A young woman was the wife or concubine of a samurai hundreds of years ago. She was stunning, but she was also conceited, and she was caught cheating on her husband. Extremely enraged and cuckolded, the samurai rushed her and sliced her mouth from ear to ear, yelling, “Who will think you’re beautiful now?”
That woman wanders around in the foggy evenings, her face hidden under a surgical mask, which is not unusual in Japan, where individuals with colds often wear masks for the sake of others. When she comes across someone, usually children or college students, she will ask softly, “Am I beautiful?” (“Watashi kirei?”).
If the person responds affirmatively, she will remove her disguise and inquire, “Even like this?”
If the victim responds “No,” she will slaughter them with a pair of enormous scissors.
If the victim tells her she is pretty a second time, she will follow her home and murder them in their own doorstep. This is due to the fact that the Japanese word “kirei,” which means “pretty,” is a near homophone of “kire,” the imperative verb of “to cut.”
The victim is saved if they answer “You’re average.”
In addition, the answer “so-so” prompts the Kuchisake-onna to ponder what to do, allowing her victim to flee while she is thinking. Presenting the Kuchisake-onna with amber, hard candy is one way to get away. Another option is to repeat the word “pomade” three times (in some versions, six times). This will cause her to either stutter and turn or flee. If the victim has pomade, this will prevent her from following them. It’s suspected to remind her of of a scent she was familiar with that scared her during her life.
Kyla from Seattle, WA
Another Version
Kuchisake-Onna was a beautiful woman named Kuchisake-Onna who lived with her husband in a little town in Japan. Everyone would compliment her on her beauty. All of the compliments boosted the girl’s confidence and she became more daring. Men approached her on a regular basis, and as her ego grew, she became dissatisfied with her marriage. She believed she could cheat on her spouse without him noticing, but she was mistaken.
Her husband saw her kissing a soldier one night. In a moment of rage, her husband slashed her mouth from ear to ear with a sword, yelling, “Who would think you’re beautiful now!?”
Her confidence was broken and she sank into sadness as a result of her scorned husband’s attack. The girl murdered herself and transformed into a vengeful spirit who travels around Japan wearing a mask and wielding scissors.
If you happen to run into her, she’ll inquire softly, “Am I pretty?” If you respond yes, she will remove her mask, revealing her slit-from-ear-to-ear mouth, and inquire, “Am I still pretty?” If you continue to answer yes, she will use her scissors to split your mouth open from ear to ear and shout, “Now you’re beautiful like me!” If you refuse, she will dismember your corpse and preserve your head so she can remember you. The best response is that you’re ordinary or fine… It will offer you the opportunity to flee and get away from her, and good luck to my Japanese friends!
Kiera B.
Another Konna onna
Konna onna once was a very beautiful lady in Japan. She would ask young children “Am I pretty?” And the kids say “yes”.
One day, she was cheating on her husband. Of course, he caught her. As a punishment, he grabbed her and cut her mouth.
After that, she killed herself and returned as an evil spirit. She asks people, “Am I pretty?”
If you say yes, she will remove her mask, and say, “Am I now?”
If you say yes again, she will give you the same mouth as her.
If you say you look normal she will stand there and think of your answer, and run away fast as possible. When she finds you again, and you say the same answer, she will start to chase after you! Don’t let her get you!
Sofia Nguyen