Hello one and all!
The Yuki-onna is a supernatural being from Japanese folklore, who appears in snowstorms then stuns those that see her with her ephemeral beauty and her deep violet eyes. Her origin is ancient, but the first written reference to her comes from the Muromashi period (1336 to 1573 CE). The Zen monk and poet Sōgi describes how he encountered the Yuki-onna when he left his house, but when he tried to talk to the women she vanished.
Yuki-onna: The Deadly Snow Woman
Once, long ago, there were two woodcutters, called Minokichi and Mosaku. One evening they were caught in a fierce snow storm and they took refuge within a hut; exhausted and sodden, they fell asleep.
Later that night an icy wind woke Minokichi and he saw the hut's door had been blown open, but as he stood up to close it something caught his eye. A woman, dressed in white, who stood over Mosaku and breathed on him. As she blew her breath it came out as white smoke and covered his old companion's face. The woman then turned to Minokichi, bent over him, and moved closer, until he could see deep into her dark purple eyes. Just as she was about to blow on him she smiled.
"I was about to do the same to you, but you are a pretty boy Minokichi, and I don't want to hurt you. If you ever tell another human how I spared you though then I will kill you. Understand?"
The young man gave a wooden nod and gulped.
She did not wait for his reaction though, as she was already walking through the door and back out into the snow storm. When Minokichi ran outside there was no trace of her. He hurried back inside, fastened the door shut, and cried out to Mosaku. His companion did not answer; Minokichi traipsed over to where he lay and felt his face in the dark. It was frozen solid.
The experience shook Minokichi to his core and took a long time to recover. When he had set that experience behind him, he returned to his calling and went to the forest each day to bring back bundles of wood to sell. Years later the woodcutter met a young lady called Oyuki and they fell in love. Soon they were married and had ten handsome children together.
One peaceful night the kids were asleep; a weak lamp light shone as Oyuki was busy with her sewing kit. To break the monotony Minokichi spoke up:
"Did I ever tell you about how I saw a strange thing when I was eighteen? As you sit there you remind me of her..."
Oyuki didn't look up from her work. "Oh? Do tell me more."
The woodcutter launched into his tale of how he came to be in the hut, the strange woman who appeared and the promise that he made that evening.
"That was the only time I ever saw someone as beautiful as you. Her skin was chalky white, her hair pure ivory, with eyes like gemstones. Come to think of it, I'm not even sure if it was a dream or not-"
His wife threw down her work and stood over him, and shrieked:
"That was me! You made that promise to me! I told you I would kill you!"
One of the kids muttered in their sleep just then. Oyuki ground her teeth.
"If it wasn't for the kids, you would've been dead! You had better take care of them, and if they ever complain about you then I will inflict tremendous pain on you!"
Her voice became thin as gossamer. She shuddered out of sight and was never seen again.
Thank you for reading!
The Yuki-onna is a supernatural being from Japanese folklore, who appears in snowstorms then stuns those that see her with her ephemeral beauty and her deep violet eyes. Her origin is ancient, but the first written reference to her comes from the Muromashi period (1336 to 1573 CE). The Zen monk and poet Sōgi describes how he encountered the Yuki-onna when he left his house, but when he tried to talk to the women she vanished.
Yuki-onna: The Deadly Snow Woman
Once, long ago, there were two woodcutters, called Minokichi and Mosaku. One evening they were caught in a fierce snow storm and they took refuge within a hut; exhausted and sodden, they fell asleep.
Later that night an icy wind woke Minokichi and he saw the hut's door had been blown open, but as he stood up to close it something caught his eye. A woman, dressed in white, who stood over Mosaku and breathed on him. As she blew her breath it came out as white smoke and covered his old companion's face. The woman then turned to Minokichi, bent over him, and moved closer, until he could see deep into her dark purple eyes. Just as she was about to blow on him she smiled.
"I was about to do the same to you, but you are a pretty boy Minokichi, and I don't want to hurt you. If you ever tell another human how I spared you though then I will kill you. Understand?"
The young man gave a wooden nod and gulped.
She did not wait for his reaction though, as she was already walking through the door and back out into the snow storm. When Minokichi ran outside there was no trace of her. He hurried back inside, fastened the door shut, and cried out to Mosaku. His companion did not answer; Minokichi traipsed over to where he lay and felt his face in the dark. It was frozen solid.
 |
| Yuki-onna from the Gazu Hyakki Yakō (circa 1781). |
The experience shook Minokichi to his core and took a long time to recover. When he had set that experience behind him, he returned to his calling and went to the forest each day to bring back bundles of wood to sell. Years later the woodcutter met a young lady called Oyuki and they fell in love. Soon they were married and had ten handsome children together.
 |
| Yuki-onna from the Hyakkai-Zukan (circa 1737). |
One peaceful night the kids were asleep; a weak lamp light shone as Oyuki was busy with her sewing kit. To break the monotony Minokichi spoke up:
"Did I ever tell you about how I saw a strange thing when I was eighteen? As you sit there you remind me of her..."
Oyuki didn't look up from her work. "Oh? Do tell me more."
The woodcutter launched into his tale of how he came to be in the hut, the strange woman who appeared and the promise that he made that evening.
"That was the only time I ever saw someone as beautiful as you. Her skin was chalky white, her hair pure ivory, with eyes like gemstones. Come to think of it, I'm not even sure if it was a dream or not-"
His wife threw down her work and stood over him, and shrieked:
"That was me! You made that promise to me! I told you I would kill you!"
One of the kids muttered in their sleep just then. Oyuki ground her teeth.
"If it wasn't for the kids, you would've been dead! You had better take care of them, and if they ever complain about you then I will inflict tremendous pain on you!"
Her voice became thin as gossamer. She shuddered out of sight and was never seen again.
Thank you for reading!
Comments
Post a Comment