Ubume

Ubume (産女, childbirth woman) are a type of yokai or bakemono (Japanese ghosts). They are the spirits of women who have either died in childbirth, or died without making sure that their children have been provided for. Ubume address a common concern in Japan; that of a mother's duty toward her children, and there are bountiful stories of ubume. Appearing in the form common to most Japanese ghosts, they are clad in robes of white, and have long, unbound, and dishevelled hair.

In some stories, the ubume will buy sweets and other foods for their still-living child with coins that later turn to dead leaves. In others, the ubume will try to attract the attention of a living human, and lead him or her to the place where its child is hidden, so that the child can be properly ritualized and accepted into human society and the woman's spirit can rest in peace. In yet other stories, the ubume carries a newborn child, whom she tries to hand to a passersby as a sort of test. If the baby is accepted by the pedestrian it instantly becomes heavier and heavier until they can hardly hold it. If the person succeeds, they are asked to make a wish and is usually rewarded with some supernatural power. The recipient must hold the baby towards the ubume during this trial or the baby will lean forward and bite through the person’s throat, killing them instantly.

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See Also:
Woman in Box

Japanese Culture
Religion
Buddhism - Shinto
Japanese Ghosts/Creatures
Funayūrei - Goryō - Hitodama - Ikiryō - Onryō - Ubume - Yōkai - Yūrei
Specific Japanese Ghosts/Creatures
Oiwa - Okiku - Yuki-onna
Terms
Dosojin - Grave Mound - Hannya Mask - Higanbana - Jizo - Kaidan - Miko - Mukoyōshi - Sanzu River - Shimenawa - Toro-Nagashi - Wara Ningyo
Locations
Northeastern Japan - Shizuoka - Sugisawa Village - Tono
Media and Entertainment
Kagome, Kagome - Ringu