On the islands of Shikoku, there is a species of yokai that thirsts for single, young man. The female stalker roams the street of Ehime Prefecture, waiting patiently for the right one. Once Hari-onago has her sights on you, her bewitching smile will put you in a very hairy situation
Hari-onago (also known as Hari-onna) is a frightening female yokai that targets mainly young man. She is usually described as an ordinary woman wearing ordinary clothes that wanders the streets of Ehime. Although, the yokai has a distinguishing feature, her long, unkempt, messy hair. And, if you are ever close enough, you can see that locks of Hari-onago are barb-like.
Various Accounts
The many stories that were shared indicates that the femme fatale only emerges from dusk to dawn. She stalks the alleys night after night until Hari-onago meets Mister Right. She will bashfully smile at him and demurely wait for a response. Interestingly, her stalking behaviour is not unlike the Nure-onago.
If the young man looks and return with a smile, Hari-onago releases her hair and hooks him with her barbed locks. She binds him tight, squeezing the life out of him and then slowly feeds on her prey. After which she will disappear for months on end.
An escaped victim of Hari-onago claimed that, he managed to outrun the female predator and her strangling hair. He reached home, closed the door behind him and hid in his closet. That morning, he found numerous gashes and scratches on his house door. The day after, there were reports of a young man found dead in a ditch.
So, if you do happen travel to Ehime, please avoid smiling to any woman in the dead of night. You never know who or what will catch hold of you.
Yokai Details
- name: hari-onago (hah-ree-oh-nah-goh)
- kanji: 針女子 (はりおなご)
- aka: hari-onna (hah-ree-oh-nah) 針女 (はりおな)
- meaning: hook woman
- abilities:
- hair manipulation — the ability to control and use her hair as extra limbs
- hair tactile — able to sense an individual when touching with hair
