Do you think I’m pretty?
First of all, I hope everyone is staying safe and healthy. During this time, I have found it appropriate to not share with you stories of plagues and viruses that do haunt folklore for respect of what we are all facing. I will be sharing these tales once this horrific time passes by. The last thing I want to do is add more fuel to the panic. That being said, I feel I can share this story. We are all wearing masks after all…
Japan is one of those places that still creates monsters. Contemporary ghost stories and urban legends lurk in the shadowy corners of this beautiful nation. One such figure, a lady in a mask, is one such contemporary player on the Yokai stage.
There once was a woman who was mutilated during her life. Her mouth was slit from ear to ear. We aren't exactly sure how this happened, theories suggest she was an adulterous wife or concubine of a samurai. The slicing of her mouth was a punishment. Other theories suggest a botched surgical procedure or mutilation by a jealous woman. There is even a theory that she has shark like teeth.
After her death, joining the ranks of Samara and the Grudge lady, this woman became a vengeful spirit or an Onryo.
Sometimes it's a surgical mask, sometimes it's cloth, sometimes it's a hand fan, and sometimes it's a hanker chief. She covers her mouth, hiding a sharp instrument such as a knife or a large pair of scissors, and approaches potential victims.
"Watashi Kirei?"
"Am I pretty?"
Do not reply no… That is instant death. Large Scissors do alot of damage.
If the person answers yes, she will reveal her mutilated mouth.
"Watashi Kirei?" or "Kore Demo?" "Even now?"
If the person answers no or screams, they will be stabbed to death.
If the person answers yes, she will slice the corners of the victim's mouth from ear to ear just as what happened to her.
There is a positive outcome to this. In some legends the victim will be left alone if they answer yes to both of her questions. Though sometime she will visit the individuals residence and murder them in their sleep.
Another story suggests replying by describing her appearance as average, giving the victim enough time to flee. Hard candles and shiny things and also delicious candy being tossed to her may cause a distraction. And for some reason saying the word pomade three times will save the victims life.
The earliest known printed legend dates back to 1979. It spread like wildfire, creating hysteria to the point that young children would sometimes be accompanied by members of the parent teacher association groups in their region to get home safe.
In other parts of the world, there are wounds similar to the Kuchisake-Onna's. The most famous name for one such mutilation is the Glasgow smile. Said to have originated in Glasgow, Scotland in the 1920s and 30s, the mutilation became popular through English street gangs especially a particular gang called the Chelsea Headhunters.
In modern history, meaning after World War II, an actor named Tommy Flanagan received a Glasgow smile. Working as a nightclub DJ before he became a famous actor, he was attacked by a gang where he was stabbed and assaulted with a knife resulting in the smile.
Another person we all know has received this particular mutilation though in many different forms and plotlines, talking about you Joker!
Simply put, don't play with sharp objects and be careful of your surroundings. There haven't been any reports of the Kuchisake-Onna in the U.S. but never too late to start being careful right?
