Tradition: Japanese Mythology
Alternative Names: 一本松女, The One-Pine Woman
Category: Ghost
The Myth
Ipponmatsu-onna, meaning “One-Pine Woman,” is a female supernatural figure associated with a solitary pine tree. Her descriptions vary between accounts, and it is uncertain whether she originates from an established local legend or was popularized through modern reference books about Japanese yōkai. In Japanese Yokai Encyclopedia by Ariyuki Sato, she is presented as a creature associated with Chiba Prefecture. She is depicted as a naked woman with only one leg, covering her chest with both hands. She stands beside a pine tree, beckoning to passersby before dragging herself along and biting off a single pine branch.
A different description appears in The Complete Encyclopedia of World Yokai, where the Ipponmatsu-onna is portrayed as a gigantic, ghostlike woman who rises beside a solitary pine tree. According to this account, she is formed from the ominous energy of the tree and stands alone at its base at dusk. Rather than attacking people, she appears as a lonely and unsettling presence. Another interpretation identifies her as the spirit of a woman who hanged herself from the pine tree, linking her apparition to the place of her death.
The origins of these descriptions remain uncertain. It is not clear whether either version derives from an older oral tradition or historical written source, and the details may have been created or embellished in children’s books and modern yōkai publications. Consequently, the Ipponmatsu-onna is best understood as a figure whose modern depictions combine the imagery of a solitary pine tree, a strange female apparition, and the atmosphere of a haunting at dusk.
Sources
“Ipponmatsu-onna.” 新版TYZ 妖怪図鑑 (New TYZ Yokai Encyclopedia). https://tyz-yokai.blog.jp/archives/1065324512.html