Pritha Ghosh, a student of fifth grade, shares the haunting tale of Kuchisake Onna, a beautiful girl turned vengeful spirit in Japanese folklore.
Do you know Kuchisake Onna?
I know that many of you may know and many of you don’t. Today I take this opportunity to narrate her sad story.
Once upon a time in a small village in Japan, there lived a girl named Kuchisake Onna. She was as beautiful as the cherry blossoms in spring, with a smile that could light up the darkest of days. But her beauty brought her no happiness, only sorrow.
Kuchisake Onna’s parents had passed away when she was very young, leaving her in the care of her aunt and uncle. They were harsh and unkind, treating her more like a servant than a family member. When she turned sixteen, they arranged for her to be married to a man from a distant land. She had no choice but to obey.
Her husband, a stern and secretive man, left shortly after their wedding, saying he had to work in another country and would return in six months. Kuchisake Onna waited patiently, counting the days until his return. But six months turned into a year, and a year into two, with no sign of her husband.
One day, after two long years, her husband finally returned. But he was not alone. With him were another woman and two small children, his new wife and family. Kuchisake Onna was devastated; her heart shattered into a million pieces. She confronted her husband, demanding to know why he had betrayed her. But her pleas fell on deaf ears.
In a fit of anger and cruelty, her husband and his new wife bound Kuchisake Onna with ropes. They took a sharp knife and cut her beautiful lips, disfiguring her once-perfect face. She screamed in pain, but no one came to help. They left her there, bleeding and broken, until she finally succumbed to her injuries.
But Kuchisake Onna’s spirit did not rest. Consumed by rage and sorrow, she became a vengeful ghost, wandering the streets at night. “Am I beautiful?” was the straightforward question she would pose to kids who were by themselves.
If the child said “no,” she would reveal her disfigured face and kill them in the same brutal way her husband had killed her. If the child said “yes,” she would still kill them, but this time with a sharp knife, ensuring they would never see beauty again.
And so the legend of Kuchisake Onna spread—a tale of beauty, betrayal, and revenge. Some say she still roams the streets, searching for those who dare to answer her question, “Am I beautiful?”
