diff --git a/include/ruby/intern.h b/include/ruby/intern.h
index f985853..4957c3c 100644
--- a/include/ruby/intern.h
+++ b/include/ruby/intern.h
@@ -573,6 +573,7 @@ VALUE rb_obj_is_kind_of(VALUE, VALUE);
 VALUE rb_obj_alloc(VALUE);
 VALUE rb_obj_clone(VALUE);
 VALUE rb_obj_dup(VALUE);
+VALUE rb_obj_itself(VALUE);
 VALUE rb_obj_init_copy(VALUE,VALUE);
 VALUE rb_obj_taint(VALUE);
 VALUE rb_obj_tainted(VALUE);
diff --git a/object.c b/object.c
index 21772de..663f86f 100644
--- a/object.c
+++ b/object.c
@@ -402,6 +402,22 @@ rb_obj_dup(VALUE obj)
     return dup;
 }
 
+/*
+ *  call-seq:
+ *     obj.itself -> an_object
+ *
+ *  Returns <i>obj</i>.
+ *
+ *	string = 'my string' #=> "my string"
+ *	string.itself.object_id == string.object_id #=> true
+ *
+ */
+VALUE
+rb_obj_itself(VALUE obj)
+{
+    return obj;
+}
+
 /* :nodoc: */
 VALUE
 rb_obj_init_copy(VALUE obj, VALUE orig)
@@ -3302,6 +3318,7 @@ Init_Object(void)
     rb_define_method(rb_mKernel, "singleton_class", rb_obj_singleton_class, 0);
     rb_define_method(rb_mKernel, "clone", rb_obj_clone, 0);
     rb_define_method(rb_mKernel, "dup", rb_obj_dup, 0);
+    rb_define_method(rb_mKernel, "itself", rb_obj_itself, 0);
     rb_define_method(rb_mKernel, "initialize_copy", rb_obj_init_copy, 1);
     rb_define_method(rb_mKernel, "initialize_dup", rb_obj_init_dup_clone, 1);
     rb_define_method(rb_mKernel, "initialize_clone", rb_obj_init_dup_clone, 1);
diff --git a/test/ruby/test_object.rb b/test/ruby/test_object.rb
index f305cc7..51a0c0c 100644
--- a/test/ruby/test_object.rb
+++ b/test/ruby/test_object.rb
@@ -12,6 +12,12 @@ class TestObject < Test::Unit::TestCase
     $VERBOSE = @verbose
   end
 
+  def test_itself
+    object = Object.new
+    assert_equal object, object.itself
+    assert_equal object.object_id, object.itself.object_id
+  end
+
   def test_dup
     assert_raise(TypeError) { 1.dup }
     assert_raise(TypeError) { true.dup }