Back during Japan’s Edo period, a beautiful woman was married to a samurai. Her beauty captivated the whole town and she would flirt with men asking them, “Am I pretty?” while fluttering her eyes. Her husband disapproved of her antics and demanded her to stop and one day he caught her being unfaithful. As punishment, he drew his blade, grabbed her by the face and slashed her mouth from ear to ear taunting her, “who will think you’re pretty now?” She died from her wounds and came back as a vengeful spirit.

She is described to partially cover her face with a mask and carries a pair of scissors with her. She approaches her victims and asks, “Do you think I’m pretty?” If they respond with no she will kill them on the spot, if they respond yes, she will pull down her mask to reveal her disfigurement and ask, “Do you think I’m pretty now?” whatever the response, she will kill them. Some have found a way to confuse her question by responding, “average” giving them enough time to escape.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kuchisake-onna

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