Kuchisake-onna(The Slit- mouthed Woman)

Misaki wasn’t in a good mood. She had gotten a zero in mathematics even after she had tried to answer all the questions. She really couldn’t get that subject at all. It always made her head ache.

She sighed as she made her way through the deserted roads to her house which was at the outskirts of the town.

It was getting dark slowly, she had lost track of time today. The cultural festival of her school is fast approaching and her paranormal club’s haunted house isn’t ready yet.

As the club president she had a responsibility to see that everything ran smoothly for the festival.

Suddenly she heard footsteps behind her. Misaki ignored them, it is a road of course there can be footsteps behind her.

But after a few minutes when the footstep still didn’t pass her by even when she politely slowed her pace to let that person pass, Misaki got surprised.

She suddenly turned...but there was no one.

She was sure she had heard footsteps for the last couple of minutes, then where could the person have gone?

There were only fields and river alongside the road, there isn’t any place where a person could have hidden.

Misaki now became a bit scared. There were a few murders in the past few months. And her mother had warned her about coming home before nightfall.

The light overhead her flicked alive as even the last visage of daylight ran out.

Misaki suddenly felt cold to her bone. It wasn’t an outside chill; it was more like it came from the inside. Someone inside her was saying there is something very wrong with this place now.

Misaki decided to reach home as fast as possible.

She turned around to start walking again but came to a sudden halt.

There was someone in front of her, in the distance.

It looked like a lady in a long overcoat. At the first glance there is nothing wrong with her for she looked just like any other woman. But Misaki knew in her heart something was wrong, very wrong.

She slowly started walking; there is no other option than passing by that point in the road. It was between two lampposts where the light has become too weak. It has created a shadowy alcove.

Misaki kept her head down as she approached the area, just as she was about to pass her by the figure blocked her road. Misaki was expecting that. She assumed a defensive position fast, she had learnt taekwondo when she was young, and this person won’t find it easy to kill her.

But the woman didn’t do anything but just stared at her over the mask that was covering her mouth. Misaki was confused, she didn’t seem like a person who wants to harm her but oh boy was she wrong.

She got real shocked when the woman asked her a strange question,

“Am I beautiful?”

Misaki stared blankly at her. This stranger wants to know is she beautiful? That too in a place like this? Is she crazy?

Better to get away from her Misaki thought as she passed her and ran, the figure didn’t seem to move one inch from the place.

Suddenly after running for a few minutes she again saw that figure ahead of her. By now she had grasped what was the significance of that question is. She wasn’t the president of the paranormal club of her school for nothing.

That woman is Kuchisake-onna.

And if she didn’t play her cards right, she is going to die by her hands.

Misaki stopped running, what was the point it wouldn’t do her any good.

The figure slowly came towards her, and again asked the same question.

But this time Misaki was prepared, she answered, “Yes”.

The woman seems to pause but then slowly removed her surgical mask.

Misaki gasped, her face was slit from ear to ear, giving her a smile which is horrifying rather than beautiful.

The asked this time, “And now? Am I still beautiful?”

Misaki didn’t answer right way, she remained silent for a few moments and then slowly said, “Actually I’m rather in a hurry you see. I need to go home and finish my homework as I got a zero in my math test. So I need to go and study. Can you excuse me, please?”

The woman looked at her for a long time and then slowly put on her surgical mask apologizing, “I’m sorry to keep you waiting then. Please go, I won’t keep you here any longer.”

And with that the woman walked off and disappeared after a few steps.

Misaki was almost shivering by then. Her skin had broken into cold sweat. She was so thankful that she had chosen to run an article on her the previous month; otherwise she would never have known how to evade her.

Misaki didn’t stop running till she reached home and after that day she was never late coming home.

The legend of Kuchisake-Onna or the slit mouthed woman

The legend had its back-story in the Heian period of Japan. It started at that time as well.

It tells the story of an exceptionally beautiful woman, who was either a wife or a concubine of a high ranking samurai. As she was the most beautiful woman in the village she grew vain and proud. She thought she could do anything without repercussions. 

Even though that samurai loved her very much she started having an affair with a low ranking soldier. When the samurai heard about this he grew furious and confronted the soldier who admitted that he couldn’t help but get seduced by her beauty. The samurai despising her beauty and blaming it for her conduct decided to destroy it.

He took a knife and slit her face from ear to ear, which gave her a horrifying smile and destroyed her beautiful face. She was so heartbroken that she committed suicide soon after that by shooting herself with a gun.

Though this legend was told at that time period as a fable against someone becoming too vain and proud for their own good.

It wasn’t till later that the urban legend of a slit mouth woman chasing children and killing people was born.

According the original legend which was popular in the Edo period, it goes something like this,

“ she covers her mouth with a cloth mask. The woman will ask a potential victim "Am I pretty?" If they answer "yes", she will remove her mask and ask them again. If the potential victim answers "yes" or screams, she will slash the victim from ear to ear so that the victim resembles her. If they answer "no", she will walk away, only to follow her victim home and brutally murder them that night. If you reply no before she removes the mask, she will take out her long pair of scissors and either murder the victim with it or slit their mouth from ear to ear.

To avoid this fate, several people during the Edo period claimed that they gave her confusing answers like average and so-so or threw money or hard candy at her, buying themselves time to run away and lose her.^”

According to the modern legend-

“she walks around wearing a surgical mask.

The woman will ask a potential victim "Am I pretty?" If they answer no, she will kill them with a pair of scissors or cut the Glasgow smile into them, which she carries in her pocket. If they answer yes, she will pull away the mask, revealing that her mouth is slit from ear to ear, and ask, "How about now?" If they answer no, she will cut her unfortunate victim in half. If the person answers yes, then she will slit his/her mouth so it resembles her mouth. It is impossible to run away from her, as she will simply reappear in front of the victim.

When the legend reappeared in the 1970s, rumors of ways to escape also emerged. Some sources say she can also be confused by the victim answering her question with ambiguous answers, such as "You are average" or "So-so". Another method is to flip her questions towards her, such as asking her "Do you think I'm pretty?" Unsure of what to do, she will give a person enough time to escape while she is lost in thought. Another escape route is to tell her one has a previous engagement; she will pardon her manners and excuse herself. In some variations of the tale, she can be distracted by Coins or candies thrown at her which she will then pick up, thus giving the victim a chance to run, and even if you escape she'll come for you and eventually kill you. If you have the chance to do so, you may be able to catch her off guard and run while she is looking at another potential victim”

The modern legend most probably originated due to a woman who appeared during 70’s. She used to wear a surgical mask and chase children across the road and she was rumored to have a slit mouth. However she dies in collision with a car while chasing a child.

Kuchisake onna also have a lot similarity with yurei. Which is why many non-Japanese person sometimes confuses her with Yurei.

However Yurei is vindictive and does not kill indiscriminately, only goes after the person who has wronged her in life and is distinguished by their long hair while the Kuchisake onna has no problem with killing everyone and anyone.

Japan has many ghosts and legends but Kuchisake-onna is probably one of the few which falls under the category of terrifying someone.

(Quoted informations are taken from wikipedia)