Kuchisake-onna - The Slit-Mouthed Woman
In 1979, a modern urban legend swept Japan: a woman in a surgical mask would ask if she was beautiful, then reveal a face sliced from ear to ear. If you answered wrong, she'd cut you the same way. Mass hysteria forced schools to send children home in groups. She's still reported today.
Kuchisake-onna - the Slit-Mouthed Woman - is one of Japan’s most terrifying urban legends, and one of the few to have caused documented mass hysteria. In 1979, reports of a mutilated woman attacking children swept the nation, closing schools and forcing police patrols. The legend faded but never died, and sightings continue to this day.
The Legend
A woman approaches you on the street. She’s beautiful, with long black hair, and wears a surgical mask - common in Japan to prevent illness spread. She asks you a question:
“Watashi, kirei?” (Am I beautiful?)
If you say no, she kills you with scissors.
If you say yes, she removes her mask, revealing a horrific face - her mouth has been slit from ear to ear, like a gruesome, permanent smile. She asks again:
“Kore demo?” (Am I still beautiful?)
If you say no, she cuts you in half.
If you say yes, she follows you home and kills you.
If you say she’s average, you might confuse her long enough to escape.
Some versions offer other escapes:
- Throwing hard candy at her (she stops to pick it up)
- Asking her if YOU are beautiful (she becomes confused)
- Telling her you have an appointment (she politely apologizes and lets you go)
The 1979 Panic
In spring 1979, the legend exploded across Japan. Reported sightings came from Nagasaki to Tokyo. The panic was severe enough that:
- Schools in some areas began sending children home in groups
- Police increased patrols
- Teachers walked children to bus stops
- News programs reported on the phenomenon
- Some schools temporarily closed
The panic lasted several months before gradually subsiding. No actual attacks were ever confirmed, but the fear was real enough to disrupt daily life.
Origins
The legend may derive from older stories:
Edo Period Origins: Some researchers trace Kuchisake-onna to a woman mutilated by her jealous samurai husband during the Edo period (1603-1868). She became a vengeful spirit.
Medical History: Japan has documented cases of “Kuchi-sake” - mouth-slitting - as historical punishment or torture.
Modern Mutations: The 1979 version added contemporary elements - the surgical mask, scissors, the impossible choice.
Why Surgical Masks?
The surgical mask is crucial to the legend’s power. In Japan, masks are commonly worn to prevent spreading illness, to protect against allergies, or simply for privacy. They’re unremarkable - which makes the slit-mouthed woman’s mask terrifying. Anyone wearing a mask could potentially be her.
The mask also allows the moment of revelation - the horror of discovering what lies beneath something so ordinary.
Continued Sightings
The Kuchisake-onna legend never fully disappeared:
2004: A wave of sightings in South Korea (where she’s called “빨간 마스크” - Red Mask)
2007: A coroner discovered records of a woman who died in a car accident in 1979 with her mouth slit from ear to ear - fueling speculation that the original Kuchisake-onna was a real person
Present: Periodic sightings continue in Japan, Korea, and among Japanese communities worldwide
Cultural Impact
Kuchisake-onna has become embedded in Japanese pop culture:
- Multiple horror films, including “Carved: The Slit-Mouthed Woman” (2007)
- Manga and anime appearances
- Video game characters
- Influence on Western media (the “Glasgow smile” in horror films)
She represents something particularly Japanese: the terror of social interaction gone wrong, the danger hidden behind polite facades, the importance of giving the right answer.
The Real Terror
What makes Kuchisake-onna enduring is the trap she presents. Every answer leads to danger. The normal rules of social interaction don’t apply. There is no safe response to her question - you are doomed from the moment she speaks to you.
In a culture that emphasizes correct behavior and appropriate responses, she represents chaos - a situation where doing everything right still leads to death.