Kuchisake Onna: The Terrifying Story of the Masked Woman
- DAI YOKAI
- Feb 14
- 9 min read
Introduction
Japan, spring 1979. Thousands of children refuse to walk home from school alone. Police increase patrols in the prefectures of Fukushima, Kanagawa, and Hokkaido. On June 21, a 25-year-old woman is arrested in Himeji—she was carrying a knife and wearing a surgical mask. The cause of this mass hysteria? A single question, whispered through the mist: "私、きれい?" — Watashi, kirei? — "Am I beautiful?"
This is the full story of Kuchisake-onna (口裂け女), Japan's most terrifying urban legend.
Who is Kuchisake-onna? (Definition)
Kuchisake-onna (口裂け女, literally "slit-mouthed woman") is a yōkai and onryō (vengeful spirit) from Japanese folklore. She is the ghost of a woman mutilated by her samurai husband: he slit her mouth from ear to ear after suspecting her of infidelity. Transformed into a malevolent spirit, she roams the night wearing a surgical mask and poses a trick question to passersby: "Am I beautiful?" Any wrong answer is fatal.
Etymology: The Name That Says It All
Kanji | Reading | Meaning |
口 | Kuchi | Mouth |
裂け | Sake | To split, to tear |
女 | Onna | Women |
The name is clinical. No metaphor, no poetry. Three kanji, three facts: a mouth, split open, on a woman. It is this linguistic brutality that makes the name impossible to forget.
The Original History: The Heian Era (794–1185)
The original legend dates back to the Heian period (794–1185), one of the most refined but also the most cruel eras in Japanese history.
The tragedy
A woman of exceptional beauty—the most beautiful in her village—was the wife (or concubine) of an extremely jealous samurai . She used to ask the men of the village if they found her beautiful. One day, the samurai caught her in the company of another man.
Enraged and consumed by dishonor, he drew his weapon and slashed her mouth from the corners to her ears. As he mutilated her, he uttered the phrase that would haunt Japan for centuries:
“誰がお前を美しいと思うか？” — Dare ga omae wo utsukushii to omou ka? — “Who will find you beautiful now? »
The woman died soon after. But instead of disappearing, she transformed into an onryō (怨霊, vengeful spirit) — the most dangerous type of ghost in Japanese folklore. The same spirits that inspired Sadako ( Ring ) and Kayako ( The Grudge ).
Her goal for eternity: to reproduce on others the mutilation she suffered.
What you need to understand
The Kuchisake-onna is not a monster who kills for pleasure. She is a victim turned predator. Her story is that of a woman destroyed by a patriarchal system where feminine beauty was both worshipped and punished. This theme—beauty as a trap and a condemnation—runs throughout Japanese folklore. It is found in theHannya mask (a woman transformed into a demon by jealousy) and in the legend of the Jorōgumo (a spider that takes the form of a woman to devour men).
How to Respond to Kuchisake-onna? (Survival Guide)
This is THE question everyone is asking. The scene is always the same: you are alone, at night, in a foggy alley. A woman in a surgical mask approaches and asks:
Phase 1: “ Watashi, kirei?” » — “Am I beautiful? »
Your answer | Consequence |
" No " | She kills you instantly with her scissors. |
" Yes " | She removes her mask, revealing her split mouth, and asks... |
Phase 2: " Kore demo? " — "Even like this?"
Your answer | Consequence |
" No " | She kills you instantly |
" Yes " | She follows you home and kills you at your doorstep (or disfigures you so that you become a Kuchisake-onna yourself) |
The 5 known survival methods
Method | What you do | Why it works | Source / Period |
The neutral response | Saying " Maa maa desu " ("You're average / so-so") | This plunges her into confusion — she doesn't know if it's positive or negative | 2000s |
The reversal | Ask him/her, "And you, do you find me handsome/beautiful?" | Disturbed, she no longer knows what to do and leaves | 2000s |
The candies | Throwing bekko-ame (amber hard candies) on the ground | She loves candy and stops to pick it up | 1970s |
The magic word | Yell “ POMADE!” » (ポマード) three times | A possible reference to the smell of the surgeon who operated on her (modern version) — she recoils in terror | 1970s |
The race | Run as far as possible without looking back | Some versions say that she gets tired over long distances (but according to others, she runs at 100 km/h ) | Variable |
My advice: If you're at a cosplay convention and someone is wearing an articulated Kuchisake-onna mask , the best survival strategy is a compliment. And a piece of candy.
The Panic of 1979: When the Legend Became Real
This is what makes Kuchisake-onna unique among all the world's urban legends: it caused a documented mass panic .
Timeline of events
Date | Event |
December 1978 | The first rumor in Yaotsu (Gifu Prefecture). An old peasant woman with a weathered face stands in her garden at night. The children mistake her for Kuchisake-onna. |
January 26, 1979 | First mention in the press: the Gifu Nichi Nichi Shimbun newspaper publishes an article |
March 1979 | The rumor spread throughout Japan. The magazine Shukan Asahi (March 23) and then Shukan Shincho (April 5) published articles |
Spring 1979 | Mass hysteria : children refuse to go out alone. Schools are organizing group returns. Parents are forming escort patrols (PTAs). |
1979 | Police are increasing patrols in the prefectures of Fukushima , Kanagawa and Hokkaido |
June 21, 1979 | A 25-year-old woman was arrested in Himeji for wandering around with a knife and a surgical mask, disguised as Kuchisake-onna. |
Summer 1979 | The school holidays calm the panic. The rumor gradually dies down. |
1990s | The legend resurfaced via early internet forums. |
2000s | A new wave of popularity. The legend is exported to South Korea and China. |
Why 1979?
Professor Iikura Yoshiyuki (Kokugakuin University), a specialist in oral literature, has a theory: in 1979, more and more relatively well-off families were sending their children to juku (preparatory evening schools). Less affluent families supposedly used Kuchisake-onna as a scarecrow: "If you go out at night, she'll catch you." The children took the threat seriously—and then passed it on to their classmates.
The legend spread exactly like a virus: by word of mouth, in school playgrounds, and then amplified by the local press. It is the first purely Japanese urban legend to have had a measurable impact on public life.
Does Kuchisake Really Exist?
No — and yes.
No, not in the supernatural sense. No vengeful spirit has ever been scientifically documented.
Yes, in a social sense: the 1979 Himeji incident (woman arrested with a knife) is a real event. And in 2004, several South Korean press reports indicated sightings of a "masked woman" asking questions of children, reigniting panic.
What makes Kuchisake-onna believable is the surgical mask . In a country where wearing a mask is perfectly normal (long before Covid), any masked woman in a dark alley can become suspicious. That's the genius of this legend: it transforms an everyday gesture into a source of terror.
Kuchisake-onna vs The Other Yokai Women
Japanese mythology is full of dangerous, supernatural women. Here's how Kuchisake-onna compares:
Criteria | Kuchisake-onna (口裂け女) | Hannya (般若) | Yuki-onna (雪女) | Jorōgumo (絡新婦) |
Kind | Onryō (vengeful spirit) / urban legend | Noh mask / transformation | Elemental Yōkai (snow) | Yōkai shapeshifter (spider) |
Era | Heian (origin) → 1979 (resurgence) | Muromachi (15th century) | Edo → 1904 (Lafcadio Hearn) | Edo → 1776 (Toriyama Sekien) |
Method | Trick question + scissors | Rage / transformation | Icy breath | Seduction + silk fabric |
Armed | Scissors, knife or sickle | Horns and claws | Deadly cold | Silk threads + fire spiders |
Typical victim | Children, students, single men | The man who betrayed her | Mountain travelers | Men seduced |
Can we survive? | Yes (bekko-ame, "Pomade", neutral response) | No (if complete transformation) | Yes (if we keep our promise) | No (except with the intervention of a monk) |
What it symbolizes | Pressure on beauty / patriarchal violence | Destructive jealousy | Forbidden love / betrayal | The Dangers of Seduction |
Dai Yokai Mask |
To learn more about these dangerous women of folklore, read my full article: Geisha and Yōkai: When Beauty Hides the Monster .
The 5 Scariest Japanese Urban Legends
Kuchisake-onna didn't come from nowhere. She's part of a uniquely Japanese ecosystem of terror. Here are the legends surrounding her:
Rank | Legend | Place | Principle | Link with Kuchisake-onna |
Kuchisake-onna (口裂け女) | Streets, alleyways | Trick question + mutilation | — | |
Hanako-san (花子さん) | School toilets | Knock three times on the third door to summon a ghost girl | Targeting children, school environment | |
Teke Teke (テケテケ) | Stations, corridors | A ghost cut in two, crawling at high speed | Mutilation + superhuman speed | |
Aka Manto (赤マント) | Public toilets | A voice asks, "Red paper or blue paper?" — both answers are deadly. | Binary trick question (same pattern) | |
Hitori Kakurenbo (ひとりかくれんぼ) | At home | Hide-and-seek with a possessed doll | Ritual gone wrong |
What makes Kuchisake-onna #1 is that she's the only one to have caused a real and documented panic in 1979. The others remain in the realm of playground stories. She, on the other hand, mobilized the police.
Kuchisake-onna in Pop Culture
Artwork | Kind | Year | Role / Appearance |
Pom Poko (Studio Ghibli) | Animated film | 1994 | Brief appearance in a yōkai parade |
Kuchisake-onna (Teruyoshi Ishii) | Short film | 1996 | First live-action adaptation |
Carved: The Slit-Mouthed Woman (Kōji Shiraishi) | Horror film | 2007 | The most faithful full-length film to the legend |
Carved 2 + Carved 0 | Movies | 2008 | Sequel and prequel |
Jujutsu Kaisen (Gege Akutami) | Manga/Anime | 2018+ | A reference in the world of plagues |
Demon Slayer | Manga/Anime | 2019 | Stylistic influence (surgical mask + blade) |
The Dark Knight (Nolan) | Movie | 2008 | Possible influence on the Joker (Glasgow scars, the question "Wanna know how I got these scars?") — unconfirmed |
My Opinion as a Craftsman: The Articulated Kuchisake-onna Mask
The Kuchisake-onna legend is what inspired me to create my first articulated mask . Why? Because her story hinges on a single gesture: removing the mask . The transition from beautiful to terrifying, in an instant.
My articulated Kuchisake-onna mask replicates this mechanism exactly. At rest, it resembles a classic half-mask. As soon as you speak or open your mouth, the jaw opens to reveal gaunt teeth and hand-painted raw flesh.
For those who want to take the concept even further, I've also created a version with hair: the articulated Kuchisake-onna + hair . The long, flowing black hair replicates the classic look of the Japanese onryō. And there's the Kuchisake x Tentacles collaboration version, a unique crossover with the artist Melissa from Adopte ton Poulpe.
All made from PETG (high-strength polymer) in my workshop in Plélan-le-Grand, Brittany. PETG is lightweight (suitable for all-day wear at conventions), strong (the hinged jaw withstands hundreds of openings and closings without breaking), and durable (resistant to heat and humidity). Wood is a noble material, but a wooden hinged mechanism would break after a week of heavy use. PETG won't.
Use in Decoration or Cosplay
Atmosphere | Recommended products | Staging |
Horror cosplay (convention) | Articulated kuchisake + beige trench coat + toy scissors | You ask passersby, "Am I beautiful?" Their jaws drop. Guaranteed effect. |
"Demonic Women" Wall | Matte black background, side lighting. Three stages: beauty → decay → demon | |
Halloween / Horror Night | The most effective way to scare people. The hair adds striking realism. | |
Cabinet of curiosities | Next to a Yūrei — the ghost duo of Japan |
Numbers and Superstitions of Japan (Culture Bonus)
Since many people interested in Kuchisake-onna also seek to understand Japanese superstitions, here is a bonus table:
Superstition | Explanation |
The cursed number: 4 (四, shi ) | It is pronounced like "death" (死, shi ). Japanese hospitals often do not have a room 4 or a 4th floor. |
The cursed number: 9 (九, ku ) | Pronounced like "suffering" (苦, ku ) |
The surgical mask | Worn daily in Japan for hygiene reasons. This is what makes Kuchisake-onna so terrifying: it blends into normality. |
The scissors | In Japanese folklore, sharp objects can become tsukumogami (animated objects) after 100 years. |
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
Who is Kuchisake-onna and what is her story?
Kuchisake-onna (口裂け女, "slit-mouthed woman") is an onryō (vengeful spirit) from Japanese folklore. According to the original legend from the Heian period (794–1185), she was the wife of a jealous samurai who slit her mouth from ear to ear after suspecting her of infidelity. As a vengeful spirit, she roams the night wearing a surgical mask and poses the trick question, "Am I beautiful?" before mutilating her victims with scissors. In 1979, this legend caused mass panic in Japan, forcing the police to intervene.
How to survive Kuchisake-onna?
There are five known methods: responding " Maa maa desu " (you're average) to confuse her; turning her question back on her ("And me, am I handsome?"); throwing her bekko-ame sweets, which she loves; shouting "Ointment!" three times (a reference to the surgeon's smell in the modern version); or running for a long time and hoping she gets bored. The neutral response is the most widely cited method in modern folklore.
What is the scariest Japanese legend?
Kuchisake-onna is generally considered the most terrifying Japanese urban legend, and it's the only one to have caused documented mass hysteria in 1979 (police patrols, school escorts, arrests). Other very frightening legends include Hanako-san (the toilet girl), Teke Teke (the ghost cut in half), and Aka Manto (the ghost with trick questions in public restrooms).
Explore the Dai Yokai Universe
Kuchisake-onna proves that a simple mask can contain all the horror in the world. A white surgical mask, a gesture to remove it, and everything changes.
This is precisely what the articulated Kuchisake-onna Mask reproduces—the transition from normal to terrifying, in a single movement of the jaw. Also explore other faces of Japanese horror: Yūrei , the TOP 10 Yokai , and the complete collection of handcrafted Japanese masks .
Comments