19) Japan - 9. Takao-onna

In Kanji, it is written with the characters for 'high' (高) and 'woman' (女). It was introduced in Sekien Toriyama's 'Gazu Hyakki Yagyō' (百鬼夜行絵巻), but only a drawing is provided without explanation, leading to speculation about its true nature. It appears as a woman with abnormally long lower limbs. According to folklore from the Akita region, she is tall enough to peer into the second floor of buildings. In Wakayama, there are tales of the 'Takao-onna' threatening the second floor of brothels. In Tohoku, there are instances of ghost stories about a woman peeking into second-floor windows, titled 'Takao-onna'. While commonly described as a woman peering into second-floor windows to startle people, these stories seem to be later interpretations and re-creations based on Sekien's drawing, with little evidence of indigenous and definitive folklore. There are also satirical tales about the Yoshiwara pleasure quarters and courtesans, suggesting she became a yokai out of resentment for being unattractive and ignored by men. However, this narrative is also widely believed to be a later invention inspired by Sekien's drawing.