Slit-Mouthed Woman

is a malevolent figure in Japanese urban legends and folklore. Described as the malicious spirit, or ''onryō'', of a woman, she partially covers her face with a mask or other item and carries a pair of scissors, a knife, or some other sharp object. She is most often described as a tall woman of about 175-180cm, however, some people believe she is up to 8 feet tall, having long, straight black hair, white hands, pale skin, and otherwise being considered beautiful (except for her scar).
She has been described as a contemporary ''yōkai''.

According to popular legend, she asks potential victims if they think she is beautiful. If they respond with "no", she will either kill them with her long medical scissors on the spot or wait until nightfall and murder them in their sleep. If they say "yes", she will reveal that the corners of her mouth are slit from ear to ear, and she will then repeat her question. If the individual responds with "no", she will kill them with her weapon, and if they say "yes" hesitantly she will cut the corners of their mouth in such a way that resembles her own disfigurement. Methods that can be used to survive an encounter with Kuchisake-onna include answering her question by describing her appearance as "average".

The Kuchisake-onna legend has been described as dating back to the 17th to 19th centuries, during Japan's Edo period. The modern story of Kuchisake-onna originates from 1978 but only became popular in the summer of 1979, when several newspapers and magazines reported on the legend, and rumors surrounding it spread throughout the country, leading to young children being accompanied by groups of adults while walking home from school, the story's boom in popularity stopped by August.

The legend and its variations

According to legend, Kuchisake-Onna was a woman who was mutilated during her life, with her mouth being slit from ear to ear. In the most common version of the story in Japan, her appearance came as a result of an attack by a jealous woman, often her sister, or a botched plastic surgery or dental procedure; in the west, the most common version says that Kuchisake-Onna was the adulterous wife or a mistress of a samurai during her life. She grew lonely because the samurai was always away from home fighting, and began having affairs with men around the town. When the samurai heard of this, he was outraged. As punishment for her infidelity, her husband sliced the corners of her mouth from ear to ear. In still other versions, her mouth is filled with numerous sharp teeth.

After her death, the woman returned as a vengeful spirit, or . As an ', she covers her mouth with a cloth mask (often specified as a surgical mask), or in some iterations, a hand fan or handkerchief. She carries a sharp instrument with her, which has been described as a knife, a machete, a scythe, or a large pair of scissors. She is also described as having supernatural speed. She is said to ask potential victims if they think she is attractive, often phrased as "" (which translates to "Am I pretty?" or "Am I beautiful?"). If the person answers "no", she will kill them with her weapon, and if the person answers "yes", she will reveal her mutilated mouth. She then repeats her question (or asks "", which translates to "Even with this?" or "Even now?") and if the person responds with "no" or screams in fright, she will kill the person with her weapon. If the response is "yes", she will slice the corners of the person's mouth from ear to ear, resembling her own disfigurement.

An individual can survive an encounter with Kuchisake-onna by using one of several methods. In some versions of the legend, Kuchisake-onna will leave the potential victim alone if they answer "yes" to both of her questions, though in other versions, she will visit the individual's residence later that night and murder the person while sleeping. Another tactic is to say that the individual is running late and she will simply bow and apologize, allowing the individual to pass. Other survival tactics include replying to Kuchisake-onna's question by describing her appearance as "average", giving the individual enough time to run away; distracting her by giving her money or hard candies, particularly the variety of candy known as , made of caramelised sugar (or throwing them in her direction, as she will stop to pick them up); or by saying the word "pomade" three times.

History

Author and folklorist Matthew Meyer has described the Kuchisake-onna legend as having roots dating back to Japan's Edo period, which spanned from the 17th to 19th centuries but Japanese literature professor Iikura Yoshiyuki believes it dates from the 1970s. The most accepted idea of its origins is that it comes from the Gifu prefecture in 1978.

In print, the legend of Kuchisake-onna dates back to at least as early as 1979. The legend was reported in such publications as the Gifu Prefecture newspaper ''Gifu Nichi Nichi Shinbun'' on 26 January 1979, the weekly publication ''Shukan Asahi'' on 23 March 1979, and the weekly news magazine '' Shukan Shincho'' on 5 April 1979. Rumors about Kuchisake-onna spread throughout Japan, which led to young children sometimes being accompanied by members of parent–teacher association groups while walking home from school.

Historian and manga author Shigeru Mizuki considered Kuchisake-onna to be an example of a ''yōkai'', a term which can refer to a variety of supernatural monsters, spirits, and demons in Japanese folklore. According to Zack Davisson, a translator of many of Mizuki's works, "When Mizuki put her in one of his newest yokai encyclopedias, that's when she was officially considered a yokai."

In popular culture

Kuchisake-onna has appeared in live-action films, as well as in manga, anime, and video games. The character appears in the 1994 animated film '' Pom Poko'', produced by Studio Ghibli, and later appears in the 1996 live-action short film ''Kuchisake-onna'', directed by Teruyoshi Ishii. She is the antagonist in Kanako Inuki's horror manga oneshot ''Kuchisake-onna Densetsu'' and its sequel ''Mama wa Kuchisake-onna'', both were first published in the magazine '' Suspense & Horror,'' these stories were included in the 2-volume anthology ''Kuchisake-onna Densetsu.'' Kuchisake-onna is also mentioned in the 1998 film ''Ring'', directed by Hideo Nakata. In 2007, the film '' Carved: The Slit-Mouthed Woman'' (also known under the titles ''Kuchisake-onna'' or ''A Slit-Mouthed Woman''), directed by Kōji Shiraishi and featuring Miki Mizuno as Kuchisake-onna, was released. The film was followed by ''Carved 2: The Scissors Massacre'' (also known as ''Kuchisake-onna 2'') and ''The Slit-Mouthed Woman 0: The Beginning'' (or ''Kuchisake-onna 0: Biginingu''), both of which were released in 2008. The Kuchisake-onna character later appeared in the 2012 films ''Kuchisake-onna Returns'' and found-footage mockumentary ''Senritsu Kaiki File Kowasugi File 01: Operation Capture the Slit-Mouthed Woman'', as well as in the webcomic ''Mob Psycho 100''. Kuchisake-onna is the female main character of the manga '' Even If You Slit My Mouth'' by Akari Kajimoto and appears in ''Jujutsu Kaisen''. Kuchisake-onna is also featured in the manga ''Dandadan''.

Kuchisake-onna was also the basis for a character that appears in "Danse Vaudou", an episode of the American DC superhero television series ''Constantine''.

An enemy called ''Scissor Woman'', inspired by Kuchisake-onna appears in the video game ''World of Horror''.

Kuchisake-onna also appears as a moderately strong enemy in the game '' Ghostwire: Tokyo''. She has two different forms: in the first one she has a long white coat, a large white hat and is wearing a surgical mask. In her second form, her coat turns to red and she drops both the hat and the mask, revealing her slit mouth.https://twitter.com/playGhostwire/status/1532739281197969409 In both forms she uses a long pair of scissors to attack the player.

See also

* Bloody Mary, an urban legend about a demonic apparition who appears in mirrors
* Glasgow smile
* Japanese urban legends, enduring modern Japanese folktales
* La Llorona, the ghost of a woman in Latin American folklore
* Madam Koi Koi, an African urban legend about the ghost of a dead teacher
* '' Ouni'', a Japanese ''yōkai'' with a face like that of a demon woman (''kijo'') torn from mouth to ear
* ''Teke Teke'', a Japanese urban legend about the spirit of a girl with no lower body

Notes

References

Sources

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Further reading

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External links

Kuchisake-onna


Tales of Ghostly Japan
''Japanzine''

{{Urban legends

Female demons
Female ghosts
Japanese demons
Japanese ghosts
Japanese urban legends
Supernatural urban legends
Yōkai