Kuchisake-onna, also known as the "Slit-Mouthed Woman," is a wicked character from Japanese folklore and urban tales. The mutilated woman's ghost, known as the kuchisake onna, has returned to exact revenge on the earth. Her moniker is derived from the wide, crimson cut that across her face as she beams from ear to ear. She shows up at night to lone travelers on the road, her handkerchief, fan, or fabric mask hiding her hideous mouth.

Kuchisake-onna was a woman whose mouth was amputated from ear to ear throughout her lifetime, according to mythology. According to certain accounts, Kuchisake-onna was a samurai's adulterous concubine or wife. Her husband cut the corners of her mouth all the way from ear to ear as retribution for her adultery. Some stories claim that her mouth was severed during a medical or dental operation, that another lady who was envious of her beauty disfigured it, or that her mouth is full of sharp teeth.

The woman came back as a furious spirit after she died. She covers her mouth with a handkerchief or hand fan in certain versions, or a cloth mask in others. A sharp object that has been likened to a knife, machete, scythe, or big pair of scissors is also carried by her.

Kuchisake onna approaches her victims covertly in the night and inquires, "Watashi, kirei?" about their perception of her beauty. If the victim responds in the affirmative, she removes her mask to expose a hideous, blood-streaked mouth that is red. Then, in a gruesome voice, she queries, "Kore demo?" if they still find her attractive. She mimics her own mutilation by slashing her victim from ear to ear if he screams in fear or says nay. She leaves if he lies and says "yes" a second time, only to follow her victim home and brutally kill him that evening.

One of numerous strategies can be employed to survive a meeting with Kuchisake-onna. If the potential victim answers "yes" to both of her questions, according to some versions of the legend, Kuchisake-onna will leave them alone; however, according to other versions, she will visit the person's home later that night and murder them while they are asleep.Other survival strategies include calling Kuchisake-onna's appearance "average" in response to her question, giving the person enough time to flee, or diverting her attention by offering or tossing money or hard candies—especially the kind known as bekko ame—in her direction or by pronouncing the word "pomade" three times.

The spirits of those who died in extremely brutal ways—tortured prisoners, defeated foes, and battered spouses, for example—frequently do not rest easily. One such woman is believed to have been Kuchisake onna. Nonetheless, a great deal of attacks by kuchisake onna during the Edo period were attributed to kitsunes with altered shapes who were pulling practical jokes on young men. The 20th century saw the blame shifting to simple mass hysteria, serial killers, and spirits. As a result, reports of sightings of Kuchisake onna became viral throughout Japan.

On a chilly, spooky night, be cautious when a stunning woman in a mask approaches you…