Kuchisake onna or the slit mouthed woman is one of the most famous urban legends in japanese folklore.
It is to be said that she carries a pair of scissors, knife or other sharp objects She is described as having long, straight, black hair, pale skin, and otherwise being considered beautiful (except for her scar). She has been described as a contemporary yōkai.
According to popular legend, she asks potential victims if they think she is beautiful. If they respond with "no", she will either kill them with her long medical scissors on the spot or wait until nightfall and murder them in their sleep. If they say "yes", she will reveal that the corners of her mouth are slit from ear to ear, and she will then repeat her question. If the individual responds with "no", she will kill them with her weapon, and if they say "yes" hesitantly she will cut the corners of their mouth in such a way that resembles her own disfigurement. Methods that can be used to survive an encounter with Kuchisake-onna include answering her question by describing her appearance as "average", or by distracting her with money or hard candies.
Author and folklorist Matthew Meyer has described the Kuchisake-onna legend as having roots dating back to Japan's Edo period, which spanned from the 17th to 19th centuries.[1]
In print, the legend of Kuchisake-onna dates back to at least as early as 1979. The legend was reported in such publications as the Gifu Prefecture newspaper Gifu Nichi Nichi Shinbun on 26 January 1979, the weekly publication Shukan Asahi on 23 March 1979, and the weekly news magazine Shukan Shincho on 5 April 1979.
Rumors about Kuchisake-onna spread throughout Japan, which led to young children sometimes being accompanied by members of parent-teacher association groups while walking home from
school.
Kuchisake onna backstory:
In the late 90s there was a village where lived a very beautiful woman. Every one of the village wanted her for her beauty. She married to a samurai. One day the samurai went to a war when he came home, he saw his wife was cheating on him. He got very angry and filled with jealousy that he cut her mouth from ear to ear and said that I'll see now who says that you are beautiful and eventually she died.
From that day she lurks the lonely street of Japan waiting for her victims specially children and men.
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~Urban legends of Japan~
HorreurJapan is not popular only for anime, drama or beauty but also for its urban legends. They are very popular so, I thought I must write about urban legends of Japan. I'll try to write about as many urban legends as I can. All the credit of images goe...
