Kuchisake Onna is a legend that has sent shivers down the spine of, and has terrified many, many people around the world. A figure in history that most people would want to avoid, since there is no outcome that is “good” if you are unfortunate enough to ever cross paths with her.
The story of Kuchisake Onna is said to have originated in Japan, as the name itself is Japanese, with “Onna” translating to a woman, and “Kuchisake” translating to one with a slit mouth, together making “The Slit Mouth Woman,” which already sounds pretty scary.
Kuchisake Onna, according to legend, was a beautiful woman who lived somewhere between the 17th and the 19th century, during what is known as the Edo period in Japan. Kuchisake Onna was married to a proud, albeit jealous, samurai, and he didn’t want her beauty to be seen by other men. But Kuchisake Onna was so beautiful, in fact, that people of the town would gather just to see her. And just like any beautiful woman, she loved a good praise. She would do her makeup real nice, and would go out in town to ask people if they thought she was beautiful. And since she was indeed beautiful, they would say yes, and she would feel happy and joyful and move on.
The samurai, however, didn’t like it, and since he was a samurai, he had a job to do. Which meant that he wasn’t home often. That led to Kuchisake Onna feeling lonely and venturing out and trying to mingle with other men.
The samurai, when he found out, driven by his pride and anger, drew his sword and slashed her face from ear to ear, saying, “Who will think you are beautiful now!”
Screaming in horror, and with blood dripping from her mouth, Kuchisake Onna ran out for help. But when she saw that people were scared of her and didn’t think she was beautiful anymore, she felt sad, angry, and vengeful. Overrun by these emotions, she died.
But she came back as what is known in Japan as an onryo, a vengeful malevolent spirit. One that we know today as Kuchisake Onna.
The legend has it that if you are out alone at night in a less crowded place, you might find her lurking in the shadows, from the corners of your eyes. She is said to be wearing a long trench coat, with straight and long black hair, a pale white complexion, and a surgical mask on her face.
But if you do see her, do not stare at her or she will come closer and ask you the dreaded question: “Do you think I’m beautiful?” in a soft, hypnotic voice. If you answer no, she will take out her sharp scissors and kill you on the spot. No questions asked, except for the first one.
If you answer yes, she will come even closer and will peel off her mask to reveal her grotesque, mutilated face, and will ask the same question again in a more growly and evil voice: “Do you think I’m beautiful now?”
This time, if you say no, she will take out her sharp scissors and stab you to death. But if you say yes twice, she will take out her sharp scissors and will slash your face from ear to ear, making you look exactly like her. “Well, now we’re both beautiful,” and will let you live to tell the tale.
That surely isn’t ending well, is it! Is there a way to avoid her perhaps, you might be asking. Fortunately, there is. It is mentioned that if, instead of saying a hard yes or no, you answer with “you look average” or “so-so,” she might get confused, giving you enough time to make a run for your life. She, however, is also stated to possess super speed, so if she wanted to… Who knows.
Pretty scary, right! Well, that is just one trick. If you really want to avoid Kuchisake Onna, I have mentioned two other ways to get away from her in the audio version of this article. You can find it linked above or below the text. There are also some variations of the story and some real-life historical references. So be sure to check that out. That way, even if she finds you in a dark alley somewhere, you can be safe.
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