Gakkou no Kaiden:
The Wrath of the Kuchisake-Onna

Have you heard the legend of the Kuchisake-Onna? If not then you're in for a treat. The legend is old and well known among the school children of Satoyama. According to rumors, there was once a very beautiful woman who once lived in Satoyama village. Being a very beautiful woman she often wore her hair down and often she wore a revealing dress that was hidden by a ruby red jacket. Now this woman was very vain and despite being married to the local police chief she was often seen hanging around the more unsavory sections of town. Often with one or two construction workers hanging at her side.

And before long she started having an affair with the many construction workers that hung around the bars and taverns that dotted the outlying area of Satoyama Village. One night while her husband was working overnight at the police precinct she invited a few of her construction worker friends over to her house, and one by one she took them to her bedroom and enjoyed them to the fullest. Then a little after midnight her husband returned, to notice his wife sitting in the living room, wearing nothing but her housecoat and surrounding her were three big construction workers.

A blind rage took over the man. Before he could catch himself he reached down and pulled out his Colt Police issued revolver and put a bullet in each of the men's heads. Killing them in a blink of an eye. He then turned toward his wife and with rage burning in his eyes he reached down and pulled out a pocket knife. With a mad grimace he advanced on her. Soon he overtook her as he wrestled her down to the ground he popped the knife in her mouth and sliced her from one corner of the mouth to the other. All the while screaming at the top of his lungs.

“Who would think you're pretty now? Who would think you're pretty now?”

Now according to legend the woman died from loss of blood, nobody knows what happened to her husband. One account says he fled the village and found employment in Tokyo. But of the woman, the legend says her spirit returned as an Onryo and now she haunts the village, appearing at night wearing a red coat and a surgical mask to hide her wound. She often appears at night, and she'll approach you. She would look very pretty, she would then ask you a simple question.

“Am I pretty?”

If you answer yes, then she'll remove the surgical mask. Showing she had  been cut from one ear to the other. If you scream or yell out, she'll strangle you. If you keep calm she'll ask you again.

“Even now?”

If your answer is yes, this time. She would then reach in and pull out a Kama she carries in the confines of her coat, she would then slit your mouth ear to ear like hers. Because now she is making you pretty. If your answer is no, she would stab you with Kama killing you because you were rude to her. The only way to escape is to either throw your pocket change at her, because she loves money and will follow the path of the coins and leave you alone so she can collect them or give a neutral answer.

And the legend of the Kuchisake-Onna. I hope you enjoyed it. Now  stay tuned for our next urban legend. “The Frosty Kiss of the Yuki-Onna”.