Article by Damien Skeen
Hello. I am back with another disturbing legend. Now, Japan has its share of screwed up myths and legends, no offense to any Japanese readers, but it’s true. From evil weasel creatures who are so fast that they cut off your legs and drink your blood, then close the wounds before you even realize it (Kamaitachi), to a spirit that literally hangs out in the bathroom and basically gives you a choice of mutilation, being strangled, or dragged down to hell! (Aka Manto)
However, today I wish to post about a special woman that deserves recognition. Kuchisake-Onna. Or Slit-Mouth woman. Legend has it she was a very beautiful woman. There are variations of who she was in life, however, some legends say she was a mental patient in the modern world, others say she was the wife of a samurai and she wasn’t exactly faithful so the samurai cut her face so no man in the village would want her. Whichever the case, now she walks around wearing a surgical mask.
She approaches intended victims, mainly children, and ask them if they think she is pretty. If the victim says no, then the Kuchisake-Onna kills them with scissors. When answered with a yes, she will remove her mask, revealing her scarred face. She will ask again if she is pretty. Those who answer no are cut in half. Those that answer yes, Kuchisake-Onna will cut their face like hers.
The legend is so terrifying and believed, that in the late 1970s, there was mass panic around Japan after rumors of seeing her. Teachers would walk children home, and Police doubled their patrols. Rumors of Kuchisake-Onna are not solely in Japan either. There was a reported sighting in South Korea in 2004. In 2018, there was even a report of sighting her in McKinley Texas. All the way in the United States. The best way to avoid her is either traveling in pairs/groups or when asked if she’s pretty, give a vague answer such as telling her she looks average or so-so. This will confuse the entity long enough to run away.
I hope this was educational and entertaining. I thank you for your time to read this and may you never walk into the Kuchisake-Onna at night.
English
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