Yuki-onna and a sad love story

The snowflakes swirl gently between the trees. A peaceful, quiet morning. An ancient story whispers on the wind, calling us closer to the legend of Yuki-Onna, the Snow Woman.

The first record

Meet Sogi, the first person to tell the story of his encounter with Yuki-Onna.

One winter day in Echigo province, Sogi, as usual, was preparing to go into the village to meet some of his friends.

Suddenly, he was startled and fell to the ground. His eyes were filled with horror.

In front of Sogi was a courtyard covered in snow. And there, hovering above the snow, was a young, beautiful woman, wearing a white kimono. The woman looked at him with an indifferent expression, her long, white hair blowing in the wind.

Suddenly, she smiled a malicious, mysterious smile. 

Sogi was so scared, he wanted to scream for help, but he couldn’t utter a word.

Luckily, the woman only looked at him for a moment before vanishing into thin air, leaving no trace behind. Sogi collapsed to the ground, his whole body shaking uncontrollably, and he had no strength left.

Description in tales

Yuki-onna or Snow Woman is one of the most famous legendary characters of Japan. 

Depending on the region, people also call Yuki-onna by different names such as: Yuki-musume, Yuki-jorō, Yukinba, Yuki Nyobo.

Yuki-onna is usually described as a gorgeous woman with piercing eyes and long hair. The color of her hair can be black or white in different stories. She has smooth, snow-white skin covered by a white kimono. An image that is reminiscent of snow but also a symbol of mourning.

In many regions, different stories about Yuki-onna will be spread.

In some stories, Yuki-onna is like a harmless spirit. Even in some places, it is said that she is a princess of the Moon Palace. 

However, in most of the stories, she is often described as an evil, terrifying being, who brings death to anyone she meets. The evil combined with her gorgeous and seductive beauty makes Yuki-onna even more terrifying.

Yuki-onna often hunts people who go into the snowy mountains. When she finds a human, she will use her breath to freeze the victim and suck out their life force from their mouth. Sometimes, she will call out to the people she is targeting, and if they answer her, she will kill them immediately.

Another variant tells that Yuki-onna used to be a woman who was deceived and killed in the forest. The resentment prevented her from transcending, and she became a vengeful spirit who was always looking for ways to take revenge.

The common story

So, it can be seen that many different versions of the Yuki-onna are passed down in folklore. 

However, today, when asked about Yuki-onna, you will surely be told about the story of Yuki-onna that was written by Lafcadio Hearn in a book called Kwaidan.

The story goes: 

Once upon a time, there were two woodcutters named Minokichi and Mosaku, Minokichi was young and Mosaku was very old. 

On a winter day, they were trapped in the mountain by a snowstorm, they found a hut and decided to stay there. At night, Mosaku woke up and saw a beautiful woman in a white kimono breathing on Mosaku, who was frozen to death. Then, she approached Minokichi, stared at him for a while, and said: “I will spare your life because you are young and handsome. Do not tell anyone about this, or I will kill you.” A few years later, Minokichi met a young beautiful woman named Oyuki and married her. They had children and lived happily for many years. One night, after the children had gone to sleep, Minokichi told Oyuki: “Every time I see you, I remember a mysterious thing that happened to me. When I was young, I met a girl as beautiful as you. I’m not sure if it was a dream or she was really a Yuki-onna…” After he finished, Oyuki suddenly stood up and said: “The woman you met was me! I told you I would kill you if you told anyone about that. However, I can’t do that because of our children. Take good care of them.” Then, Oyuki disappeared and no one ever saw her again…

That was some information about Yuki-onna, which variant of Yuki-onna do you like the most, and which character do you want me to do more about, please leave a comment below. Please follow me on YouTube and TikTok.