In 1979, panic hit fever pitch in Japan when reports of a woman seemed to be following young children. Kuchisake-Onna is the legend of a Japanese woman, mutilated by her jealous samurai husband who murdered her for infidelity, scarring her horribly and leaving her repulsive. The unease we project on the kuchisake onna or ghosts, on the other hand, is based on the idea that real people wouldn’t do these things. She's certainly captured the public imagination. Kuchisake-Onna means “slit-mouthed woman” and she is a frightening Japanese urban legend that has appeared in many pop culture media. Some people claim they know how to escape the Slit-Mouthed Woman. Thanks to her innocuous appearance, the Slit-Mouthed Woman is able to blend in until she selects her prey. Reports of The Slit Mouthed Woman first surfaced in the late 70’s, leading to the authorities in that part of Japan putting more man-power on the streets.. Hashiguichi Takaaki also directed the pink version of the Kuchisake-onna (Slit-Mouthed Woman) urban legend, two years before Shiraishi Kōji’s J-horror classic “, Time to head out to the Far East for a little urban legend fare… Get ready to meet The Slit-Mouthed Woman, another ghoulish girl who could give Kayako and Sadako a run for their yen! It is said that during one possible abduction attempt, the woman was struck by a car and killed. The kuchisake onna is thought to be one such woman. "Am I pretty now?" People related these stories as things they had heard from local newspaper and radio accounts; the tales took on local colors and details, traveling across the whole of the United States. The Kuchisake Onna Sightings. “These urban legends were at their peak popularity in the early 1990s before cooling off in 1995. Flying into a jealous rage, her husband knocked Kuchisake unconscious and tied her up. [18], Kuchisake-onna was also the basis for a character that appears in the episode "Danse Vaudoo" of the American television series Constantine. Methods that can be used to survive an encounter with Kuchisake-onna include answering her question by describing her appearance as "average", or by distracting her with money or hard candies. Starting on Thursday, January 26th, the streaming service Shudder will be host to Sadako vs Kayako, and to celebrate their exclusive North American release of the film, Shudder has unveiled a new trailer for the cinematic showdown between the respective killers of the Ringu and Ju-On franchises. Or they’d say that she could run a hundred meters in six seconds, that she hated hair pomade, or that if you gave her bekkōame hard candy, then you could get away . Section 107 specifies usage of copyright material falls under Fair Use when it is applied for criticism, comment, news reporting, teaching and research. But evading her deadly question can also be a matter of choosing one's words carefully. [6], After her death, the woman returned as a vengeful spirit, or onryō. That year’s earthquake in Kobe and sarin attacks on the Tokyo subway meant it was no longer the right atmosphere for talking about legendary monsters. It's a big Universe full of wonders. You Need To Read About The Slit-Mouthed Woman - Japan's Scariest Urban Legend, Copyright © 2020 Times Internet Limited. Associate professor at Kokugakuin University, where he specializes in oral literature and contemporary folklore studies. If you say yes, she may or may not spare your life. Holding a pair of large scissors, she asks, "Am I pretty?". Subscribe to Indiatimes and get handpicked updates based on your interests! In the 2000s, the rise of the blog sparked the heyday of the text-based website. Showtimes As kids, we all heard urban legend stories, that we almost believed to be true. Marketing departments made strong efforts to analyze what these young people were saying.”. The creepy story of Kisaragi Station has developed over more than 10 years, during which time it made the leap from 2channel to Twitter. The key is to stay unruffled and calm when she asks, "Am I pretty?" [16] The Kuchisake-onna character later appeared in the 2012 film Kuchisake-onna Returns,[17] as well as in the webcomic Mob Psycho 100. If you say no, you die. Being a simple homicidal maniac, there had to be some backstory to that end. [19][20], the corners of her mouth are slit from ear to ear, "Japanese Urban Legends from the "Slit-Mouthed Woman" to "Kisaragi Station, "Global Ghosts: 7 Tales of Specters From Around the World", "Sadako lives: the true stories behind five Japanese horror movies", "A Short Course in Yokai with Translator Zack Davisson", "Shigeru Mizuki, the legendary manga creator and 'Yokai Professor,' finally gets his due", "Sadako vs. Kayako Coming Exclusively to Streaming Service Shudder; New Images! | Kuchisake-Onna, the slit-mouthed woman is a horrific Japanese legend. or "Even now?") High school and university students had more to spend as they could get part-time jobs in newly built family restaurants and convenience stores, and with the bubble economy around the corner, even younger children had more purchasing power. USC Title 17. You may try to run, but it will be in vain. If they respond with "no", she will kill them with her weapon. You could respond, "You're ok," or, "So-so." Where urban legends were once shared as if they really happened to that “friend of a friend,” they now spread more quickly and widely like the latest hit game. When urban legends travel to cities in other countries, they can change to fit better into the local culture.”, In the second wave of urban legends, some entertainers have made the topic their specialty. Web Title : real story of japan's slit mouthed woman kuchisake onna Telugu News from Samayam Telugu, TIL Network. If you get on an elevator alone in a building with 10 or more floors and press the buttons in a particular order, it’s said to take you to another dimension. When Kuchisake-onna, the Slit-Mouthed Woman, asks you a question, you better give her the right answer - or else. Mask of Reason  Instead, “The Doll House” is one of many horror-themed pinku eiga (pink films or softcore pornography) films. In some versions of the legend, Kuchisake-onna will leave the potential victim alone if they answer "yes" to both of her questions, though in other versions, she will visit the individual's residence later that night and murder the person while sleeping. During the 20th century, the blame began to be placed on ghosts, serial killers, and simple mass hysteria. I’m not going to lie, I typically hate box sets. “The kuchisake onna must be the first purely Japanese urban legend,” says Iikura Yoshiyuki, a Kokugakuin University associate professor who researches oral literature. There’s a growing sense of helplessness, and amid a vague sense of unease, perhaps there’s a desire to cling to what is real. If the individual responds with "no", she will kill them with her weapon, and if they say "yes", she will cut the corners of their mouth in such a way that resembles her own disfigurement. The showdown between the cursed killers of the Ringu and Ju-On franchises will be featured later this year on Shudder, as the streaming service announced today that they have acquired North American rights to Sadako vs. Kayako ahead of the film’s international premiere at Tiff this September: More low budget Japanese mayhem arrives in the form of “Hard Revenge Milly” and “Hard Revenge Milly: Bloody Battle”, originally released a couple of years back and now slicing their way onto region 2 DVD as a double bill via Cine Asia. “Once they get to a certain length, somebody puts these kinds of stories on aggregator sites, and then they get shared again,” says Iikura. Her ghastly figure appears in many Japanese ghost stories that date back as far as the Edo period of the 17th century. You can jump in and help build them. When she woke, he threatened to kill her if she left him, and used a large pair of scissors to slice her face into a permanent smile. "[12], Kuchisake-onna has appeared in live-action films, as well as in manga, anime, and video games. The motif of a phantom passenger dates back to the era of nineteenth-century hackney coaches, but adapted itself to the age of the automobile, spurred on by the growth of the mass media. [1][2] Other survival tactics include replying to Kuchisake-onna's question by describing her appearance as "average", giving the individual enough time to run away;[2][6] distracting her by giving or throwing money or hard candies (particularly the kind of candy known as bekko ame, made of caramelised sugar) in her direction, as she will stop to pick them up;[1][2][8] or by saying the word "pomade" three times. Coinciding with its debut on the streaming service Shudder today, the goulish first five minutes of the. Might there be someone who chases children PRETENDING to be a ghost…possible. (which translates to "Am I pretty?" Our Shudder Pick of the… Continue Reading →. Looks are very important to Kuchisake-onna. “For example, there’s a story about traveling to a different world by elevator. [13] She is also mentioned in the 1998 film Ring, directed by Hideo Nakata. [4][5] Other versions of the tale include that her mouth was mutilated during a medical or dental procedure, that she was mutilated by a woman who was jealous of her beauty, or that her mouth is filled with numerous sharp teeth. There is no easy escape from Kuchisake. Kuchisake certainly doesn’t want to hear that she is not pretty as she would then immediately lop off your head or cut your whole body in half without a second thought. The boom did not last, though, Iikura explains. One way to survive her is through distraction. After he sliced her face open in the shape of a wide smile, he posed a question of his own. As per the tale, Kuchisake Onna, while wearing a mask, often approaches people to ask, "Atashi, Kirei?" A rumor among high school girls went that finding a koala with eyebrows meant it would be a lucky day, so Lotte tried various strategies, such as increasing the number of different koala designs. There’s a story that she has a slit-mouthed skinhead boyfriend who also wears a mask. One typical success came for Lotte with its Koala’s March cookies. Probably no. I feel that on a global scale, we’re gradually losing the ground where urban legends can arise. When she asks “Am I pretty?”, simply respond with a neutral or confusing answer (such as “average” or “possibly”) and Kuchisake will ponder that reply for a second or two. While the concept of the urban legend says that it's just a modern folklore consisting fictional stories, it's tough to not believe in them. They were desperate to get a hold on the panic that these reports were creating among the public. Les currently resides in London and is a freelance writer with a long-standing passion for the unexplained and paranormal. 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