Be My Yuki Onna: A Deep Dive into Japan's Elusive Snow Woman
/Overview
The leaves tumble and the winds chill, the winter storms are nigh as November casts a chilling shadow on the fading fall. However, be wary; a final stroll through the twilight days of autumn may lead to an icy encounter with the Yuki Onna, the mystical Snow Woman of northern Japan! With skin as pale as ice, a translucent white robe, and hair like a pitch black- wait, white? White hair? But… Huh, this one ain’t so cut and dry…
Credit: Sawaki Suushi
A Primer
The Yuki Onna is a Japanese Yokai, or spirit, whose written origins date back to 1333 – 1573. Since then, tales involving the Yuki Onna have sprung up all over the place, generally in the northern, colder regions of Japan. In essence, she’s a snow spirit, though what she actually does, as well as her exact appearance, are mysteries with no concrete answers; for every story about her, there’s a wildly different depiction in tow. However, the most well-known story about her, and the one you’re likely familiar with if you’ve heard of the Yuki Onna before, comes from a writer named Lafcadio Hearn in 1905.
Hearn’s Version
credt: KWAIDAN: Stories and Studies of Strange Things, by lafcadio hearn
In Hearn’s telling, two woodcutters, a master and apprentice, end up trapped in a blizzard that forces them to take shelter in a ferryman’s cabin for the night. However, the apprentice awakes in the night to find an icy white woman leaning over his master, whilst a chilled breath flows from her mouth; the master is already dead. The woman plans to do the same to the apprentice, but stops when she notices his beautiful youth. She tells him that she’ll let him live for now, but will return to take his life should he tell a soul about that night.
The apprentice survives the rest of the storm, and the next year, he encounters a woman who’s passing through his town. After some conversation and a visit to the apprentice’s house, the woman decides to stay there, and eventually, the two are wed. They live happily and raise numerous children, but one night, a chance bit of lighting from the window behind his wife reminds the apprentice of when he saw the Yuki Onna. So, he tells her about it… Much to her dismay.
Once the words had left his lips, the wife’s expression turned from cheer to anguish. She revealed that she is the Yuki Onna from all those years back, and were it not for the children they raised together, she’d kill him just as she did his master. Instead, she vanishes into the air, never to return, and leaving the apprentice heartbroken, regretting his every word…
Folktales
Now, whilst that may be the most popular depiction of the Yuki Onna, it is far from the only one. Stories dating as far back as the 1300s paint her in a bevy of different lights; the monk Sogi wrote that, on his travels through the Echigo province, he encountered a ten-foot tall, snow-white woman standing outside his house during a blizzard. When he tried to talk to her, she simply vanished, and he later learned from some locals that what he saw was the Yuki Onna.
In Yamagata prefecture she’s known as the moon goddess, who became bored and fell to earth, but can no longer return home. Meanwhile in Aomori, Miyagi, and Nigata prefectures, she’s known as something of a “snow vampire” who feeds on the life force of travellers; the moral spectrum of the Yuki Onna is a broad one indeed…
Credit: The Pokemon Company, Gamefreak, Nintendo
Modern Media
These days, things have changed; like with many mythical monsters and legends, the Yuki Onna has been depicted and referenced in countless forms of media. In the gaming sphere, the Yuki Onna has appeared as a boss fight in Nioh, and has also served as the inspiration for Froslass, a character from the massively popular Pokémon series (pictured left). The anime Kyokou Suiri features the Yuki Onna as a key character, and she acts as an attendant to the protagonist in Nura: Rise of the Yokai Clan.
Whilst her legends have existed since ancient times, the Yuki Onna’s legacy remains strong today, chilling the bodies and minds of readers and travellers alike.
Sebastian Switzer, best known for his short story Ronin, lives in southern Ontario with his family. Sebastian began writing in 2018, specializing in suspenseful, high-fantasy fiction, and dabbling in as much mystery as he can manage; a sucker for action, his style’s never found standing still. He’s currently aiming his attention towards this very blog, where he covers myths and folklore from Japan’s storied history. Sebastian is often accompanied by his two cats, who frequently find themselves seated stoically between himself and his work.
