柳女
やなぎおんな

Translation: willow woman
Habitat: willow trees
Diet: none

Appearance: Yanagi onna are spirits which appear near willow trees late at night. They take the form of young women, occasionally carrying children in their arms.

Behavior: Yanagi onna appear to passersby on dark nights and beg for help. They resemble ghosts like ubume and kosodate yurei–motherly spirits who seek the wellbeing of their children even in death.

Legends: Long ago, a young woman was walking at night, carrying her baby. Suddenly the wind blew strong. The woman sought shelter under a nearby willow tree. However, the fierce wind caused the long, drooping branches of the willow to whip violently. The woman became entangled in the branches. Some of them wrapped around her throat. She struggled to escape, but the branches constricted her neck tighter and tighter. Finally, she was strangled to death. Since then, a ghostly woman carrying a baby appeared under the willow tree every night, cursing the willow as she cried.