Yuki-onna, the Snow Woman
In Japanese folklore, a pale woman in white appears on snowy nights, with breath that can freeze a man.
What was reported
Yuki-onna, the 'snow woman', is a yōkai of Japanese folklore: a tall, beautiful woman with very pale skin and long black hair, dressed in white, who appears on snowy nights. In some tales she leads travellers astray in blizzards; in others she is gentle, or falls in love with a human.
The best-known version was written down by Lafcadio Hearn in Kwaidan (1904). He said it was told to him by a farmer from the area that is now Ōme, west of Tokyo, where a monument marks the story.
Explanations offered
She's a figure of folklore, probably shaped by the real dangers of winter in the mountains, where people could lose their way and freeze. Her stories vary from region to region, and she remains a popular figure in Japanese film, anime and games.
- When
- Written down in 1904
- Where
- Ōme, Tokyo, Japan
- Witnesses
- Japanese folklore, and the writer Lafcadio Hearn
- Status
- Legend
Famous cases are real, widely reported events. Each file sets out what witnesses said and the explanations that have been offered, without taking a side.