Kuchisake-onna

Kuchisake-onna (口裂け女, "Slit-Mouthed Woman") is a figure appearing in Japanese urban legends. She is a woman who was mutilated by her husband, and returns as a malicious spirit. When rumors of alleged sightings began spreading in 1979 around the Nagasaki Prefecture, it spread throughout Japan and caused panic in many towns. There are even reports of schools allowing children to go home only in groups escorted by teachers for safety,[1] and of police increasing their patrols. Recent sightings include many reports in South Korea in the year 2004 about a woman wearing a red mask who was frequently seen chasing children, and, in October 2007, a coroner found some old records from the late 1970s about a woman who was chasing little children. She was then hit by a car, and died shortly after. Her mouth was ripped from ear to ear.[2]

The modern urban legend

Diagram of likely conversations with Kuchisake-onna according to the modern legend.

According to the legend, children walking alone at night may encounter a woman wearing a surgical mask, which is not an unusual sight in Japan as people wear them to protect others from their colds or sickness.

The woman will stop the child and ask, "Am I pretty?" If the child answers no, the child is killed with a pair of scissors which the woman carries. If the child answers yes, the woman pulls away the mask, revealing that her mouth is slit from ear to ear, and asks "How about now?" If the child answers no, he/she will be cut in half. If the child answers yes, then she will slit his/her mouth like hers. It is impossible to run away from her, as she will simply reappear in front of the victim.

When the legend reappeared, the 1970s rumors of ways to escape also emerged. Some sources say she can also be confused by the victim answering her question with ambiguous answers, such as "You are average" or "So-so". Unsure of what to do, she will give a person enough time to escape while she is lost in thought. Another escape route is to tell her one has a previous engagement; she will pardon her manners and excuse herself. In some variations of the tale, she can be distracted by fruit or candies thrown at her which she will then pick up, thus giving the victim a chance to run. She will also be at an advantage to run toward you if she has the chance.[3] Another way is for the child to ask her if the child is pretty; she will get confused and leave.[4]

In popular culture

Live action

Manga and anime

Other appearances

The Kuchisake-onna also makes an appearance in:

Kuchisake-onna is mentioned in Darlah – 172 timer på månen (aka 172 Hours on the Moon), a 2008 sci-fi/horror novel by Johan Harstad.[6]

Kuchisake-onna is also mentioned in the Japanese visual novel Rewrite.

Kuchisake-onna is a central figure of Arabella Wyatt's digital novel Horror of Kuchisake-onna, which uses the urban legend to explore both domestic abuse and social conformity.

See also

References

  1. ↑ Severed Mouth Woman on YouTube
  2. ↑ "Terrors of Men » Maintenance Mode". terrorsofmen.com.
  3. ↑ "Have you heard the one about…?: A look at some of Japan's more enduring urban legends". Japan Times. June 7, 2005.
  4. ↑ Yoda, H & Alt, M. (2008) "Yokai Attack! The Japanese Monster Survival Guide" Kodansha International ISBN 978-4770030702
  5. ↑ "LiveLeak.com - The Slit-Mouthed Woman (J-Horror)". liveleak.com.
  6. ↑ Harstad, Johan (2012). 172 Hours on the Moon. Trans. Tara F. Chace. Little, Brown and Company. ISBN 978-0-316-18288-1. LCCN 2011025414.

External links