Is Futakuchi-onna Real? The Legend of Japan’s Two-Mouthed Woman

The Futakuchi-onna is a yōkai, or supernatural being, known for having a second working mouth on the back of her head, hidden under her hair. She looks like an ordinary woman until her secret is revealed by the second mouth’s huge appetite.

This legend mainly warns against greed, mistreating others at home, and letting hidden resentment grow. It is often seen as a story about a person changed by a curse or spiritual punishment.

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Key Takeaways

Attribute	Details
Names	Futakuchi-onna
Translation	Two-mouthed woman
Title	The Devouring Wife
Type	Human-type yōkai (transformed human)
Origin	Cursed transformation resulting from starvation or negligence
Gender	Female
Appearance	A woman with a second mouth on the back of the skull, often with prehensile hair
Powers/Abilities	Prehensile hair manipulation, independent consumption by the second mouth
Weaknesses	Exerting control over the primary mouth, proper provision of food
Habitat	Human dwellings, particularly kitchens and dining areas
Diet/Prey	Large quantities of rice and human food; targets household supplies
Symbolic Item	Rice paddle or large cooking pot
Symbolism	The consequences of greed and the hidden nature of domestic strife
Sources	Ehon Hyaku Monogatari

Who or What is Futakuchi-onna?

The Futakuchi-onna is a monster from Japanese folklore who appears to be a normal woman. Still, it has a second, hungry mouth hidden beneath her long hair at the back of her head. This mouth has its own teeth and tongue, and can speak and ask for food on its own.

Most stories describe the Futakuchi-onna as a woman who became this way because of a curse or deep emotional pain, not as a separate kind of monster. The change often happens because she refuses to eat in front of others, while the second mouth secretly eats a lot. This shows the idea of a hidden side or the results of ignoring family or responsibilities.

“Futakuchi-onna” Meaning

The name Futakuchi-onna comes from the Japanese words futa (two), kuchi (mouth), and onna (woman). It literally means “two-mouthed woman.” The name simply describes her most unusual feature.

Historians believe the name became common during the Edo period (1603–1868), when yōkai were listed and depicted in popular monster books such as those by Toriyama Sekien. Unlike other yōkai, the name Futakuchi-onna has stayed mostly the same over time.

The name also points to the character’s double nature: a polite, controlled woman on the outside, but a wild, greedy mouth hidden behind.

How to Pronounce “Futakuchi-onna” in English

In English, you say it as foo-tah-koo-chee ohn-nah. The “u” sounds are short, like the “oo” in “foot.” The “i” in “kuchi” sounds like “ee” in “bee.” The double “n” in “onna” is a bit longer, but in everyday speech, it often sounds like “own-nah.”

What Does Futakuchi-onna Look Like?

From the front, the Futakuchi-onna looks like any other woman. She is usually shown in traditional Japanese clothes, like a kimono, with tidy hair. But the back of her head hides something strange and unsettling.

At the base of her skull or neck is a big, open mouth with sharp teeth and a working tongue. In many old drawings, especially from the Edo period, the hair around this mouth moves like tentacles or extra arms.

Her hair can move on its own, grabbing food like rice balls or vegetables and feeding the second mouth. The mouth can also make noises, such as growling, muttering, or screeching, when it is hungry.

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Habitat

The Futakuchi-onna is a yōkai that lives in human homes. Unlike yōkai that live in the mountains, she is usually found in traditional Japanese houses, especially in kitchens and dining rooms where food is made and eaten.

Since the Futakuchi-onna starts as a human, she usually stays in the same community. She only leaves for the wild if people find out her secret. Her link to the home comes from her serving as a symbol of hidden family problems.

Origins and History

The Futakuchi-onna became well-known in the mid-Edo period, appearing in the Ehon Hyaku Monogatari (1841), a famous book of stories and pictures. At that time, people were especially interested in strange and creepy tales.

There are two main legends about how the Futakuchi-onna came to be. In the first, a stingy man marries a woman who says she never needs to eat. He is happy to save money, but his rice keeps disappearing. He later finds out that the mouth on the back of her head is eating all his food.

The second story is about a stepmother who let her stepchild starve while feeding her own child well. The spirit of the dead child is said to have created the second mouth on the stepmother’s head as a lasting punishment for her cruelty.

Sources

The Futakuchi-onna appears often in Edo-period books about supernatural beings.

Source	Quote
Ehon Hyaku Monogatari	“The mouth at the back of the head is said to be a manifestation of the spirit of a child who died of starvation due to the cruelty of a stepmother.”

Famous Futakuchi-onna Legends and Stories

The Miser and His Wife

In a small village, a stingy man refused to marry because he didn’t want to pay for a wife’s food. Then he met a woman who claimed she never ate rice. Happy with this, he married her right away. She worked hard and never joined him for meals, but soon he noticed his rice was disappearing much too quickly.

One day, he pretended to leave for work but hid in the attic to watch his wife. To his shock, he saw her untie her hair and reveal a second mouth on the back of her head. Her hair stretched out like long arms, grabbing rice balls and feeding them to the mouth.

The man tried to leave her, but she changed completely, trapping him in a tub of water and trying to take him to the mountains. He managed to escape by hiding in a patch of strong-smelling lilies, which she could not stand.

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The Grudge of the Starved Child

Another story tells of a woman who married a widower with a young daughter. She later had her own child and, out of favoritism, fed her own child well but gave the stepdaughter very little. The stepdaughter eventually died from starvation.

Soon after the child died, the stepmother was chopping wood when a splinter hit the back of her head, causing a deep wound. The wound would not heal and slowly turned into a mouth.

To her horror, the wound started to demand food, screaming in the voice of the dead stepdaughter. If she didn’t feed it, she felt terrible pain. She had to feed the mouth for the rest of her life, as a reminder of her cruelty.

Futakuchi-onna Powers and Abilities

The Futakuchi-onna has supernatural abilities that set her apart from normal people. Still, she is not as powerful or destructive as an Oni:

• Prehensile Hair: Her most famous power is her hair, which acts like extra arms to grab food or hold people.
• Independent Vocalization: The second mouth can talk, sometimes saying what the woman really thinks or asking for food.
• Massive Consumption: The second mouth can eat much more than a normal person ever could.

How to Defend Against Futakuchi-onna

To protect yourself from a Futakuchi-onna, legends say you should first discover her secret and then use certain plants. She is said to be weak against the smell of some strong herbs:

1. Scented Plants: Shōbu (sweet flag) or lilies are often mentioned as ways to keep her away. The smell of these plants is said to drive her off or stop her from coming near.
2. Exorcism: Because her condition is usually a curse, Buddhist or Shinto rituals are sometimes shown as ways to heal her. Still, in many stories, the Futakuchi-onna just runs away instead of being cured.

Futakuchi-onna vs Other Yōkai

Name	Category	Origin	Threat Level	Escape Difficulty
Yama-uba	Obake	Mountain witch	High	Difficult; she is a fast hunter.
Yuki-onna	Yūrei-like	Spirit of the snow	High	Hard; she freezes victims.
Kappa	Suijin	Water spirit	Moderate	Easy if you bow or offer cucumbers.
Rokurokubi	Transformed human	Cursed woman	Low	Easy; usually just a prankster.
Kuchisake-onna	Urban Legend	Mutilated woman	Critical	Extreme; requires specific answers.
Oni	Demon	Hell/Wicked humans	Critical	Very Hard; requires physical combat.
Noppera-bō	Obake	Shapeshifter	Low	Very Easy; they only want to scare.
Ubume	Yūrei	Died during childbirth	Moderate	Moderate; based on emotional interaction.
Taka-onna	Obake	Jealous woman	Low	Easy; she stays near brothels.
Ohaguro-bettari	Obake	Faceless bride	Low	Easy; she only startles people.

Symbolism

Attribute	Details
Element	Earth (Domestic/Material)
Animal	None
Cardinal Direction	Northeast (The Demon Gate)
Color	Black (Hair and hidden secrets)
Plant	Shōbu (Sweet Flag)
Season	Winter (Association with food scarcity)
Symbolic Item	Rice Bowl

In Japanese culture, the Futakuchi-onna symbolizes the taboo against selfishness and the hidden problems within families. In the Edo period, a “good wife” was supposed to be modest and careful with money. The Futakuchi-onna turns this idea on its head, showing that pretending not to eat can actually mask a huge appetite.

The stepmother stories also stress the importance of caring for family and the spiritual cost of neglecting children. The yōkai is a symbol for hypocrisy—showing one face to others, but hiding a much greedier side at home.

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Frequently Asked Questions