Josei

This category, Josei  (女性), contains yokai with the female form. These “woman” yokai, mostly, prey on horny young men. They use lust and charm to draw the  oblivious to their death. Such is the terror of the mysterious and enchanting female yokai.

Josei, Mononoke, Yokai

An old hag holding two snakes, one in each hand.

During my travels in Kawagoe, Saitama, I came across a lesser-known Itsukushima Jinja. Interestingly, there was a setsumatsuha (摂末社) that enshrines a pair of white snakes protecting a golden egg. The auxiliary shrine reminds me of a yokai that protects sacred snake mounds. She is jakotsubabā, the warden of the serpent mounds.

As it is said, there are numerous serpent mounds all across Japan. These mounds are sacred sites that enshrines snake kami. Jakotsubabā protects these serpent mounds, especially the abandoned and forgotten ones. She is the guardian that zealously attacks any unwanted trespasser.

Original Jakotsubaba by Toriyama Sekien

Red Snake, Blue Snake

Jakotsubabā bears two snakes, one on each hand. But her snakes are unlike the more popular albino snake kami of pure white. She carries a blue snake on her right hand and a red one on her left. This harkens to the opposing duality similar to the yokai namahage. Hence, the red and blue snakes may represent the male and female sex respectively.

On the other hand, the red and blue colour may be more akin to akamanto. The two colours are options and either lead to death. When jakotsubabā confronts the trespasser, she offers him a the red and blue choices. Firstly, the red choice which will reveal a red venomous snake that bites and poisons its victim to death. Alternatively, the blue choice unveils the blue constrictor snake and it squeezes and crushes its the victim.

Foreign Origins

Originally, Toriyama Sekien (鳥山 石燕) claims that jakotsubabā comes from the mythical land of Bukan (巫咸) in China. Also, Bukan is called Fukan or Wuxian in Chinese. Interestingly, Wuxian (巫咸) is also the name of a powerful shaman during the Shang Dynasty. Sekien says that Bukan lies north to the land of Jochū (女丑), literally meaning ox-woman. The jochū are girls that were sacrificed for a bountiful harvest, or so it has been said.

Additionally, Sekien writes that jakotsubabā is the wife of a great snake yokai named Jagoemon (蛇五右衛門). And, she is tasked to protect her husband’s the sacred burial mound. In Bukan, they call her jagobabā (蛇五婆), meaning Jago’s Hag. At the end of the notation, Sekien suspiciously said “the truth is unknown”.

Conclusion

As you can see, there are little information about jakotsubabā. In fact, we have more questions to its origin then we first began. But one thing is for sure, jakotsubabā is not to be trifled with. She takes her tasks and vocation seriously. The bony old hag fiercely protects the snake shrines all across Japan. Jakotsubabā is the true warden of the serpent mounds.

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Yokai Details

  • name: jakotsubabā ( jah-koh-tsu-bah-baa )
  • kanji: 蛇骨婆 (じゃこつばばあ)
  • meaning: snake bony hag
  • abilities:
    1. ophidiokinesis — the ability to influence and control all forms of snakes
    2. parseltongue — the ability to speak with serpents
Josei, Yokai

A woman's second mouth opens at the back of her head. Futakuchi-onna, the compulsive secret eater.

Recently, I met a sweet Japanese lady at a blind date. I noticed that she hardly touched her food. She kept saying she was on a diet but something was off about that. I thought nothing of it until now. Incidentally, my experience is similar to the story of today’s yokai. My blind date reminds me of futakuchi-onna, the compulsive secret eater.

According to Japanese folklore, there was a stingy miser married his wife because she never ate anything. Everyday she would cook for him but she never ate. And yet, his storage of rice was dwindling much more than usual. One day, the miser decided to spy on his wife to investigate.

Initially, everything looked normal. But as she was preparing for a meal for the miser, the horror unfolded. The wife’s hair parted of its own accord to reveal a mouth with multiple rows of teeth. Subsequently, her hair grabbed raw rice grains and stuffed it into the second mouth. Aghast with the revelation, the miser went mad and ran towards his wife. He raised his axe and struck his wife shouting, “Futakuchi! Futakuchi-onna.”

Another Story

Conversely, the futakuchi-onna story is very different in Shimosa (now Chiba prefecture). It began with a young daughter who lived alone with his father. Initially, the step-mother was caring and kind to both of them. However, after she had a daughter of her own, the step-mother became selfish and greedy. Gradually she fattens her own daughter while starving the other. Eventually the step-daughter died of hunger.

49 days later, while the husband was chopping firewood, he accidentally struck his wife. Although the cut was small, it festered over time. Eventually, the wound formed lips and her skull protruded into teeth. Although it was ache at times, feeding the second mouth rice eases the pain. But after every feed, the mouth spoke, ” I killed my step-daughter. I am mistaken.”

Conclusion

Interestingly, futakuchi-onna is similar to other female yokai such as rokurokubi, nure-onago and yuki-onna. Female yokai transformed by a horrific curse or supernatural disease. Even if futakuchi-onna was a compulsive secret eater, there was no reason to kill her, yokai or not. Nonetheless, these tales also reveal and underline stories of spousal abuse in olden times.

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Yokai Details

  • name: futakuchi-onna ( foo-tah-koo-chi-on-nah )
  • kanji: 二口女 (ふたくちおんな)
  • meaning: two-mouthed woman
  • abilities:
    1. hair manipulation — the ability to control and use her hair as extra limbs
Josei, Mamono, Yokai

Jorogumo With Her Big Butt

Do you remember that girlfriend who wants to go wherever you go? Or one who wants to do all the things you are doing? Or maybe, you have met the clingy girl who binds herself to her partner’s hand and shoulder. Well, none of these girls can compare to today’s yokai, Jorogumo. This female arachnid from hell will have you for dinner (as in, you are dinner).

Notably, there are many different arachnid yokai such as the Ushi-oni & Tsuhigumo. But, none of them are as prevalent in game & pop culture as Jorogumo. Stories about these shape-shifting female yokai have been passed down orally in ancient Japanese folklore for centuries. In fact some are written about in Edo perido writings, such as Taihei-Hyaku Monogatari (太平百物語) and Tonoigusa (宿直草).

Toriyama Sekien’s Depiction

Interestingly, in Toriyama Sekien‘s Gazu Hyakki Yagyō, in the entry about Jorogumo (絡新婦) the name is written as “entangling bride”. On the other hand, the content page has the common characters (女郎ぐも) which roughly reads as “whore spider”. Experts say that this is a play of words of kanji pronunciation known as jukujikun (熟字訓). Personally, I believe that the difference alludes to the yokai’s ability to shape shift from spider to woman and somewhere in between.

As seen in the entry of Jorogumo, the yokai is drawn as a humanoid arachnid dressed in a kimono of spiderwebs. She is depicted standing on a sakura tree casting lines of spider silk into the wind. At the end of each web-line is a spiderling that is, seemingly, breathing out vapours of fire or venom.

Legends & Folklore

The Japanese folklore about Jorogumo shows that she usually live at or near waterfalls. The yokai would prey on the creatures that stop by the waterfall basin to drink or simply rest by it. Once her prey’s defenses are down, Jorogumo would cast her web and pull her victim into the falls. In fact, her spider silk is strong enough to pull a resisting wild boar into her lair easily.

However, there are also stories of Jorogumo seducing young men to their death in the falls. Firstly, the spider yokai will transform into an attractive woman dressed in seductive kimono within view of the victim. Next, she secretes sensual pheromones and draws out the lecherous desires of men. When the horny young man is within range, she casts her sticky spider thread. Once bound, Jorogumo easily draws her recently caught meal into the waterfall to dine on later (or even, feed her baby spiderlings).

Modern Accounts

Recently, there are hardly any new stories on or about Jorogumo. Most contemporary accounts are fictional depictions seen in manga, anime and games such as Nioh and Yo-kai Watch. Many speculate that the number of Jorogumo has drastically reduce due to modernisation and deforestation. As such, the number of waterfall-related deaths has also dropped.

However, some experts believe that there are caches of Jorogumo egg sacs hidden behind large waterfalls. All of them waiting for the opportune time to hatch and infest the world.

Nonetheless, be careful when you decide to swim in the rivers and water basin this summer. If you meet a beautiful lady in sexy bikini with spider prints by the waterfall remember the Jorogumo. She will be the clingy girlfriend from hell. You have been warned!

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Yokai Details

  • name: jorōgumo ( joh-row-goo-moh )
  • kanji: 絡新婦 ( じょろうぐも )
  • meaning: entangling bride
  • abilities:
    1. web producer — generate spider silk for hunting & mating
    2. metamorph — able to shape-shift from spider to woman, partially or wholly
    3. pheromone manipulation — secretes pheromones to induce attraction and pleasure
Josei, Warai-onago, Yokai

Nure-onago Preys on Gullible Young Men

Have you noticed puddles along roads forming but it has not rain for days? Or come across a pool of water while hiking in the woods but there is no river in sight? These are evidence of the female yokai locally known as nure-onago. She preys on gullible young men by enchanting them with her bewitching smile.

The lore of nure-onago has been heard and shared, predominantly, across the region of Shikoku and Kyushu. And the origin is most likely from the Ehime Prefecture (愛媛県). In olden days, nure-onago encounters vary quite a bit, depending on the story teller. Some recount the tales of her coming out of the sea, while others recite a young lady standing by the quiet path after a rainy night. There are even accounts of a strange maiden in the middle of an overgrown swamp, seemingly waiting for someone.

Description & Behaviour

But in all the stories, the depictions and interactions of nure-onago is eerily similar. She is described as a young woman who is drenched wet from head to toe. As she stares at her feet, her tousled long hair continuously drip with mysterious water. All this while, the shy maiden unsuccessfully protects her dignity as her bosom peaked through the soaking wet kimono.

The unwitting hero advances towards the damsel in distress. As the young man approaches, nure-onago slowly raise her head and presents her saviour with a bewitching smile. When her prey returns the smile, the trap springs. Nure-onago‘s enchantment paralyzes her victim in catatonic state. Slowly, but surely, she encase her new boyfriend-victim in a watery prison. Eventually they disappear into the dark waters, never to be seen again.

Genesis

Many believe that nure-onago arise from the accumulation of sadness and loss of the drowned victims in torrential rain, floods and/or tsunami. During the rainy seasons, the grievances and unrequited loss are amplified. Consequently, the number of accounts recorded are greater during the monsoon seasons.

Interestingly, nure-onago has strikingly similar behaviour to hari-onago and ohaguro nettari. These female yokai bewitch their victims with their smiles and their victims are young, virile men. Collectively they are known as warai-onago, literally meaning “the smiling girls”.

Modern Accounts

In recent years, nure-onago accounts have slightly in their appearances. Of late, tales of missing young men after a rainy night are coupled with sightings of a drenching wet young woman in a local high school uniform. nure-onago seemed to have evolved in order to maintain her diet of young men. Some recent accounts include cars and trucks found empty after a rainy night while the engines continue to run. Many speculate that these are also the works of nure-onago.

So, while you are driving home from school or work and you do happen to see a drenched school girl, best to ignore and continue on home. But if you really have to be a hero about it, don’t smile back. Just be grumpy about your rescue. It might just save your life.

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Yokai Details

  • name: nure-onago (noo-reh-oh-nah-goh)
  • kanji:  濡女子 ( ぬれおなご )
  • meaning: wet girls
  • alternative spelling:
    • nure-onago (濡れ女子)
  • abilities:
    1. hydrokinesis — generate significant amount of water
    2. mental paralysis — immobilize a person with a smile
    3. water prison — create a water bubble to capture a person
Josei, Yokai

notorious ceiling dangler called Tenjo-kudari

Did you notice the dark stain in the corner of your ceiling? Maybe, you also see that the stain has grown over the past few days. What you have there is not just fungi and molds, but signs of the presence of a yokai. One that lives in the ceiling. The notorious ceiling dangler called tenjo-kudari.

Tenjo-kudari is usually illustrated as an elongated and hairy old woman with frenzied hair, hanging from an opening in the ceiling. She is said to live in the empty space in between the ceiling. At night, you can hear the yokai crawling around in the rafters and, even, moanings.

In Yamanashi Prefecture (山梨県), tenjo-kudari lives in the ceilings of abandoned houses and stays in wait for unwary travelers. At night, when the person is asleep, the yokai would silently drop down from the ceiling and eat the sleepyhead. Interestingsly this hanging behaviour is similar to sagari. Except the horse-headed yokai mainly operates outdoors.

Stories About Ceilings

In most Japanese houses, there is usually a crawlspace between the ceiling and the roof. This spaces, according to some old wives tales, are where bandits hide dead bodies of previous owners or imprison woman. This is also a place where many unwanted items are left behind. There is even a saying “to show [someone] the ceiling” (天井を見せる) which means show them something horrifying.

So, if you are looking around Japan for a place to stay, it is best to keep an eye out for the ceilings. Do not ignore the nasty stains in the ceiling. You may never know what harm can befall you when you sleep.

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Yokai Details

  • name: tenjo-kudari (ten-joh-koo-dah-ree)
  • kanji:  天井下 (てんじょうくだり)
  • meaning: ceiling dropper
  • aka:
    • tenjo-kudari (天井下り)
    • tenjo-sagari (天井下がり)
  • abilities:
    1. elasticity — able to stretch or contract one’s body
    2. hair control — power to manipulate hair to attack
Josei, Yokai

Yuki-onna (雪女)
Yuki-onna

Today’s yokai is one of the more feared beings of the supernatural family. In wintry days of old, in the snow country regions, there were many frigid demise of lost travelers. And all villagers agreed that yuki-onna are to be blamed for these frozen deaths.

Legends of yuki-onna is notorious in the northern regions of Japan where snowfall are heavier and mountain paths more desolate. As such, she is known by other names such as snow daughter (yuki-musume) and snow sister (yuki-anesan), depending on the province. Interestingly, there are regions calling yuki-onna, yukifuri-baba (snowfall crone) and tsurara-onna (icicle woman), but I believe these are completely different yokai because they behave quite differently.

Cold Portrayal

Yuki-onna is a snow yokai usually in the form of a pale and beautiful young woman wearing a white translucent furisode (振袖). Some legends even say she roams through the white woods in the nude. She lures lone mountain travelers away from the main path and freezes them into ice pops. Other times, she will charm the vagabond off an unseen cliff.

Like the snowy weather, yuki-onna‘s wrath can be cold, frigid and deadly. But there is also her soft compassion, just like a fresh light snowfall. Usually she appears as ghost-like and floats across the snow leaving no snow prints. These traits led some to believe that yuki-onna is a yurei, the spirit of woman who perished in the snow, or left to die there.

Tale of Oyuki

A yuki-onna story made popular by Lafcadio Hearn, where two woodcutters were stuck in a snowstorm and met the ethereal yuki-onna. She froze one with her icy breath but decided not to harm the handsome Minokichi. In return, yuki-onna made him promise to not tell anyone about her or the incident.

Many years later, Minokichi met a beautiful lady, fell in love and got married. The woman named Oyuki was a good wife and bore several children. One night, Minokichi confessed about the yuki-onna incident to Oyuki who declared that she was the same snow woman. She wanted to kill him but changed her mind again, because of their children. Then Oyuki melted away and disappeared, never to be seen again.

Moral of the story is, avoid travelling through the mountainous forest in the dead of winter. And, if you have to, stick to the main well-taken path and avoid taking any detour for any reasons. Unless, of course, you really want to meet a yuki-onna and her kiss of death.

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Yokai Details

  • name: yuki-onna (you-kee-on-nah)
  • kanji:  雪女 (ゆきおんな)
  • meaning: snow woman
  • aka:
    • yuki-musume (雪娘)
    • yuki-onago (雪女子)
    • yuki-jorō (雪女郎)
    • yuki-anesan (雪姐さん)
  • abilities:
    1. cryogenesis — lower temperature of an area
    2. frost breath — freeze multiple targets into blocks of ice
Josei, Warai-onago, Yokai

Ohaguro Bettari (お歯黒べったり)

In Tohoku region of Japan, a young foreign tourist was hiking up a mountain to visit a remote temple but reached it later than intended. As the sun was setting in the horizon, he was surprised to see a wedding bride waiting by the temple torii gates. Slowly, she turned her head around and threw the foreigner a big smile. The last thing the tourist remembered, before fainting, was the black teeth of the yokai.

Ohaguro bettari is a female yokai known for her thick white makeup and blackened teeth. She is usually seen, during the witching hour of dusk, dressed in white bridal  kimono. Ohaguro bettari will patiently wait, near temples and shrines, for young and eligible men. Those curious, will come withing range of the yokai’s charm and be under her hypnotic spell. 

Once the person is within arms length, ohaguro bettari will slowly reveal her wide black grin, inflicting shock and terror. Panic-stricken, the man will flee while the yokai cackles with a frightful joy. Some unfortunate men even claimed to be licked by the ohaguro bettari. The licked area would have the foul smell of saliva for weeks on end.

Past Stories

Many old documents described the ohaguro bettari as faceless (without eyes or nose) which make experts believe that it is a type of nopperabo. In addition to this, nopperabo are described as favourite transformations of the kitsune and tanuki. Does this mean that ohaguro bettari are actually these just mentioned animal yokai? Too far-fetched?

Either ways, ohaguro bettari is still a yokai and should not be underestimated. So if you see a lady in a bridal dress all alone, best to avoid an encounter and walk the opposite direction. Unless, of course, if you want a black toothy and revolting grin.

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Yokai Details

  • name: ohaguro bettari (oh-hah-goo-roh-bet-tah-ree)
  • kanji: お歯黒べったり (おはぐろべったり)
  • meaning: sticky black teeth 
  • abilities:
    1. bewitching aura — charm a person within range to drop their guard  
    2. cackle of the crone — loud laugh that cancels out all noise except the laughter 
    3. nasty lick — deposits irremovable foul saliva that smells of morning breath
Josei, Yokai

Ushionna (牛女)

In Hyogo Prefecture, near the Rokko mountain range, there is an urban legend about yokai that chases after loud and noisy vehicles. A police report of a speeder claims that he was speeding because he was pursued by such a creature. The dispatch rider describes the yokai as a female minotaur wearing a kimono. Did he come up with such a lame lie or was he just really drunk?

Ushi-onna is a very obscure yokai describe as a female with a cow’s face, or sometimes cow’s head. It is usually described as wearing a kimono and dressed obscenely like a yakuza. Interestingly enough, no male version of a cow-headed yokai has been recorded in Japan.

Reported Incidents

Most reports show that ushi-onna appears suddenly after a vehicle made a loud noise such as screeching. The yokai will run after the vehicle, as if trying to ram it down. A taxi driver claims that the ushi-onna was matching his speed even at 100 kph. Based on the facts that was available, I believe that the female yokai’s charge is an act of protecting its young. This is very similar to wild boars and rhinoceroses.

There are post-war stories of a single mother who gave birth to a baby girl with a cattle-like face. Such accounts were only heard in Kobe and Nishinomiya, both of Hyogo Prefecture. Could this be the origin story of ushionna, a by-product of the bombing raids of World War 2?

Nonetheless, be respectful of the mountainous regions of Japan and drive carefully. Do not make speed over the road limits and honk unnecessary. Unless, of course, if you want to personally meet the ushionna.

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Yokai Details

  • name: ushi-onna (oo-she-on-nah)
  • kanji: 牛女 (うしおんな)
  • meaning: cow woman
  • abilities:
    • unnatural speed — able to move and react very fast