Kuchisake-Onna is the legend of a Japanese woman who was mutilated by her jealous samurai husband. The man murdered her for infidelity, scarring her horribly.
Supposedly, her jealous ghost still haunts places in Japan, usually on foggy nights. She wears a surgical mask, and will approach people and ask shyly: “Utsukushii toomoimasu ka?” (Do you think I'm beautiful?) The person will usually respond with "hai", or "yes".
She will then pull down her mask to reveal an ear-to-ear grin, cut by her jealous husband to mark her for eternity. “Ima wa dou?” (How about now?) she will persist. If you answer no, she will reveal a pair of scissors and kill you. If you answer yes, she will cut the same smile into your face.
There are several ways to prevent this terrible fate. One is to confuse Kuchisake-Onna by saying "You are average". Another is to present her with hard amber candy, which she'll take much delight in and let you go. The third is to say ‘Pomade’ six times, causing her to flee. The fourth is to ask her if you are beautiful. This will hopefully confuse her long enough to escape. Be wary; she is said to be incredibly fast, and will be unlikely to stop her pursuit.
She has been seen from the 1970s through to the present day, often lurking near children, whose innocent answer of yes when asked if she is ugly often leads to their deaths.
Original author unknown
Originally uploaded on April 22nd, 2011