Ethereal Chronicles

I had ventured home late; perhaps around 3, 4 in the early hours of the morning, when the birds had begun to sing and the usual hum of daily life had faded into stillness.

The road I walked was empty, enveloped in a deadly silence, but it was a comfort I had grown accustomed to, a welcome reprieve from the chaos that surrounded my home. But I did not move far before I began to sense a movement behind me.

I had heard one too many stories of women being snatched away, raped and tortured at the hands of cruel men, and a fear began to rise in my throat. It was a suffocating sensation, one that left my mouth parched as though the bravery had been drained right out of me. I quickened my pace, just slightly, hoping to widen the gap between us.

But scarcely a moment after I did so, whoever was behind me took two long, distinct strides, and I felt a small, cold hand close over my shoulder, spinning me around to face him.

Only standing before me was not a man at all but a woman, rather small in stature, peering up at me through a mask that covered her nose and mouth. I stood staring back, still gasping from the shock, and the mask on her face shifted as she began to speak.

“Sorry to startle you, but I have a question I hoped you could answer for me.” She said slowly, her voice high and unnervingly sweet.

I said nothing but nodded, glancing about me once more.

The woman laughed. “Don’t worry, I’m perfectly harmless. I just wanted to know if you think I’m pretty.”

“What?” I said stupidly, my voice coming out in a laugh, but she furrowed her eyebrows in an expression so fragile I thought she might cry, so I shrugged. “I suppose, yes.”

“Yes?” The woman’s eyes gleamed, delighted at my response. She reached up to hook her fingers around the mask, pulling it from her face and letting it drop to the ground.

I inhaled sharply.

Though her eyes and nose were beautiful, her mouth, stretched and bloody, had been cut and torn into a warped smile. She continued to stare at me, smiling so that her disfigurement stretched even wider, and as she did so she appeared to grow taller, elongating unnaturally so that she towered above me.

“Do you still think I’m pretty?” She said, this time her voice more monstrous.

If I had spoken, I would have screamed in terror, and she surely would kill me. But maybe, just maybe, if I chose to show her kindness, she might let me go free. So I simply nodded, my lips sealed shut and my jaw clenched so harshly it ached.

The woman nodded slowly. “I’m glad.”

I hesitated. “Can I go now?”

“One moment.” The woman said, blood dripping from her wound as she spoke. “I have something for you.”

She withdrew something from her dress; a large pair of rusted scissors, although upon further speculation I was not so sure if it was rust or dried blood.

I recoiled, but she was faster, moving in to grasp my face in her hands and force my mouth open.

I screamed and thrashed, attempting to wriggle my way out of her grip, but she had already hooked the scissors at the edge of my mouth. With a sickening snap, she sliced the skin from the outer corner to the bottom of my ears.

A blinding pain overtook me, but before I had time to react, she tilted my head so that she could mutilate the other side. She did so frantically, excitedly, her breath hot and heavy against my neck until I staggered backwards, clutching my face in my hands as my eyes filled with tears and my palms filled with warm, sticky blood.

Kuchisake Onna is a malevolent entity in Japanese folklore.

APPEARANCE AND ATTRIBUTES

Now, despite her later terrifying appearance, Kuchisake Onna is not an initial figure of horror. Rather, she appears quite beautiful to her victims, being tall and slender, with long, dark hair and captivating eyes. Her mouth is typically covered with a mask; sometimes surgical, other times a cloth or a handkerchief.

In her hands she holds an abnormally large pair of scissors, a knife or other sharp instruments, which she uses to kill or disfigure her victims.

Once she removes her mask, she reveals a horrible, mutilated mouth, sliced carelessly from ear to ear. Some stories depict her up to 8ft tall, towering above the individual, and she may have razor sharp teeth, though this detail varies amongst different stories.

Kuchisake Onna preys on her victims by asking them if they find her beautiful. If the individual does not comply with her wishes and says ‘no’, then she will brutally murder them on the spot. If they answer ‘yes’, then she will show them her gruesome smile, and ask them a second time. Should the person respond with a ‘no’, or scream with fear, then she will take the pair of scissors and cut them in half with superhuman speed. However, if they say ‘yes’ again, then she will slice their mouth from ear to ear to mirror her own disfigurement.

ORIGINS

The legend of Kuchisake Onna is said to date back to the 17th century in Japan, and there are numerous tales explaining how she came to be.

The most widely known story depicts her as the wife of a Samurai who, lonely and neglected during times of war, chose to take multiple lovers in her husband’s absence. When her husband discovered her infidelity, he sliced her mouth apart, ensuring that no man would ever find her beautiful again.

Another story recounts the jealousy of another woman, who, in a fit of envy, mutilated Kuchisake Onna during a medical procedure, desperate to sabotage her beauty.

PROTECTION

Kuchisake Onna can be protected against. The most effective way to evade her violence would be to confuse her by calling her average when she presents you with her well known question, or to simply say that you don’t know.

In some variations of the legend, confidently agreeing both times that she is beautiful may persuade her to let you go free, though the effectiveness of this method is unclear.

Throwing objects, particularly money, is said to slow the spirit down, as she will bend to pick up the items, giving you the chance to flee.

If you tell Kuchisake Onna that you cannot answer her because you are running incredibly late, then she will apologise, and move aside to let you pass.