You’re out watching a new scary movie with friends when you decide that you need to use
the bathroom.
It’s during a slow part of the movie so you excuse yourself and head to the restrooms.
Upon entering, you notice that there’s nobody else in there.
You don’t see anything unusual, but you can’t shake the feeling that you need to
get out as fast as possible.
It’s not just because you’re missing the movie.
Something’s... wrong.
You finish up your business and head to the sink.
You run the faucet and check yourself in the mirror.
There’s something behind you, that shouldn’t be.
Greetings everyone, and welcome, to The Grim Gallery.
This particular legend harkens all the way from the island of Oahu in the tropical city
of Honolulu, Hawaii.
It is said that at the Kahala Mall Shopping Center on Waialae, in the restrooms near the
movie theaters, the ghost of a woman has been seen, stalking visitors.
They say that if you visit the bathroom alone and stand at the sink, she will appear behind
you in the mirror, combing her long hair.
The most memorable of traits that this mysterious apparition possesses are its facial features-
or rather, lack of any.
Legend has it that the ghost that stalks these grounds has no eyes, ears, mouth, or nose-
rather, blank skin where a face should be.
What could this spirit be?
Are there any legends or stories similar to this?
There surely must be many, but two creatures specifically, passed down in folklore, stand
out the most, and in order to analyze them, we will have to take a look into Japanese
folklore.
These two are: the mujina, and the nopperabō.
But wait, before we begin, why Japanese folklore specifically?
Why would a Japanese spirit be haunting Hawaii of all places?
Well, it shouldn’t come as a surprise that Hawaii has long been a location of great ethnic
diversity.
Local Japanese make up the second largest ethnic group of Hawaii, with their population
peaking at 43% of Hawaii’s total population during the 1920 census.
Add to this the striking similarity of the local legend and these upcoming urban myths…
Let’s begin with the mujina.
The mujina of Japanese folklore is an avid shapeshifter and deceiver of humans.
Mujina actually refers to the yokai (or ghost) form of badgers.
You heard that right.
I swear I’m not making this up.
In Japan, badgers typically live in the mountains, far from human society, and ordinary badgers
are referred to as anaguma.
Their yokai counterparts, these “mujina”, are said to have magical shape-shifting abilities.
In some regions, the mujina is also called a tanuki, due to its similar size, appearance,
and alleged magical prowess.
Tanuki.
You know.
As in tanuki suit?
In other regions, the term mami is used to refer to both tanuki
and mujina.
When it is dark and quiet, and there are no humans around, it is said that mujina like
to shift into a humanoid form – usually that of a young boy wearing a tiny kimono
– and sing songs in the street.
If approached by a stranger, they run away into the darkness and transform back into
animal form.
Harmless right?
Well this is where they tie in with the second urban myth:
Here to help me introduce the nopperabo is the one and only, Reignbot Horror.
Be sure to check out her video on Haunted Places in Hawaii at the end of this video.
The nopperabō are an entirely separate class of yokai, again-Japanese ghosts, most notable
for being faceless creatures.
They appear at first as ordinary human beings, sometimes impersonating someone familiar to
the victim, before causing their features to disappear, leaving a blank, smooth sheet
of skin where their face should be.
There are two primary stories about the nopperabo.
The first one is called, The Noppera-bō and the Koi Pond.
This tale recounts a lazy fisherman who decided to fish in the imperial koi ponds near the
Heian-kyō palace.
Despite being warned by his wife about the pond being sacred and near a graveyard, the
fisherman went anyway.
On his way to the pond, he is warned by another fisherman not to go there, but he again ignores
the warning.
Once at the spot, he is met by a beautiful young woman who pleads with him not to fish
in the pond.
He ignores her and, to his horror, she wipes off her face.
Rushing home to hide, he is confronted by what seems to be his wife, who chastises him
for his wickedness before wiping off her facial features as well.
The second story is called, The Mujina of the Akasaka Road.
It is the story of a man who travelled along the Akasaka road to Edo.
He comes across a young woman in a remote location near Kunizaka hill, crying and forlorn.
After attempting to console the young woman and offer assistance, she turned to face him,
startling him with the blank countenance of a faceless ghost.
Frightened, the man proceeded down the road for some time, until he came across a soba
vendor.
Stopping to relax, the man told the vendor of his tale, only to recoil in horror as the
soba vendor stroked his face, becoming a noppera-bō himself.
There are other tales about noppera-bō, from a young woman rescued from bandits by a samurai
on horseback whose face disappears; to stories of nobles heading out for a tryst with another,
only to discover the courtesan is being impersonated by a noppera-bō.
Anyway this nopperabō is said to be a favorite transformation of mischievous mujina.
So frequently are encounters with this spirit blamed on shape-shifting badgers that the
nopperabō is often mistakenly referred to as a mujina.
This seems to be a popular trend in Japanese myth, as Mujina posing as nopperabō even
makes an appearance in the Studio Ghibli film, Pom Poko.
So back to our story, is it possible that this entity claimed to have been observed
in the Waialae area, is that of a Mujina or a Nopperabo?
Is it valid to suggest such a thing?
Could this sighting in Hawaii be related to paranormal yokai activity?
On May 19, 1959, Honolulu Advertiser reporter Bob Krauss reported a sighting of a mujina
at the Waialae Drive-In Theatre in Kahala.
Krauss reported that the witness watched a woman combing her hair in the women's restroom,
and when the witness came close enough, the mujina turned, revealing her featureless face.
The witness was reported to have been admitted to the hospital for a nervous breakdown.
Noted Hawaiian historian, folklorist and author Glen Grant, in a 1981 radio interview dismissed
the story as rumor, only to be called by someone claiming to be the witness, who gave more
details on the event, including the previously unreported detail that the mujina in question
had red hair.
Grant has also reported on a number of other mujina sightings in Hawaii, from Ewa Beach
to Hilo.
Since then, the grounds that were once the Old Drive-In Theatre have been remodeled into
a gated community and this mysterious apparition has reportedly been seen by locals in not
just one, but various bathrooms at the nearby cinema and shopping center.
Some say that if you are standing at the bathroom sink- and you are alone, you can see her in
the mirror, hovering just behind your shoulder.
Located right next to where the old drive-in theater used to be, is a graveyard.
So what do you think?
Are there really faceless ghosts out there haunting us?
Could the faceless spectre allegedly seen in Kahala be the work of a yokai, and if so,
could it a playful mujina shapeshifting, or an actual nopperabō?
Regardless, both yokai are said to be mostly harmless, if not for the scares that they
might cause.
Whether you choose to believe or not is entirely up to you, however the world is a dark and
mysterious place and there is evermore an infinite plethora of the world for us to explore.
Remember: though we may fear the unknown, we live everyday to learn and understand these
fears, and through this, we may hopefully gain a better insight into ourselves.
Thanks for watching and goodnight.
And the comment of the week goes to Twisted Legacy.
I have to say this is the first video series I've seen in a long while that is both creepy
yet interesting and I love it.
I cannot wait for the next episode.
Keep this up Blue, and if possible can you do a video on the Boogey Man?
I could never catch up with the concept and I'm very interested.
Now I'm not gonna make any promises, but Halloween is coming up.
And the Boogeyman is just one of those things that I'd love to cover sometime on the Grim
Gallery especially- I would just need to find the right- like- cause the boogeyman is such
a special thing- I feel like I really need to do that one justice, so.
It's definitely within the realm of possibility, so definitely stay tuned!
Also stay tuned to the very end of the video to catch a small hint at the next Grim Gallery
subject coming out.
Hey did you like that video?
If you did, be sure to let me know by hitting the like button down below!
And hey while you’re at it, why not subscribe to catch more episodes of The Grim Gallery?
I’d also like to give special thanks to Reignbot for helping me host this episode
of the Grim Gallery and inviting me to guest speak in her video.
Click on the left painting to go to Reignbot’s video about Haunted Places in Hawaii or if
you’re looking for something different, click on the right painting to go to an episode
of my other series, Darkology, where I talk about the psychology behind Creepy Commercials.
I’ve had a few people ask why the view count is so low for this series and honestly, a
lot of it has to do with the fact that nobody knows that it exists!
Help me spread the word by sharing it!
I’d greatly appreciate.
Also let me know what you think about this series so far and if you have any topics you’d
like to see me cover in a future episode, down in the comments below.
Thanks again for watching and I’ll see you next time.