Also, stuff like this...
As I've mentioned, Dr. Jones has been around the world and was in Japan for a little while doing some research. One of the urban myths he did some work with was that of the "kuchisake onna:" The slit-mouth woman.
From the film "Slit-Mouth Woman," also known as "Carved."
As the story goes, there was a vain woman married to (or the concubine of) a samurai. She was most likely cheating on on him, the stories differ, and in his jealousy, he slit her face from ear-to-ear and screamed to her: "Who will think you're beautiful now?"The contemporary story goes that her sliced up face was the result of botched plastic surgery. But it sticks to the same vanity and mutilation. but where it becomes fun, is the urban myth part. She, supposedly, appears to young adults and children, wearing a hospital mask (not uncommon in Japan, they wear them to prevent the passage of colds and disease) asking do they think she's beautiful. Upon a response, she rips the mask off and asks: "What do you think of me now?" If the victim says no, or doesn't answer she butchers them with a scythe (or pair of large scissors, myths differ). Supposedly, she wears a red rain coat to camouflage the blood splatters.
TOO MUCH MOUTH! AAHH!
But she can be confounded, by saying she's "so-so", "normal" or another moderate answer. There's the triple repetition of "pomade" as well, but this gets a little fuzzy in at least my research into it (some of my sources state it's due to the plastic surgeon's wearing of the stuff). She also loves sugary snacks, so tossing her some can get you off the hook.
There's also one source I found that gives her a 3 fixation.
Dr. Jones did give this one some merit. And followed a few of his leads (of which there are many), and it led him to Fujikawaguchiko, which is not terribly far (about two hours drive) from Aokigahara, the forest of suicides. What he found out, from a select group of interviews all correlated that the woman did appear in their area and with some regularity. More research into the myth itself (a combination of working with a Tokyo based ESS and working with these locals) shows that some tales ended with the woman being spurned by her cuckold lover and fleeing into the forest.
Delightful happenstance!
Dr. Jones sent me this regarding the subject:
"I armed myself, as it were, with several sweet mochi from the local shops and a few cans of coffee. After finding a willing guide and making sure my flashlight and GPS had a full charge, we went into Aokigahara. Since some of the recent myths (only relatively, ones from the late Meiji era) state she has a fixation with triads as well as her family name possibly being [censored by N. Tep Ent. policy]. After repeating the name thrice in several different locations about three kilometers (to further push the numerological possibility) something appeared in the distance. Slowly walking towards us was a woman in a red coat with a hospital mask on. My guide, in hushed tones, told me we should give her the mochi and one of the coffee drinks and just leave. Being the determined old fool I am, I told him to stand behind me if he was so frightened. True to legend she asked us if we thought she was pretty. I said she seemed so, my companion was silent. She took off the mask, asked again, and I said she was still pretty, and she was wronged by whomever desecrated her flesh so. She stared at me, and then screeched like a dying rabbit. From her sleeve, she drew a large pair of scissors. I threw the mochi at her and we both ran."
Dr. Jones has had me working on a digital painting of this encounter, but insists that there's no rush. That should go up in a few days.
Dr. Jones has had me working on a digital painting of this encounter, but insists that there's no rush. That should go up in a few days.
