Urban Legends and Myths

by Esha S.

  The Slit Mouthed Women

  The Slit-Mouthed Woman is an urban legend in Japan. It's about a woman who was the wife of a mentally-ill schizophrenic man. He claimed to heard voices telling him to murder, not only was he schizophrenic, he was also bipolar. His wife's name is 'Kuchisake Onna." This man had physically abused Kuchisake Onna in which she had grew unhappy with him.

  When it has been discovered that Kuchisake had found another man behind his back and was planning on having a divorce with him to have this other man, he had grew major amounts of rage. Through this rage, he had knocked Kuchisake unconscious, but the moment that she woke up, she had discovered that he tied her up. Taking a large pair of scissors, her murderous husband figured he would have to kill Kuchisake before she had divorced him. He then used the scissors to cut a permanent smile in to her face, spreading the cut from ear to ear. The large hideous grin left a permanent wound on her face, he then asked her, "Who will think you're pretty now?"

  He then took the scissors and used it to decapitate Kuchisake, upon murdering her, he had realized what he had done. From guilt, he used the scissors to take his own life by stabbing himself in the chest.

  Then the urban legend is born that the spirit of Kuchisake Onna walks around the streets of Japan. If you happen to encounter her, you see her wearing a large surgical mask around her face. She approaches you and says, "Am I pretty?" But before you can answer her, she removes the mask and asks, "Am I pretty now?"

  Urban legend has it, if you reply to her saying, "You're ugly." She takes her scissors and uses it to remove your head much as she was killed but if you say, "You are pretty." She takes the scissors and stretches your mouth ear to ear making you look just as 'pretty' as her.

  But then if you say, "You're average." She stops and gets confused giving you enough time to run off from her but still be careful. She possesses super-human strength and speed and is able to kill off people in the blink of an eye.

  One day, this boy named John was just walking home from school before he was approached by her. She stopped in front of him and said, "Am I pretty?" But before he could answer her, she removed her mask and said, "Am I pretty now?" Terrified, John tried to run off but Kuchisake's cold left hand gripped him by the neck stopping him. Kuchisake's hand then forced John's head to turn rightwards thus breaking his neck.

  He didn't die right there but the cops had come and Kuchisake was gone. They took him to the hospital and when his spinal cord had healed, he died from fear and his last words were, "The Slit Mouthed woman."

  Chance was not the smartest person though but he had learned spirits could be banished by chanting the words, "I banish you to the Shadow of death, no evil or fear should be able to touch me. I send you back in to the Earth, back to the grave from which you have come."

  Though, his mother had told him not to travel through the woods although there was a short cut to get home. Chance had came home from school one day and went in to the woods stupidly, walking across the dirt. But it was too late because he had spotted Kuchisake.

  Kuchisake walked over to him and out of fear, Chance fell backwards landing on his back. She looked down at him and said, "Am I pretty?" Before Chance could answer, she removed her surgical mask and asked, "Am I pretty now?" Revealing the hideous and deformed face, Chance had heard the urban legend of the 'Slit-Mouthed woman' but did not believe it at first.

  Now horrified, Chance took his left hand grabbing his cross necklace and began chanting the curse of the devil, "I banish you to the Shadow of death, I corrupt you to the netherworld from which no one has come from. In to the dirt no being should ever cross." Instead of chanting the words he knew, these words have done a tremendous thing.

  Three demonic large hands rose from the dirt from behind Kuchisake grabbing at her left leg beginning to pull her underneath. Kuchisake shook while standing up trying to escape but then three more hands from behind her rose from the ground grabbing at her right leg beginning to force her body to sink. Kuchisake dropped her blade as the dirt around her began forcing her to sink.

  Chance then realized that the demonic hands belonged to the tortured souls that Kuchisake had killed but they had been corrupted. The hands kept grabbing Kuchisake until she was half-way underneath, but then she jumped up grabbing at Chance's legs. Three more hands rose from the ground beginning to grab Chance as well but Chance was able to escape because he grabbed on to a tree with his left hand. Kuchisake lost her grip but then she looked up at Chance with dark words.

  "I will be back, and I will too tear you to pieces." As the large monstrous hands was able to pull Kuchisake deep underneath the dirt to Hell, the hands then sunk back in to the ground as well. Chance was scared so he stood up and quickly ran back home.

  Now urban legend has it that Kuchisake will return to Japan one day and continue to seek the vengeance of the death of herself. But she will come back even more decomposed, half of her face will be half skeleton, and she will be a lot worse. Some believe that she has already returned and if she did, be sure not to give her the wrong answer.

  (Image Source: www.creepypasta.wikia.com)

  (Image Source: www.becausethedead.weebly.com)

  Teke Teke

  The Teke Teke (also known as Tek-Tek) is a Japanese urban legend about the ghost of a young woman, or school girl, who fell on a rail way line and was cut in half by the oncoming train. Now a vengeful spirit (Onryō), she carries a scythe or a saw and travels on either her hand or elbows, her dragging upper torso making a scratching or 'teke teke' sound. If she encounters anyone at night and the victim is not fast enough, she will slice them in half at the torso, mimicking her own disfigurement.

  The legend goes on as a young school boy was walking home at night, he spotted a beautiful young girl standing by a windowsill resting on her elbows. They smiled at each other for a moment. The boy wondered what a girl was doing in an all-boys school, but before he could wonder more about the girl she jumped out of the window and revealed her lower half was missing. Frightened, he stood in the sidewalk, but before he could run she cut the boy in half.

  A very similar urban legend concerns another girl Kashima Reiko, who died on the train tracks and lost her legs. Kashima Reiko, appears to be an abbreviation of Kamen Shinin Ma (Mask, dead person demon). Kashima haunts bathroom stalls and will ask the occupant where her legs are. Answering incorrectly will result in having your legs ripped off. To save yourself, you must tell her that her legs are at the Meishin Railway and answer Kashima Reiko if she asks you who told you this. Sometimes she will ask you what her name is, which is a trick question. Answering "Kashima Reiko" will result in her attacking you. The correct answer is "Mask Death Demon," derived from the meaning of her name.

  There is also a movie Kôji Shiraishi's 2009 horror film Teke-Teke and its 2009 sequel Teke Teke 2 revolve around the legend.

  Takeshi Furusawa's 2006 horror film Otoshimono features a variation of the legend.

  Future Diary manga creator Sakae Esuno's 4-volume mystery-horror manga, Hanako to Guuwa no Tera (花子と寓話のテラー, Hanako and the Terror of Allegory), originally serialized in comic magazine Shounen A from 2004 to 2006, features folklore detective Daisuke Asou who investigates urban legends including the Teke Teke.

  The first episode of the anime Ghost Stories features a Teke Teke. It is depicted as a white, glowing, bald-headed spectre that is almost entirely covered in a sheet except for its hands and the top-half of its head, but its gender is irrecognizable. It carries a scythe in on hand and a pair of scissors in the other (a possible reference to the Kuchisake-onna, a ghost that was intended for the show but was cancelled). In the episode, the Teke Teke chases the group, but they manage to escape it when they trip and fall across the floor and it flies over them as it cannot attack if its victims duck.

  (Image Source: www.thehorrortree.blogspot.com)

 

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p; (Image Source: www.scaryforkids.com)

  Robert the Doll

  In the late 1800s, Thomas Otto and his family moved in to a mansion at the corner of Eaton and Simonton streets in Key West, Florida now known as the Artist House. The Ottos were known to be stern with their servants, sometimes even mistreating them. It was the treatment of one such Haitian servant that provides a twist in this story.

  This woman was hired to take care of their son, Robert. One day, Mrs. Otto supposedly witnessed her practicing black magic in their backyard and fired her.

  Before she left, the woman gave Robert a lifelike doll which stood 3 feet tall, had buttons for eyes, human hair (believed to be Robert's), and was filled with straw.

  Dolls that resembled children were not unheard of during this time, but this one proved to be special. Robert named the doll after himself and often dressed it in his clothes. Robert, the doll, became his trustworthy companion. He took it with him on shopping trips into town. The doll had a seat at the dinner table where Robert would sneak it bites of food when his parents weren't looking. Robert would even be tucked into bed with the boy at night. Soon this innocent relationship took on a strange nature.

  Soon after, Robert chose to be referred to by his middle name, Gene, after being scolded by his mother. He told her that Robert was the doll's name, not his. Gene was often heard in his toy room having conversations with Robert. Gene would say something in his childish manner and responses could be heard in a much lower voice. Sometimes Gene would become very agitated, worrying the servants and his mother. She would, on occasion, burst in to find her son cowering in a corner while Robert sat perched in a chair or on the bed glaring at him. This was only the beginning.

  Household objects would be found thrown across the room, Gene's toys turned up mutilated, and giggling could be heard. Whenever these unusual acts took place, Gene always said, "Robert did it!" The boy took the punishment but always insisted that the blame was Robert's. As the mischief grew, more and more servants took their leave as new ones were hired. The Ottos' relatives felt it was time to do something. With the recommendation of a great aunt, Gene's parents removed Robert from his care and placed him in a box in the attic. This is where he resided for many years.

  After the death of his father, Gene was willed his boyhood home. He decided to live in the Victorian mansion with his new wife. Gene had become an artist, and felt the house was spacious and would provide a place for him to paint. He went to the attic and dusted off his childhood toy. He became attached to the doll despite his wife's displeasure. Gene would take the doll along with them everywhere they went. He even sat in his favorite little chair while Gene and his wife slept nearby. The Turret Room became Robert's domain after Mrs. Otto moved him back to the attic. Their marriage slowly became sour until Mrs. Otto supposedly went insane and died of unknown reasons. Gene followed soon behind.

  Robert supposedly attacked people, sometimes locking them in the attic. People who passed by claimed to hear evil laughter coming from the Turret Room. For some time, Robert remained in the empty house by himself until a new family purchased the mansion and restored it. The doll was once again moved to the attic. This pleased it as much as the last time. The doll was often found throughout the house. On one certain night, Robert was found at the foot of the owners' bed giggling with a kitchen knife in hand. This was enough to send them fleeing from the home.

  Robert was later moved to the East Martello Museum in Key West, where he sits perched in a glass box. Despite his new living quarters, the doll is believed to not have given up his menacing ways. Visitors and employees claim they have seen the doll move. His smile has been known to turn into a scowl. One employee cleaned Robert, turned off all the lights and left for the night.

  The next day, he returned to find lights turned on, Robert sitting in a different position than the night before and a fresh layer of dust on his shoes. Some say he'll even curse you. If you want to take a picture of him, you must ask politely. He'll tilt his head in permission. However, if he doesn't and you take the picture anyways, a curse will befall upon you and anyone who accompanied you to the museum. The same will happen if you make fun of him.

  To this day, Robert remains at the East Martello Museum in his sailor suit clutching his stuffed lion, continuing his menacing ways.

  (Image Source: www.slate.com)

  Toire no Hanako-san

  Hanako-san or Toire no Hanako-san (トイレのはなこさん?, "Hanako of the toilet") is a Japanese urban legend about the spirit of a young World War II–era girl who haunts school bathrooms. She allegedly appears when one shouts her name.

  According to the legend, a person who goes to the third stall in the girls' bathroom on the third floor and knocks three times before asking "Are you there, Hanako-san", will hear a voice answer "I'm here". If the person chooses to enter the stall there will be a small girl in a red skirt.

  Hanako-san is a popular and widespread urban legend, often played by school children as a rite of courage, or a method of hazing for new students, similar to the Bloody Mary urban legend in Western schools.

  There are many variations of Hanako-san. Hanako-san has been noted to have various origins and behaviors, depending on the area or school, and is a widespread legend across Japan. Her appearance can also be different, but is usually that of a young girl with bobbed hair and a red skirt. She can be either mischievous, malevolent or benign.

  Yamagata prefecture: After Hanako-san has answered and one enters the stall, he or she will find and be eaten by a three-headed lizard who had mimicked a girl's voice.

  Iwate prefecture: After one has called Hanako-san, a large white hand emerges from the door.

  Kanagawa prefecture: After one has called her, a blood-stained hand will appear.

  "Hanako" was a common and typical girl's name in Japan during the 1950s when the legend supposedly began.

  (Image Source: www.scaryforkids.com) (Image Source: www.pinktentacle.com)

  Red Cloak (Aka Manto)

  Aka Manto (Red Cape) is a Japanese urban legend about a malicious spirit who haunts public and school toilets, who will ask you if you want red paper or blue paper. In some versions, he will ask you if you want a red or blue cape. Often described as a beautiful man in life and hounded constantly by admirers, he now wears a mask to hide his face.

  The legend states if you are sitting on the toilet (usually the last stall), a mysterious voice will ask you if you want red paper or blue paper. If you answer red paper, you will be sliced apart until your clothes are stained red. If you choose blue paper, you will be strangled until your face turns blue. Any attempt to outsmart Aka Manto by asking for a different color will result in you being dragged to the Netherworld. The only correct answer is to say no paper and he will leave you alone.

  Another version says Aka Manto is sometimes referred to as Aoi Manto (Blue Cape).

  Sometimes the voice will ask you if you want a cape rather than paper. If you agree to red, the skin on your back is ripped off to resemble a red cape. If you ask for blue, all the blood is drained from your body.

  One popular version of the story changes the choice from red paper to a red vest:

  A police man and woman were called to a school after a student reported hearing a male voice in the girl's bathroom. The police woman went to the bathroom while her male partner waited outside. When inside the stall a voice asked “Shall we put on the red vest?” The police man outside, who was listening at the door, heard his partner answer “Yes”. A sudden scream and loud thud followed. When the policeman opened the bathroom door, he found the police woman decapitated. Her blood had soaked into her vest, turning it red.

  Another version of the story says that if you ask for yellow cloak, you have your head forced into the toilet you've just used.