This article documents folklore and reported beliefs. It does not claim that supernatural events are scientifically verified.
The story
Kuchisake-onna, the Slit-Mouthed Woman
Reports and rumours surged in Japan in the late 1970s. Tellings vary: the woman may carry scissors, repeat a question, or be escaped through a confusing answer, sweets, or another local rule. Later film and online versions standardized features that were once unstable.
Context matters
Belief, history & interpretation
Kuchisake-onna is a modern urban legend shaped by rumour, school culture, newspapers, entertainment, and changing public anxieties. Circulation is documented; a supernatural attacker is not.
Topic-specific research pathSearch WorldCat for books about Kuchisake-onna, the Slit-Mouthed Woman ↗Search scholarly references for Kuchisake-onna, the Slit-Mouthed Woman ↗UNESCO · Intangible Cultural Heritage ↗How Dream Noir labels folklore, belief and evidence →These resources provide research context. A general reference does not prove a supernatural claim or replace community-specific scholarship.
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Respect the story—and question the claim.
Folklore reveals how communities remember danger, grief, identity and the unknown. It can be meaningful without being treated as proof.