Kuchisake Onna: The Slit Mouthed Woman

Samurai (/saməˌrī/)
Noun: A member of a powerful military caste in feudal Japan, especially a member of the class of military retainers of the daimyos.

During the Heian period (794-1185 AD), there was a Samurai who was a most fearsome warrior. While away, working to subdue the native Emishi people in the Tohoku Region, his wife, Kuchisake was left home, unattended.

Kuchisake Onna was extraordinarily beautiful, and she knew it. She loved attention, especially from men in the village, and she would often be heard asking men to rate her appearance. She began to rely upon the affections of another noble soldier. They began an affair, and Kuchisake was preparing to leave her husband. But somehow, he found out.

The samurai confronted the other soldier, asking, “Why her? Why my lady rather than all the other women of the village.”

The soldier replied, “For she is the most beautiful of the village, I cannot pass up such an opportunity.”

Finding truth in his words, and admiring his honesty, the Samurai let the man go. He was not a wealthy soldier, and his life was not easy. However, his wife had a good life, a husband who adored her, and all the wealth she needed. He returned home where he proceeded to knock Kuchisake unconscious and tied her up.

The samurai knew that without her beauty, she would be nothing. He took his sword and cut her face, slitting her mouth from ear to ear, ensuring her beauty would be no more. When she awoke, he threatened to kill her if she ever left him. “Who will think you’re pretty now?” he asked as he wielded his sword again, and sliced her head from her body.

Regret quickly set it as the rage subsided, and the samurai took his own life.

Although dead, that was not the end of Kuchisake Onna.

She hides in the shadows as you pass by, waiting for her opportunity. She keeps her mouth covered, at first by a fan or scarf, and in modern times, with a surgical mask. She quickly emerges from her hiding place and blocks your path, asking, “Am I pretty?”

It’s hard to say no, whether you’re being polite, or honest. She is beautiful with her smooth skin and long sleek black hair. And when you say, “Yes,” that is when she removes her face cover, exposing her disfigured grin which shows off her teeth and tongue.

“Am I pretty now?” she asks.

At this point, being polite or honest doesn’t matter. Say, “Yes,” and she will pull out a large pair of scissors and cut your mouth to match hers. Say, “No,” she will cut your body in half, leaving you to die. Your only option, is to try and confuse her with a non-committal response and escape.

In 1979, in Japan, reports of a woman following young children surfaced. Schools closed, and parks fell silent. Children were kept indoors, and only a few ventured outside, most often in groups. But there were always a few who tried to be brave. On one of these occasions, the woman attempted to abduct a child, but was subsequently struck by a car and killed instantly.

The coroner reported that the woman had a slit mouth, from ear to ear. After that, she stopped appearing to small children, but that did not stop her from finding the occasional man, looking to feel that same joy she once felt when she was alive and beautiful.

So beware if you meet Kuchisake Onna, The Slit Mouthed Woman. Sometimes being nice is all it takes to meet your doom.

Looking for another story from Japan? Check this one out.