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Yuki-onna, a MythSource painting
Japanese

Yuki-onna

01Identity

Yuki-onna in Japanese tradition

Blue lips, translucent skin and long black hair marked Yuki-onna, the snow woman. She appeared on wintry nights as a tall, bewitching beauty. Some accounts made her more than three metres tall. She seemed to float over the snow and left no footprints. Her skin was colder than ice. She was an ancient ethereal beauty whose story passed through generations and entered the yōkai canon. Many versions existed. People who met her, or heard her knock at a door, often died, usually by freezing. In one tale, a woman came to a mountain hut during a blizzard. Mosaku died after she visited, while Minokichi survived. Years later, she lived with him as Koyuki and had children. When Minokichi broke his promise and spoke about the earlier night, she revealed that she was the snow woman. She said she had been about to kill him, but spared him because of their children. She then disappeared into the falling snow. Her other names included Yuki Musume, Yuki Jorō, Yukifuri Baba and Tsurara Onna.

  • She was an ancient ethereal beauty and a yōkai. (The Book of Japanese Folklore)
  • She was dangerous, and encounters with her often ended in death by freezing. (The Book of Japanese Folklore)
  • She could live among people in the form of a woman. (Snow Woman and Other Yokai Stories from Japan)
Top questions

The quick answers

  • Who is Yuki-onna?

    Yuki-onna is a Japanese being.
    Source

    Source

    • The Book of Japanese Folklore
02The names

The names Yuki-onna answers to

Yuki Musume

Snow Daughter

SourceThe Book of Japanese Folklore

Yuki Jorō

Snow Harlot

SourceThe Book of Japanese Folklore

Yukifuri Baba

Snowfall Hag

SourceThe Book of Japanese Folklore

Tsurara Onna

Icicle Woman

SourceThe Book of Japanese Folklore

03The myths

The myths of Yuki-onna

1 myth, with sources recorded for each.

The Snow Woman and Minokichi

Long ago, Mosaku and Minokichi hunted in the mountains near Mount Shirouma. They found nothing that day. Heavy snow then fell, darkness came early, and they lost their way. They sought shelter in a small hut near the river.

They lit a fire, dried their clothes, and ate dried meat. Soon they fell asleep. During the night, Minokichi heard someone calling his name outside. A woman appeared at the hut. She was beautiful but frightening, and the visit filled him with fear.

Mosaku died during the encounter. Minokichi found him unresponsive and saw what seemed to be blood from his mouth. He wept until morning, carried the body back to the village, and buried him with respect.

The snow woman spared Minokichi on the condition that he never spoke about that night. He kept silent. In the years that followed, his hunting skill improved, and his standing in the village grew.

During another blizzard, Minokichi met a woman named Koyuki. She said that her parents had died and that she was travelling to an acquaintance’s distant home. The storm continued, so she stayed with him. Their trust grew, and Minokichi asked her to live with him.

They married and lived happily. They had ten children, who were very good-looking and had unusually fair skin. Koyuki remained beautiful and did not seem to age.

One night, Minokichi watched his wife sew by candlelight. He said that she reminded him of someone he had met long before. When she asked who, he described the night when Mosaku died. He then said that the woman had been a Yuki-onna.

Koyuki accused him of breaking his promise. She said she had been about to kill him but could not do so because of their children. She ran into the blizzard and disappeared. Minokichi followed, but only falling snow remained.

The Snow Woman and Minokichi, a MythSource painting of the scene

7 sources· checked 2026-09-02

  1. 1The Book of Japanese FolkloreT1
  2. 2Snow Woman and Other Yokai Stories from JapanT1
  3. 3Snow Woman and Other Yokai Stories from JapanT1
  4. 4Snow Woman and Other Yokai Stories from JapanT1
  5. 5Snow Woman and Other Yokai Stories from JapanT1
  6. 6The Book of Japanese FolkloreT1
  7. 7Snow Woman and Other Yokai Stories from JapanT1
04Different accounts

Different accounts

›One telling described Mosaku as Minokichi’s father, while another described him as his older mentor.

    The accounts that differ: Snow Woman and Other Yokai Stories from Japan; The Book of Japanese Folklore, In Modern Stories

    From “The Snow Woman and Minokichi”

    ›The woman was called Koyuki in one receipt and Oyuki in another.

      The accounts that differ: Snow Woman and Other Yokai Stories from Japan; The Book of Japanese Folklore, In Modern Stories

      From “The Snow Woman and Minokichi”

      ›One account placed Minokichi’s marriage about a year after the encounter, while another placed it two or three years later.

        The accounts that differ: The Book of Japanese Folklore, In Modern Stories; Snow Woman and Other Yokai Stories from Japan

        From “The Snow Woman and Minokichi”

        ›Only one account stated that the couple had ten children. The other account referred to their children but did not give a number.

          The accounts that differ: The Book of Japanese Folklore, In Modern Stories; Snow Woman and Other Yokai Stories from Japan

          From “The Snow Woman and Minokichi”