KUCHISAKE-ONNA

Lore

Few Japanese legends have sown more panic than Kuchisake-Onna. Reputed to stalk children and unsuspecting passersby armed with scissors, her legend even sparked real-life incidents in Himeji city. She appears as a tall, pale woman of about thirty wearing a medical mask.

Beneath the mask lies a mouth slit open to the ears. She roams the streets, luring victims into conversation by asking if she is beautiful. If they answer "yes," she reveals her grotesque wound and asks again; if they answer "no" or scream, she attacks.

According to legend, her origin dates back to a jealous samurai who mutilated his beautiful wife's mouth. Her agony transformed her into a yokai. To escape, folklore suggests offering her caramel candy or repeating "lipstick" three times to make her vanish.