Curses, demons, cursed commercials and conspiracy theories - contemporary Japanese myths will delight any fan of horror-filled stories. Hope you enjoy!
1.Kuchisake-onna
One of the most famous stories about Japanese ghosts is the story of Kuchisake-onna - a young, beautiful and extremely vain woman married to a jealous samurai. As a reaction to her latest revealed indiscretion, her husband mutilated her by slashing her mouth from ear to ear. According to the legend, the girl's spirit roams the world seeking revenge. A mysterious figure in a long coat, she hides her face behind a surgical mask, selecting not only men as her victims, but mostly children. Her assault always begins with the same question: "Am I pretty?" A negative answer results in death on the spot, her murder weapon being a pair of scissors, which she uses to rip the victim's body apart. In case of a yes, she will pull her mask away and showing her slit mouth, she will ask: "How about now?" Denying her beauty fills her with rage and means a sure death. Upon second affirmative answer Kuchisake-onna would pull out her pair of scissors and cut the victim's face to resemble her own scar. Although the legend has been known since the Heian period, it resurfaces every now and then and captures the public imagination even stronger than before. In 1979, when a few witnesses testified to having seen a monster whose looks corresponded to the description found in the legend, the number of police patrols was increased and children on their way back from school were escorted in groups, organised specially for that purpose.
So any ideas how to get away from this spirit? Well, the only answer that gives a chance of escape is telling her that she is average or that she looks just normal.
2.Okiku Doll
Back in 1918, a seventeen-year-old boy in Hokkaido bought a doll at the market for his two-year-old sister, Okiku. The doll looked similar to her as they both had an okappa hair cut, a bowl cut with straight hair down to the chin. She loved the doll so much that she took it everywhere with her, even to sleep. When Okiku died months later, the family named the doll after her and prayed to it at their household shrine.
It wasn’t long after they noticed something strange happening—the doll’s hair was gradually growing longer. Even after cutting it, the hair kept growing back. It was at that moment the family knew they messed up.
Okiku’s father gave the doll to Mannen-ji Temple in Iwamizawa City, Hokkaido, where it can be visited to this day (no photos allowed). Scientists have analysed the doll and confirmed that the hair belongs to a human child!
3.Inunaki Village
The Inunaki Tunnel is a well-known haunted spot, but trek a little further and you may find Inunaki Village, an other-worldly site said to be located in Fukuoka Prefecture.
Rumour has it that the entire village has been isolated since the Edo period and the villagers turn cannibalistic at the sight of outsiders. There’s zero phone reception in the village so you’ll be on your own. To know you’re at the right place, keep a lookout for a sign that says “The constitution and laws of Japan do not apply here”.
4.Teke Teke
She has no lower half and carries a scythe and travels on her hands while searching for victims to cut in two, mimicking her accident.
Teke Teke is universally portrayed as a girl or a young woman, usually with long, black hair.
She is often portrayed as having claws instead of fingernails or fingers, as these help her drag her torn body around.
The legend is called "Teke Teke" because of the sound she makes while "walking" and carrying the scythe.
Like most urban legends, there are so many versions of the Teke Teke story that it is impossible to know what the original story was or where it began from.
Every locality has its own version with different details.
In some stories, Teke Teke was the victim of a tragic accident; in others, it was suicide.
In some stories, certain magic charms can protect you from its wrath; in others, nothing can protect you and you will certainly die.
In some versions, Teke Teke's victims become Teke Teke themselves.
There are many things in common between these variations, and the most common ones point towards a woman from Hokkaido named Kashima Reiko.
Years after World War II, an office worker in Muroran, Hokkaido was assaulted by military personnel.
She was left injured on the rail tracks and was hit by a train which cut off her body in half.
The severe cold of the Hokkaido night caused her blood vessels to contract and prevented her from bleeding out quickly.
Instead, she squirmed and wriggled around for help for several minutes.
She was seen by an attendant.
Instead of trying to help her, the station attendant just covered her with a plastic bag. She died a slow, agonising death.
According to legend, three days after hearing this story, you will see the ghost of a woman with no lower half.
The ghost will try to catch you, and escape is impossible even in a car; the ghost can crawl at a speed of up to 150 km per hour. Some say that the ghost is searching for her missing legs.
Others say that she is simply out to slaughter as many people as she can.
Another version of the story suggests that the legend was designed to deter people from bullying, abusing or assaulting others.
In many variations of the legend, the Teke Teke was mistreated by others in life and this ill-treatment directly caused her death.
The only reason why she rose from the grave was to get revenge on others, albeit rather indiscriminately.
5.Gozu
Supposedly the "Gozu", or the "Cow Head" story is so horrifying that people who read or hear it are overcome with fear so great that they tremble violently for days on end until they die. One variation involves a teacher who tells a fragment of the story to her class while on a school trip, resulting in the children becoming paralysed by fear and losing their memory after the bus crashed while the teacher was reading. Other variations include the detail that no one is able to retell the story since they die after hearing it. Rumors say that only fragments are left of the story. One such fragment is about a town that got cursed after they ate a Cow Head.
Well, that's all for now. Hope you liked this take, have a good day!
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