Tradition: Japanese Mythology
Alternative Names: Leech Woman
Category: Insect
The Myth
Hiru-onna is a female leech yōkai depicted as a large, leech-like creature with her hair tied up. She is said to inhabit muddy water, where she waits for humans to approach. Anyone who shows her warmth becomes her target, and she immediately latches on to suck their blood. Her attacks are so dangerous that people may even lose their lives to her.
Hiru-onna first appeared in 1908 in the opening installment of Shinsen Yōkai Zukushi (New Selection of Yōkai), published in Tokyo Puck, a satirical cartoon magazine founded during the Meiji era. Rather than simply presenting a monstrous insect, the illustration uses the leech as a metaphor for a ruthless woman who drains other people of their money, exploiting them until they are financially ruined.
The muddy water in which Hiru-onna lives is a euphemism for a red-light district, revealing the satirical intention behind the creature. The accompanying Chinese text states that courtesans can be considered a type of yōkai, making the comparison explicit. Hiru-onna thus embodies the idea of a woman who clings to her victims and drains them of their resources just as a leech sucks blood.
Sources
“Hiru-onna.” 新版TYZ 妖怪図鑑 (New TYZ Yokai Encyclopedia). https://tyz-yokai.blog.jp/archives/1084324737.html