The horror of Kuchisake-Onna
This week The Mythologist explores the origins of one of Japan’s most terrifying folktales
Japan, like many countries around the world, is rich with bespoke mythology and folklore that is woven into the fabric of its history. Many Japanese folktales have whispered their way into the western world but few have brought the same sense of dread as the horrifying tale of Kuchisake-Onna.
You’re walking down a street late into the night. The moon is high in the sky, casting white over the black water that has pooled in the drains and gutters of the tarmacked streets. You turn to walk down a side street when you see a woman. She approaches you, the streetlights revealing her face half covered by a surgical mask. She has long black hair hanging over her eyes and white skin. The woman stops in front of you. You watch her for a moment before she asks; “am I pretty?”
You pause for a moment before answering, “yes.”
She slides down her surgical mask and you feel your face contort in horror. Her cheeks are sliced from ear to ear with a bloody smile gaping and glistening crimson red in the moonlight.
“Am I pretty?” she asks.
You say “yes” once again before turning and walking away as quickly as you can. Eventually, you arrive at your front door and begin fumbling around with your keys, desperate to forget her face and find solace in your home. You unlock the door but before you can enter you feel something warm running down your chin. You reach up and feel the wet blood begin to coagulate in the corners of your mouth. You catch your reflection in the door, the same bloody smile etched with a jagged blade across your mouth.
The legend of Kuchisake-Onna has been passed through generations within Japan with the specifics changing much like most folklore. In some variations of the tale, it is said that you can escape by confusing the woman by answering “so-so” to her question giving you enough time to run away. Most versions of the story, however, end with the victim being killed with a pair of long scissors if they answer “no” any time she asks her fateful question, with some variations ending with the victim getting cut in half by the mutilated beauty.
The story is said to have originated during the Edo Period when Kuchisake-Onna lived in a small village and was married to a Samurai warrior. She was a woman blessed with immense beauty and she would often walk the streets of her village during the day asking those who passed her by if they thought she was beautiful. Buoyed by their affirmation, she began an affair with a local soldier which her husband soon caught wind of. Furious at her infidelity, he mutilated her face taking away the beauty she so coveted. Kuchisake-Onna was left horribly scarred and became overcome with depression before committing suicide, with her spirit remaining as a warning.
Like most folk tales, the truth behind the Kuchisake-Onna legend is likely to remain unknown, with its horror being whispered between generations. Should you ever find yourself asked the fateful question by a masked beauty in the streets of Japan at night, well, it might already be too late to save yourself.
