Kuchisake-onna is the vengeful ghost of a woman mutilated by a man in the Edo period of Japan. Though the details of her past life are unclear, her hatred for men drives her to seek out and kill or maim her victims, often at lonely crossroads at night. Following a strict procedure, Kuchisake-onna asks her victims if they find her pretty. If they answer "No," she kills them on the spot. If they answer "Yes," she removes her mask, revealing her disfigurement, and asks again. The only way to escape her wrath is to provide an evasive or non-answer, or to distract her with sweets, which she is shamefully fond of. When not in a murderous rage, Kuchisake-onna seems awkward, standoffish, and gloomy, even to women. She has forgotten many of the joys of living and is perplexed by modern technology and culture. Her interests, aside from killing men, include sweets, theater, weaving, and shogi. Kuchisake-onna is familiar with other youkai, though she is not fond of male youkai. She occasionally associates with female youkai, considering Hachisaku-sama her closest friend, despite finding her proclivities "disturbing."