Ohaguro-bettari (お歯黒べったり)

About this Yokai

Ohaguro-bettari (お歯黒ベッタリ), meaning “black-toothed smear,” is a startling yokai that haunts temples and shrines at twilight. Disguised as a beautiful woman or a man’s own wife in elegant bridal attire, she lures unsuspecting men toward her. When they draw near, she reveals a horrifying, featureless white face containing only a massive, gaping mouth filled with blackened teeth. Though she terrifies her victims with a chilling cackle, she rarely causes physical harm. Often attributed to mischievous shapeshifters like kitsune or the restless ghosts of unmarried women, this figure remains a classic example of the psychological pranks found in Japanese folklore.

Artist’s Note

Initially, I sketched an ugly, malicious yokai with a wide, mocking grin, but I decided that a beautiful figure with only a glimpse of a blackened mouth would be far more eerie. This led me to refine the design to emphasize that subtle, unsettling contrast.