The Big Book of Urban Legends (Not so big yet)

Kuchisake-Onna

Kuchisake-Onna is also known as The Slit-Mouthed woman. It's said that she wears a surgical mask to hide her mouth until she's ready to reveal it. Slits tear from her mouth to her earlobes in a permanant smile. She brandishes a large pair of surgical scissors in her pocket, and only appears to you in the darkness of an empty street in Japan. This usually occurs at night, making it easier for her to prey.

First, she will approach you, and ask if she is pretty. She will pull off her mask, revealing her unnaturally wide smile. If you reply no, she will stab you with the pair of scissors in her pocket. If you say yes, she will slit your mouth from ear to ear, so you look just like her. The only way to escape her is to say she looks okay, or average. This will confuse her, and will give you just enough time to run away. It is also said that if you inform her that you were previously doing something, she will apologize and leave you be.

There are many interpretations and storie about this legends but one of the most popular goes somewhat like this. She was married, and quite happy. She was beautiful, and because of this, her husband had a fitful rager about her supposedly cheating on him. He slit her mouth from ear to ear, saying 'Who will think you're beautiful, now?' She returned as a vengeful spirit, wandering Japan with a surgical mask to hide her scars. There are several reports and sightings of a woman with a slit mouth in Japan, but then again there's a large chance it was someone copying the legend. You've always gotta keep that in mind.

In 1979 --Japan-- sightings of Kuchisake-Onna spread like wildfire. Several Japanese schools sent their children home early, and in groups accompanied by teachers. In 2004, South Korea was burdened by reports of a red-masked woman chasing children. In 2007 someone found some old records from the late 1970's about a woman that was chasing children, but was hit by a car shortly thereafter. Her mouth was torn from ear to ear. So, the moral of this story is don't trust any women in surgical masks. They either don't know what they're doing or they're trying to kill you.