Kuchisake-onna is a sinister creature of Japanese legend which has struck fear into the hearts of children for decades, playing on the cultural norm of wearing a surgical mask while ill.
According to the legend, Kucisake-onna is the spirit of a woman who was mutilated by her husband in an act of fury when he discovered an affair she had been having behind his back.
The woman's spirit is said to stop children on their way home from school, a surgical mask covering the bottom half of her face. She then asks the children a question: "Am I beautiful?"
If the child answers 'no,' then Kuchisake-onna will kill the child with a pair of scissors. If the child answers yes, then Kuchisake-onna will remove the surgical mask to reveal two deep gashes on either side of its mouth, a ghastly smile carved into her face by her jealous husband.
Kuchisake-onna will then ask again: "Am I beautiful?"
If the child answers no, they will be killed. If the child answers yes, then Kucisake-onna will take her scissors and carve the same horrific gashes into the child's face.
The legend of Kuchisake-onna first began to spread in the late 1970s, and numerous reported sightings have been claimed since.
