Kuchisake-onna (Slit Mouth Woman)

I've decided to post about urban legends from around the world on days when I don't have time to read a book or watch a movie. And what better place to start with than Japan? They definitely have some of the scariest legends, with Kuchisake-onna being one of the most terrifying.

Kuchisake-onna (the "slit mouth woman") is said to wear a surgical mask covering her mouth. When she approaches you, she'll ask if you think she's pretty. If you say "no," Kuchisake-onna will immediately kill you. If you say "yes," she'll remove her mask, allowing you to see the scar extending from the corners of her mouth. She will then ask again, "Am I pretty?" If you say "yes" a second time, she'll proceed to cut your face in an identical fashion to her own (and possibly still kill you, depending on which version of the legend you read). However, if you answer by telling her that she's "average," it may confuse her long enough to allow you to escape. You can also drop candy on the ground and then run away. (This also works for the raptors in The Lost World by Michael Crichton. They really like chocolate.)

The origin of Kuchisake-onna seems to be one of two things. The first being that she was a very vain woman who would always ask people if they thought she was pretty. Believing his beautiful wife was having an affair, in a fit of jealousy, her husband attacked her, slicing her mouth from one side of her face to the other. The second legend is that she suffered from plastic surgery gone wrong.

While this sounds like the kind of tale you would tell your friends during a sleepover, the legend was taken very seriously. In 1979, supposedly, a woman with the same horrific features as Kuchisake-onna was seen following children around. She was so feared that even the schools closed down and police were sent to patrol the area. According to various websites, while pursuing a child, she was hit by a car and died from her injuries.

There are several movies about this legend, the most popular being Kuchisake-onna (1996) and Carved (2007). She has also had manga written about her and her likeness has been featured in various shows, as well as being referenced in several video games.