The Catholic Defender: The Amazing Supernatural Events in Akita, Japan
- Jan 14
- 2 min read
The Virgin Mary's "visit" to Akita, Japan, refers to the 1973 apparitions to Sister Agnes Sasagawa, involving a wooden statue that wept tears and bled, delivering messages of prayer, penance, and warnings of chastisement and heresy within the Church, later approved by Bishop John Ito as supernatural, making it a significant Catholic devotion.
Sister Agnes reports a brilliant rays of light from the tabernacle, a phenomenon repeated for two days.
A cross-shaped wound appeared on her hand, and the statue of Mary began to bleed from its hand and sweat.
Sister Agnes heard the voice of Mary, receiving three messages emphasizing prayer (especially the Rosary), penance, and conversion.
The statue of Our Lady of Akita began weeping human tears on January 4, 1975, continuing for over six years, with tests confirming the tears were human.
Bishop John Shojiro Ito approved the apparitions as supernatural in 1984, allowing devotion to Our Lady of Akita.
The messages are considered some of the most serious Marian warnings, echoing Fatima, about sin, Church infiltration by the devil, and the need for prayer and the Rosary.
The core message encourages repentance, sacrifice, and turning to Jesus through Mary, promising hope through resurrection.
Sister Agnes was miraculously healed of deafness she had experienced, and the statue's weeping and bleeding were witnessed by many.
From January 4, 1975, to September 15, 1981, the statue reportedly wept human tears on 101 occasions. The phenomenon was witnessed by hundreds of people and broadcast on Japanese national television.
Samples of the blood, tears, and perspiration from the statue were analyzed at the University of Akita and confirmed to be of human origin (Type AB blood).
Sister Agnes, who was "incurably deaf," had her hearing fully and permanently restored in 1982. A Korean woman with a terminal brain tumor was also reported to be miraculously cured after praying for the intercession of Our Lady of Akita.
Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger (the future Pope Benedict XVI) reportedly gave verbal approval to Bishop Ito's judgment, considering the messages reliable and a continuation of the Fatima messages. While the Holy See has not issued a formal definitive decree, the local approval remains valid.
Our Lady of Akita refers to apparitions of the Virgin Mary in 1973 to Sister Agnes Sasagawa in Akita, Japan, featuring a weeping wooden statue whose tears and blood, proven human by testing, led to messages of prayer, penance, and warnings about the Church, gaining global attention and making the site a pilgrimage destination for those seeking hope and faith.
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