Tradition: Japanese Mythology
Alternative Names: Snow Woman, Yuki-onna
Category: Ghost
The Myth
Yuki-Onna, the Snow Woman, is a supernatural female being who appears on snowy nights, particularly in regions where heavy snowfall blankets the mountains and countryside. She is believed to be either a spirit of the snow itself or the ghost of a woman who lost her life in a blizzard. In traditional depictions, she appears as a woman dressed in a white kimono, with a ghostly lower body and sometimes hairy hands visible beneath her sleeves.
The Snow Woman appears in many regional legends, and her visits are sometimes associated with particular nights of the year. In parts of Iwate Prefecture, she is said to appear on the night of the Little New Year or during a full moon, sometimes accompanied by numerous children. In parts of Aomori Prefecture, she appears on New Year’s Day and returns on a particular day later in the year. Encounters with her are dangerous: in Iwate and Miyagi, she is believed to drain the life force from those who meet her, while in Niigata she freezes people to death or abducts children and takes their livers.
Other traditions describe stranger encounters. In Tottori Prefecture, the Snow Woman carries a white paper streamer and cries, “Give it ice, give it hot water.” When water is poured over her, she swells in size, but when hot water is poured on her, she disappears. In some regions, she is associated with the Ubume, a spirit connected with childbirth and children. The Snow Women of Tsugaru and Akita are said to approach people while pleading, “Please hold my baby.”
Across these legends, Yuki-Onna is a mysterious and dangerous presence of the winter landscape. Sometimes she appears as a beautiful woman in white, while in other tales she is a frightening spirit capable of draining vitality, killing travelers, or stealing children. Her appearance and behavior vary from region to region, making her one of Japan’s most recognizable supernatural beings.
Sources
“雪女 (Yuki-Onna).” 新版TYZ 妖怪図鑑 (New TYZ Yokai Encyclopedia). https://tyz-yokai.blog.jp/archives/1010653475.html