List of Japanese Female Yokai 38 Types

Based on the focus keyword “List of Japanese Female Yokai”, this article provides an in-depth guide to 38 types of female yokai rooted in traditional Japanese folklore. Explore these enchanting beings that merge beauty with terror and duality—a perfect resource for enthusiasts of ancient ghost stories, modern horror, and creative inspiration alike. Whether you’re a yokai aficionado, storyteller, or creative professional, this comprehensive list is designed to captivate your imagination.

The names and descriptions provided below are offered solely as ideas for creative inspiration. Please verify on your own that there are no issues regarding copyrights, trademarks, etc., and we assume no responsibility for any damages resulting from their use.

Jorougumo (The Seductive Spider)

Overview

Legends say that a spider over 400 years old transforms into a beautiful woman. This yokai fuses feminine beauty with the terror of a spider. According to tradition, she disguises herself as a stunning woman to seduce and ensnare unsuspecting men, transforming them into spider-like creatures and attacking them. Using her threads, she manipulates and immobilizes her prey.

Myth and Role

Jorougumo symbolizes temptation, betrayal, and the cruel laws of nature. Her dual nature warns people that beauty can conceal great danger—a lesson deeply ingrained in folklore and ghost stories.

Cultural Significance

This yokai embodies the themes of allure, terror, and transformation. Her legend has sparked wide-ranging interpretations in Japanese culture, emphasizing the contrast between appearance and true essence.

Tamamomae (The Enchanting Fox)

Overview

Appearing as a young woman celebrated as the world’s most beautiful or the nation’s wisest, her true identity is that of a great yokai who led various kings to ruin. Tradition holds that she was originally a two-tailed fox spirit. When an onmyoji uncovered her true nature, she transformed into a white-faced, golden-haired nine-tailed fox and disappeared without a trace.

Myth and Role

Tamamomae exemplifies the duality of enchanting beauty and dreadful supernatural power. Her hidden schemes and betrayals serve as a cautionary tale for rulers and the common folk alike.

Cultural Significance

Her legend, which intertwines tales of legendary beauty and yokai folklore, continues to evoke discussions about the conflict between outward appearances and inner realities, as well as the peril lurking behind feminine allure.

Yuki-onna (The Snow Woman)

Overview

Usually appearing as a beautiful woman, Yuki-onna sometimes takes the form of an old crone or a ghostly figure. Typically depicted with pale skin, white garments, and black hair, she is renowned for her ability to control cold air.

Myth and Role

Yuki-onna is said to exhale deadly cold that can freeze humans or drain their life force. In some legends, she even bears children with humans. Her mysterious and tragic presence weaves together themes of beauty, fear, and sorrow.

Cultural Significance

Set against a backdrop of harsh natural environments and deep human emotions, Yuki-onna has influenced literature and film as a symbol of transient beauty and supernatural terror.

Hinoenma (The Alluring Demonic Beauty)

Overview

Although she appears as a stunning woman at first glance, Hinoenma is a fearsome and seductive yokai who lures men to their doom. It is said that she drinks the life force and blood of men every night.

Myth and Role

Using her beauty as a weapon, she seduces men only to reveal a sinister nature hidden behind her glamorous façade. Through possession and the draining of blood, she warns of the danger concealed within outward attractiveness.

Cultural Significance

Representing the thin line between allure and death, Hinoenma remains a captivating yet terrifying figure—a character whose dark duality continues to inspire modern horror and creative works.

Kejorou (The Furry Courtesan)

Overview

This yokai takes the form of a hirsute courtesan and is said to appear in the pleasure quarters. Her long hair is so abundant that it obscures her face—or in some versions, her face does not exist at all.

Myth and Role

Kejorou challenges conventional standards of beauty by embodying both the refined and the grotesque. Her existence poses questions about the duality of human nature and the hidden truths behind societal beauty norms.

Cultural Significance

Often interpreted as a satirical commentary on the culture of the pleasure quarters and beauty standards of the time, Kejorou’s eerie appearance has influenced artistic expressions and interpretations of hidden beauty.

Momiji (The Crimson-Leafed Demon Woman)

Overview

Once a noble woman exiled from Kyoto during the Heian period, she transformed into a fearsome demon. By day, she taught villagers literacy and other arts, while by night she rampaged, earning her reputation as a demoness.

Myth and Role

Momiji’s fall from grace—from nobility to demonic vengeance—symbolizes the ephemeral nature of glory and serves as a warning against the corrupting influence of jealousy and betrayal.

Cultural Significance

The tale of Momiji has left an indelible mark on literature and theater, reflecting themes of lost status, the fall of beauty, and the cyclical nature of human virtue and vice.

Iya (The Deceptive Beauty)

Overview

Though her back appears as that of a beautiful woman, her true face is that of an old, wrinkled man. When approached, she reveals her hideous visage, shocking those who expected beauty.

Myth and Role

Iya’s startling transformation from grace to grotesquery teaches the lesson of looking beyond superficial appearances to see the true nature within.

Cultural Significance

Her legend is a satirical reminder of the perils of superficial judgments and has been passed down as a critique of appearance-obsessed values.

Ame-onna (The Rain Woman)

Overview

This yokai appears as a young woman endowed with the power to summon rain. Depending on the legend, she is seen either as a troublesome spirit that brings unwelcome rain or as a benevolent deity who relieves drought.

Myth and Role

As the controller of weather phenomena, Ame-onna symbolizes both the blessing and the curse of rain, invoking a deep respect for the natural order and its effects on human life.

Cultural Significance

Reflecting the Japanese spirit of living in harmony with nature, her tale is integral to local festivals, folk traditions, and the broader cultural narrative of coexistence with nature’s dual forces.

Iso-onna (The Seaside Spirit)

Overview

This female yokai is said to haunt coastlines and rocky shores. While her upper body is often depicted as a beautiful woman, her lower half may appear ghostly, or even resemble a dragon or snake. In some regions, she is said to look like nothing more than a rock from behind.

Myth and Role

Iso-onna embodies the mysterious and formidable aspects of the sea and rocky landscapes. Her contrasting appearance reminds people that nature’s beauty can hide untold dangers.

Cultural Significance

Her diverse legends reflect local beliefs and reverence for the sea, serving as a symbol of the complex relationship between humans and the natural world.

Hashihime (The Bridge Princess)

Overview

A guardian spirit of bridges—or, in some legends, a demoness born of jealousy. A noblewoman, driven by envy after losing her beloved to another, is said to have transformed into a demon through a 21-day ritual in the Uji River, ultimately exacting her revenge.

Myth and Role

Hashihime personifies the destructive power of love, envy, and revenge. As both protector and avenger, she plays a dual role linked to specific places such as bridges and rivers.

Cultural Significance

This legend symbolizes the transformation of personal emotions into myth, influencing regional guardian worship and leaving a lasting impact on literature and folk performance art.

Usuoi Baba (The Crone of the Deep)

Overview

A terrifying white old woman with disheveled hair, piercing eyes, and a mouth resembling fangs. Often seen carrying an object resembling a mortar on her back, she emerges from the depths of the sea every few years, only to vanish again.

Myth and Role

Usuoi Baba represents the mysterious rhythms of the ocean and the hidden presence of the otherworld in everyday life. Not malevolent by nature, her sporadic appearances remind people of nature’s inexplicable phenomena.

Cultural Significance

Her legend is deeply embedded in coastal folk beliefs, serving as a symbol of both the benevolent and capricious aspects of the sea’s mystery.

Otohime (The Princess of the Dragon Palace)

Overview

Ruler of the underwater realm—the Dragon Palace—Otohime is famously featured in the Japanese folktale “Urashima Tarō.” She radiates ethereal beauty and exudes an aura of mystique.

Myth and Role

As the sovereign of an otherworldly realm beneath the sea, Otohime embodies paradise, eternal youth, and the stark boundary between the human world and the realm of dreams.

Cultural Significance

The legend of Otohime has inspired countless folktales, artworks, and literary works, becoming a wellspring of Japan’s fantastical aesthetic.

Oton Jorou (The Trickster Fox)

Overview

A renowned shape-shifting fox spirit, Oton Jorou is infamous for deceiving humans. Even when caught—bound to a tree—she is said to escape with uncanny ease.

Myth and Role

Exemplifying the clever and elusive nature of fox spirits, she highlights the precariousness of human trust and the ever-present possibility of deceit.

Cultural Significance

As a quintessential trickster in Japanese folklore, Oton Jorou represents wisdom, cunning, and a satirical critique of human society that resonates through generations.

Kage-onna (The Shadow Woman)

Overview

This yokai manifests as the silhouette of a woman in the moonlit reflection on a paper sliding door. Her form is so ephemeral that one might question whether she is truly there.

Myth and Role

Kage-onna blurs the line between the familiar domestic space and the mysterious otherworld, evoking both wonder and unease as she appears unexpectedly.

Cultural Significance

Her image, balancing between light and shadow, reality and illusion, has become a powerful metaphor in Japanese aesthetics for the interplay between external beauty and inner mystery.

Kuchisake-onna (The Slit-Mouthed Woman)

Overview

On dark streets, a young woman wearing a mask approaches and asks, “Am I beautiful?” Depending on the answer, she may remove the mask to reveal a mouth slit from ear to ear—a horrifying visage that leaves little doubt of her brutality.

Myth and Role

Kuchisake-onna embodies the peril of excessive vanity and the destructive power of personal insecurities. Her sudden appearance and ghastly transformation serve as a dire warning about judging based on appearance.

Cultural Significance

Widely known as an urban legend, her tale continues to influence modern horror narratives, exploring themes of distorted beauty and the fragility of self-esteem.

Ubumi (The Grieving Spirit)

Overview

Believed to be the vengeful spirit of a deceased pregnant woman, Ubumi is said to snatch away children and raise them as her own. She is also depicted as a ghostly bird that soars at night with a cry reminiscent of a child’s voice.

Myth and Role

Ubumi embodies the sorrow and wrath of mothers who died untimely deaths, representing both the terror and pity evoked by the loss of life and the corruption of maternal love.

Cultural Significance

Her narrative reflects themes of death, fate, and the darker aspects of maternal bonds, influencing traditional ghost stories and cultural beliefs about the afterlife.

Nure-onna (The Wet Woman)

Overview

As her name suggests, Nure-onna is a female yokai that appears by the sea, often depicted with a constantly wet appearance. In some legends, she is said to have the body of a snake attached to a human head, and her length is said to reach an astonishing 327 meters.

Myth and Role

Nure-onna symbolizes both the monstrous and uncontrollable power of the sea. Her abnormal size and terrifying presence serve as a reminder of nature’s overwhelming might and the calamities it can bring.

Cultural Significance

Representing the awe-inspiring force of the ocean and the vulnerability of humankind, her tale continues to be a potent motif in coastal legends and modern horror.

Numa Gozen (The Swamp Lady)

Overview

This snake yokai is said to reign over swamps and marshlands. Capable of transforming into a woman reminiscent of Otohime or a giant, this creature displays a ferocious side but is sometimes later seen weaving as a woman even after being defeated.

Myth and Role

Numa Gozen personifies the eerie beauty and lurking danger in unclean, marshy places. Her legend serves as both a warning and a symbol of the mysterious phenomena that occur between the realms of man and nature.

Cultural Significance

Her story has inspired many works of art and literature, reflecting the duality of beauty and madness inherent in the natural world.

Warai-onna (The Laughing Woman)

Overview

Encountered in the mountains, Warai-onna is said to bring misfortune to those who cross her path. If you laugh along with her sudden, eerie laughter, a terrible fate awaits you.

Myth and Role

She embodies the notion that laughter can mask underlying madness. Her unexpected, haunting laughter warns against casual interactions with the unknown.

Cultural Significance

The legend of Warai-onna has become a recurring motif in ghost stories and modern horror, illustrating how something as innocent as laughter can hide a darker, more sinister force.

Sawa-onna (The Marsh Woman)

Overview

This yokai is said to appear in the mountains, particularly targeting those who pollute rivers and streams. She takes the form of a woman and is believed to curse those responsible for defiling nature.

Myth and Role

Sawa-onna serves as a guardian of the natural environment, a reminder of the consequences of defilement and neglect. Her presence urges local communities to maintain respect for nature.

Cultural Significance

Her legend has been embraced as a symbol of environmental conservation and the importance of living in harmony with nature—a theme that resonates even in modern eco-conscious discourse.