water from Lourdes while under the care of a Catholic nun. After going totally deaf, she went to live with the nuns near Akita

Our Lady of Akita weeping Statue

The statue of Our Lady of Akita was carved in 1963 by Mr. Saburo Wakasa, a wood sculptor living in Akita City. Mr. Wakasa carved “The Lady of All Nations,” an image of the Blessed Virgin Mary which appeared to Ida Peademan in Amsterdam between 1945 and 1959.

On the morning of January 4th 1975, tears started to flow from the statue. The “lacrimations” (shedding of tears) started this day and continued, sometimes on consecutive days and sometimes at intervals for a total of 101 times. This persisted until September 15th, 1981—the feast of Our Lady of Sorrows.

Every time the statue wept, the sisters would pause to gather in front of the statue to recite the Rosary. Afterwords, a priest would wipe away the tears. The cotton swabs used were later sent to the forensic labs of Akita University and Gifu University for testing and were certified to be comprised of “bodily fluid.”

The Institute of the Handmaids of the Sacred Heart of Jesus

The Institute of the Handmaids of the Sacred Heart of Jesus in the Holy Eucharist, “Seitai Hoshikai,” is a small institute of Catholic religious women leading dedicated lives of prayer and was established in 1970 by the late Bishop John Shojiro Ito of Niigata, Japan.

Members make vows of Obedience, Chastity, Poverty, and follow the example set by the lives of Jesus Christ and Mary, in offering their lives to the service of God and neighbor. Seitai Hoshikai is comprised of sisters who reside at the Motherhouse in Akita, who lead a community life centered on prayer, and sisters who lead an apostolic life of evangelization among lay people in society.

The Garden of the Lamb

The Garden of the Lamb is for meditation and prayer. The Way of the Cross was constructed through the center of the Garden and blessed by Bishop Francis Keiichi Sato of Niigata on August 18, 1994.

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The Garden of Mary

Work on the Japanese garden, dedicated to the Blessed Virgin Mary, started in the spring of 1974 and was completed on October 11, 1976. The circular promenade garden was completed not by professional landscapers but by novice laypeople. Trees were donated by friends from different places throughout Japan.

The Chapel of Seitai Hoshikai

The chapel of Seitai Hoshikai, called Our Lady of Akita, was done in a Japanese “irimoya-juso-style” architecture which was built by Japanese temple building carpenters from Urano Domiya Kogei, Takasaki City in Gunma. The reason this church was constructed in this traditional style was to convey to the Japanese people that the Catholic Church is universal and that Jesus Christ is the savior of all people—including the Japanese.

After 7 years of construction, the chapel was dedicated on May 1, 2002 to Mary, Redemptoris Mater, “Mother of the Redeemer.” The statue of Our Lady of Akita is enshrined on the left corridor and the statue of Saint Joseph is on the right side.

Our Lady of Akita Prayer

Most Sacred Heart of Jesus,
TRUELY present
in the Holy Eucharist,
I consecrate my body and soul
to be entirely one with Your Heart,
being sacrificed at every instant
on all the altars of the world
and giving praise to the Father,
pleading for the coming of His Kingdom.
Please receive this humble offering of myself.
Use me as You will for the glory of the
Father
and the salvation of souls.
Most Holy Mother of God,
never let me be separated
from your Divine Son.
Please defend and protect me
as your special child.
Amen.

Mass times

Masses are irregular for a while due to circumstances. You can see mass schedule in “the Japanese website” of Seitai Hoshikai.

How to get there

Coming from JR Akita Station

By Bus: (Akita Chuo Kotsu Bus): Use the West Exit; Take bus ‘To Akita Onsen’ or ‘To Nibetsu Resort Park’; Get off at ‘Yuzawa:(20 minutes ride); Seitai Hoshikai; Walk uphill about 10 minutes

By Taxi: Use the East Exit, Seitai Hoshikai, (20 minutes ride)
*Telling the driver ‘Yuzawadai no Maria-sama’ will help explain the destination.

From Narita International Airport: (JR Narita Express); JR Tokyo Station; Take Narita express to Tokyo Station
(60 minutes ride); JR Akita Station; (4 hours ride) *Including transfer, it takes about 6 hours from Narita International Airport to Akita Station. From JR Akita Station to Seitai Hoshikai, please take a bus or taxi.

Source:

• en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Our_Lady_of_Akita
• www.seitaihoshikai.com
• en.japantravel.com