There are a lot of urban legends in Japan, some of them I found surprising and they might surprise some of you. The ones I will cover here is the Slit Mouthed Woman (Kuchisake Onna), the Teke - Teke, Hanako Of The Toilet, Inunaki Village, the legends that inspired Ringu and Ju-on.
Slit Mouthed Woman (Kuchisake Onna)
Around 1978 a rumor circulated in the town of Yaotsu in Gifu Prefecture about an old woman with the slit mouth standing in the corner of a garden of a farming family within the town. The local newspaper printed the article and the legend spread. Reputation among the children grew as well within the area, the story changed with growth.
“There were all these different variations like they might say that she wore a mask or a red coat, or that she carried a sickle. Or they’d say that she could run a hundred meters in six seconds, that she hated hair pomade, or that if you gave her bekkōame hard candy, then you could get away . . .”(Yoshiyuki, 2019).
Within six months the rumor spread nationwide because the number of children entering cram school had increased. Before cram schools, it was rare for rumors to cross across school districts. Cram schools brought children together from different areas, which allowed students to share stories. As they passed them on further to relatives and so on, newspapers picked up the stories and eventually television stations.
"The kuchisake onna represented the kind of characters they might encounter. “Cram schools started in the evening, and when they ended children came out in groups onto the night streets. They saw adults they had never seen before, like women going out to their nightlife entertainment jobs or drunks on their way home from the bars.” As Iikura notes, this boosted anxiety among the young students about the possible presence of people who could hurt them—anxiety projected in the kuchisake onna." (Yoshiyuki, 2019).
Teke-Teke
Teke-Teke is an urban legend about a schoolgirl in 1969 that took her own life on train tracks, by being cut in half by an oncoming train, as a result of bullying. Her vengeful spirit is unable to rest and seeks out revenge on those who appear like those who bullied her.
Other versions, switch it to a nurse others claim it's a child who was murdered and finally one claims that it was a girl that was accidentally killed. Regardless of how she was killed, the fate of the victims are the same. Each one is chased down and cut in half.
"The name 'Teke Teke' comes from the distinctive sound she makes as she runs on her hands, or at other times her elbows, a 'tek, tek' sound with each hand fall. In the early years of the legend, one would be safe by not venturing near train tracks alone at night, Teke-Teke would seek her prey near the location of her death. Unfortunately, as her death took place in a different location with each telling, one had best stay away from all train lines to be sure." (Hall, 2013).
Soon the story evolved to the school during the night and finally to the bathroom stalls. Terror from the Teke-Teke story escalated to include no escape, even trying to outrun her is futile because she will find you and you'll be dead within three days. If you view her, it's said to be a death sentence.
Hanako Of The Toilet
Between the 1940s and 1950s, the first reports of Hanako were identified throughout Japan. Hanako appears as a little girl with short bobbed hair, and a red skirt. Usually, she occupies the bathroom of elementary schools in Japan, either the third stall on the third floor or the fourth stall on the fourth floor of the girls' bathroom. Some say it is just a facade, the spirit is really a three-headed, flesh-eating lizard beast.
"Subject habitually lies in wait until summoned by a target. Should the target enter the third-floor girl's bathroom alone, knock three times on the door of the third stall, and ask, "Are you there, Hanako-san?", the subject will respond, in the voice of a child, "I am here." The subject will also open the stall door slightly. Should the target open the stall door, the subject will reveal itself to the target." (Lucia, 2018).
Reports of what occurs once the person opens the stall door vary, however. Some say that the spirit protects the child from bullying. Others report that the spirit will seize the person who summoned them and drag them to hell or consume them. Other reports depict a three-headed, flesh-eating lizard that will consume the individual.
Varying reports indicate the spirit will curse the victim to contract a form of fungs that will infect their wounds if they scrape their knees on the playground. Some reports indicate that Hanako can only be summoned on Friday the 13th, while others claim she can only be summoned between one and three in the morning. While other reports claim she does not need a specific date or time to be summoned.
It is believed that Hanako died during a World War II air raid, while others say she was murdered by an abusive parent or perverted stranger who found her hiding there. The urban legend gained popularity around the 1980s.
Ringu/The Ring
The legend is based on a true story about a woman named Okiku who died in a well outside the Himeji Castle in Western Japan. The castle was built between 1333 and 1346. Okiku worked in the dungeon beneath the castle and was a servant to a samurai named Tessan Aoyama who took a liking to her.
"In fact, he fell madly in love with her, telling her that he was going to leave his wife and be with her. But Okiku wasn’t on board with this plan, which led to her apparent murder at the hands of the brutal samurai." (Squires, 2017).
One of Okiku's main tasks was to look after Aoyama's ten prized valuable golden plates. Tired of Okiku's rejections, Aoyama decided to hide on of the golden plates. Aoyama approached Okiku and told her that if she didn't agree to be with him, he would blame her for stealing his prized possession. It would lead to her torture and execution.
"In one version of the story, Okiku ended her own life by throwing herself down the castle’s well, believing herself to be in a no-win situation with no other way out. In the other version, Aoyama threw her down the well after she refused to be with him. Of course, the story doesn’t end there." (Squires, 2017).
After Okiku's death, it is said she crawled out of the well nightly and appeared before Aoyama. The vengeful spirit's ceaseless screams in the night drove Aoyama to madness. Each night Okiku was constantly heard counting the golden plates in the dungeon, throwing violent fits when she came to the realization the tenth one was still missing.
Drawings of Okiku, "depict her as looking very similar to Sadako/Samara, with flowing black hair and a long white dress. This is the general depiction of a person who has died under unnatural circumstances in Japan: these ghosts are referred to as Yūrei, translating to either “faint soul” or “dim spirit.” These tragic women are buried in white dresses, with their hair let down.
The well, locally known as “Okiku’s Well,” can still be found outside Himeji Castle, but it now has wrought iron bars covering it. An effort to keep Okiku locked inside, perhaps?" (Squire, 2017).
Ju-On/The Grudge
This is the legend that seems to be the one that kept coming up that seemed to have inspired the Grudge/Ju-On. Kayako, was a girl who lived in Japan. While she was growing up, she didn't have any friends and was alone most of her childhood. Even her parents neglected her because they felt she was strange which made her depressed and sad. As Kayako grew up, she came across a man named Taeko. She fell in love fast because he was the only one who showed her kindness. They soon got married and had a son.
"Before meeting Taeko, Kayako would see couples in love and get envious of them. She was lonely and never had any dates. She developed a crush on someone but she could never get the courage to go talk to him. One day, Taeko was looking around the house, searching for something, when he accidentally came across Kayako's old diary in which she had written about the man she had a crush on and was in love with. Not knowing that the diary was old and nothing ever happened between those two, Taeko was convinced that his wife was cheating on him." (Nichrelay, 2018)
After a long day at work, Kayako arrived home to find Taeko filled with rage holding a knife. Kayako asked him what was the matter, but he was too infuriated to think rationally and attacked her. He slit her throat, slahed her a few times in front of their young son. Kayako tried to escape but tripped, slipped on her own blood twisting her ankle. Taeko grabbed her and snapped her neck.
"It is believed that Kayako was paralyzed but still alive. Taeko pulled her and locked her in the attic to die and rot. Their son was constantly crying and trying to save his mother and already mad with anger Taeko killed him as well by drowning him in the bathtub." (Nichrelay, 2018).
It is believed in Japan that when someone dies in great pain and anguish they become ghosts. Since the police found Taeko's body, they believed he committed suicide. However, it's believed that Kayako strangled him with her hair.
Inunaki Village
The legend goes that you must take a small road past the old Inunaki Tunnel to find the supposed village. It's easy to miss because it's small. If you manage to find it, follow it to the entrance of the village where you'll find a sign that says "The Japanaese constitution is not in effect past here." Past that point you'll be on your own and won't be able to return.
"If you’re brave enough to enter yourself, it’s said the village is full of traps and the villagers themselves will attack you with hatchets and sickles. There’s no phone service either, so you’ll be completely on your own. The village is said to have been isolated from the outside world since the Edo Period and because of that, the government treats them as a “special reservation.” If you’re foolish enough to go in there, you are entirely on your own, and no-one who has entered has ever escaped alive. But does it really exist? There’s certainly a lot of information about a village that no-one has lived to tell the tale about, but does that mean it’s real?" (Kowbana, 2020).
The real Inunaki Village was real and did exist from 1691 to 1889. However, it merged with Yoshikawa Village, which it to was merged with other areas over the years. The modern day Inunaki Village is now located in Miyawaka City. It is a real place but not like the Inunaki Village legend. "The site of the old village is now submerged under a dam as well, so that’s not it either. Where is this legendary village that exists outside the Japanese constitution and kills all who enter? It’s not like Inunaki is a big place. If it exists, someone would have found it by now." (Kowbana, 2020).
Legends of Inunaki Village first appeared online around 1999. An anonymous person sent a letter to NTV about the village and described the legend. The writer describes how the village is home to violent villagers and requested the TV channel to investigate it as soon as possible. However, no proof has ever been found. With today's technologies (drones, satellites, Youtubers, and bloggers) no one has found it or anything coming close to resembling the legend or village. As far as the story is concerned it no longer exists and is nothing more than a creepypasta sadly.
Resources:
Hall, A. (2013). Teke-Teke
Kowbana (2020) Is Inunaki Village Real?
Lucia (2018) Encyclopaedia Of The Impossible: Hanako-San
Myers, C. (2018). 7 Creepy Japanese Urban Legends That Inspired Horror Films
Nichrelay, A. (2018). A True Story Behind 'The Grudge' Is Creepier Than The Movie
Squires, J. (2017). Okiku's Ghost: The True Scary Story That Inspired 'The Ring'
Yoshiyuki, I. (2019). Japanese Urban Legends from the "Slit Mouthed Woman" to "Kisaragi Station"
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