Kuchisake-onna: The Slit-Mouthed Woman

In the foggy twilight hours of Japanese cities, children walking home from school sometimes encounter a woman standing alone at a crossroads or near a park gate. She is tall and wears a long coat, and her mouth is covered by a white surgical mask of the kind commonly worn in Japan during cold season. She appears normal at first glance, perhaps a little pale, perhaps a little too still. Then she approaches you and asks a simple question.

Am I beautiful? If you say no, she kills you on the spot with a pair of oversized scissors she carries hidden in her coat. If you say yes, she removes her mask to reveal her mouth, which has been sliced open from ear to ear, creating a grotesque, gaping grin of blood and teeth. She asks again: Am I beautiful now?

If you say no this time, she cuts you in half with her scissors. If you say yes, she takes her scissors and cuts your mouth to match hers, making you beautiful just like she is. Either way, the encounter ends in horror. There seems to be no way to survive meeting the Kuchisake-onna.

According to the legend, Kuchisake-onna was once a beautiful woman who lived centuries ago during the Edo period. She was the wife or mistress of a samurai, and she was vain and unfaithful. When her husband discovered her infidelity, he flew into a rage and sliced her mouth open from ear to ear, saying: Now who will think you are beautiful? She died from her wounds and returned as a vengeful spirit, forever wandering the streets in search of victims.

Modern sightings of Kuchisake-onna began in the late 1970s in the Gifu Prefecture of Japan and spread rapidly across the country. Newspapers reported the panic, and schools began dismissing children in groups under teacher supervision. Some children reportedly refused to walk home alone for months. Parents walked their children to and from school, and the story spread to neighboring South Korea and China as well.

Clever children eventually discovered ways to escape. If you give her an ambiguous answer like you look average or so-so, she becomes confused and pauses, giving you time to run away. Another method is to throw hard candies or sweets at her feet. She will stop to pick them up, as she has an obsessive sweet tooth, giving you precious seconds to flee. Some say you can simply ask her a question in return, such as Am I beautiful? which confuses her long enough to escape. The legend remains one of the most popular and widely known yokaistraditional Japanese monstersand continues to be referenced in Japanese films, manga, and anime.