Wikipedia

Hanako-san

"Toire no Hanako-san" and "Hanako-kun" redirect here. For the 1995 film, seeToire no Hanako-san(film).For the manga series, seeToilet-Bound Hanako-kun.For other uses, seeHanako.

Hanako-san,orToire no Hanako-san(トイレの hoa tử (はなこ)さん,"Hanako of the Toilet" ),is a Japanese urban legend about the spirit of a young girl named Hanako who haunts lavatories. Like many urban legends, the details of the origins of the legend vary depending on the account; different versions of the story include that Hanako-san is the ghost of aWorld War II–era girl who was killed while playinghide-and-seekduring anair raid,that she was murdered by a parent or stranger, or that she committed suicide in a school toilet due tobullying.

Legends about Hanako-san have achieved some popularity in Japanese schools, where children may challenge classmates to try to summon Hanako-san. The character has been depicted in a variety of media, including films,manga,anime,andvideo games,and not just as the notorious Hanako-san but in some as Hanako-kun, the male version.

The legend and its variations

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According to legend, Hanako-san is the spirit of a young girl who haunts school toilets, and can be described as ayōkaior ayūrei.[1][2]The details of her physical appearance vary across different sources, but she is commonly described as having abobbed haircutand as wearing a red skirt or dress.[3][4][5]The details of Hanako-san's origins also vary depending on the account;[4]in some versions, Hanako-san was a child who was murdered by a stranger or an abusive parent in a school toilet;[1][2]in other versions, she was a girl who committed suicide in a school toilet;[1]in still other versions, she was a child who lived duringWorld War II[4]and was killed in anair raidwhile hiding in a school toilet during a game ofhide-and-seek.[1][2]

To summon Hanako-san, it is often said that individuals must enter a girls' toilet (usually on the third floor of a school), knock three times on the third stall, and ask if Hanako-san is present.[1][4][5]If Hanako-san is there, she will reply with some variation of "Yes, I am."[1][4]Depending on the story, the individual may then witness the appearance of a bloody or ghostly hand;[4][5]the hand, or Hanako-san herself, may pull the individual into the toilet, which may lead toHell;[1][3]or the individual may be eaten by a three-headed lizard who claims that the individual was invading Hanako's privacy.[4][6]

History

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Author andfolkloristMatthew Meyer has described the legend of Hanako-san as dating back to the 1950s.[1]Michael Dylan Foster, author ofThe Book of Yōkai: Mysterious Creatures of Japanese Folklore,has stated that Hanako-san "is well known because it is essentially an 'urban legend' associated with schools all over Japan. Since the 1990s, it has also been used in films, so it became part of popular culture... not just orally transmitted or local folklore".[4]In 2014, an article published byNPRdescribed Hanako-san as having "become a fixture of Japanese urban folklore over the last 70 years".[5]

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The Hanako-san character has appeared infilm,literature,manga,anime,andvideo games.She made her first cinematic appearance in the 1995 filmToire no Hanako-san,directed byJoji Matsuoka,[7]in which she is depicted as the benevolent spirit of a girl who committed suicide, and who haunts the toilet of a school.[8]She was later depicted in the 1998 filmShinsei Toire no Hanako-san,directed byYukihiko Tsutsumi,[7]in which she is portrayed as a vengeful ghost who haunts the middle school that she attended before she died.[9][10]She is also depicted in the 2013 filmToire no Hanako-san: Shin Gekijōban,directed by Masafumi Yamada.[7]

Hanako-san appears in the manga seriesHanako and the Terror of Allegory,written and illustrated bySakae Esuno,as the roommate and friend of Daisuke Aso, a private detective who investigates urban legends.[11]Hanako-san has also been depicted in the manga seriesToilet-Bound Hanako-kunby AidaIro—which debuted in 2014—in which the character is portrayed as a young boy.[12]An anime television series adaptation ofToilet-Bound Hanako-kunproduced byLerchepremiered in early 2020.[12][13]Other anime series which feature the Hanako-san character includeKyōkai no Rinne,[14]GeGeGe no Kitarō,[15]andGhost Stories.Hanako-san also appears in the anime and video game franchiseYo-kai Watchbut is renamed Toiletta in the English versions.[16]

The Hanako-san legend was also incorporated into the 2020young adultshort story "Who's at the Door?".[17]

14th Generation Toilet Hanako-san(Thập tứ đại mục トイレの hoa tử さん)is aJapanese idolwhose persona is based on Hanako-san.[18]Her music encompasses many of the themes of the Hanako-san legend, including violence, death, revenge, and psychosexual issues.

In Silent Hill 2, in the woman's bathroom in the prison, there are four toilet stalls. The fourth's door is closed. You may knock, but there will be no answer; if you knock a few times (rumored to be four) on the stall door and then attempt to leave the bathroom, you will hear a loud slam/thud and a woman's yell. This is rumored to be a reference to Hanako. Hanako has also been seen in the game Spirit Hunter: Death Mark II as the first ghost the main protagonist faces.

In manga mysteries, maidens and mysterious disappearances. She appears as a cursed spirit

See also

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  • Aka Manto( "Red Cape" ),a Japanese urban legend about a spirit which appears in toilets
  • Akaname,a Japaneseyōkaisaid to lick the filth in bathrooms and bathtubs
  • Bloody Mary,an urban legend about an apparition who appears in mirrors
  • Madam Koi Koi,an African urban legend of a ghost who haunts schools
  • Moaning Myrtle,a toilet-dwelling ghost in theHarry Potterbook series
  • Teke Teke,a Japanese urban legend about the spirit of a girl with no legs

References

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  1. ^abcdefghMeyer, Matthew (27 October 2010)."A-Yokai-A-Day: Hanako-san (or" Hanako of the Toilet ")".MatthewMeyer.net.Retrieved7 August2019.
  2. ^abcYoda & Alt 2013,p. 237.
  3. ^abBathroom Readers' Institute 2013,p. 178.
  4. ^abcdefghGrundhauser, Eric (2 October 2017)."Get to Know Your Japanese Bathroom Ghosts".Atlas Obscura.Retrieved12 July2019.
  5. ^abcdMeza-Martinez, Cecily; Demby, Gene (31 October 2014)."The Creepiest Ghost And Monster Stories From Around The World".NPR.National Public Radio, Inc.Retrieved6 August2019.
  6. ^From Travel + Leisure."World's most haunted forests".BBCc.com.Retrieved19 September2020.
  7. ^abcDylan Foster 2015,p. 272.
  8. ^Harper 2009,pp. 19–20.
  9. ^Yoda & Alt 2013,p. 268.
  10. ^Harper 2009,pp. 19–21.
  11. ^Eisenbeis, Richard (14 September 2015)."A Manga About Urban Horror Stories Become Real".Kotaku.G/O Media.Retrieved7 August2019.
  12. ^abPineda, Rafael Antonio (4 July 2019)."Lerche Animates Toilet-Bound Hanako-kun Anime for 2020 Premiere".Anime News Network.Retrieved7 August2019.
  13. ^Hodgkins, Crystalyn (13 July 2019)."Toilet-Bound Hanako-kun Anime Reveals Visual, More Staff".Anime News Network.Retrieved7 August2019.
  14. ^Orsini, Lauren (6 May 2015)."Episode 5 - Kyōkai no Rinne".Anime News Network.Retrieved7 August2019.
  15. ^Silverman, Rebecca (3 June 2018)."Episode 10 - GeGeGe no Kitarō".Anime News Network.Retrieved7 August2019.
  16. ^Sato (16 May 2014)."Yo-Kai Watch 2 Introduces New Monsters Including A Super Hero Cat".Siliconera.Curse LLC.Retrieved7 August2019.
  17. ^"An Interview with JC Bratton: Author of Who's At the Door?".Self-Publishing Review.3 February 2020.Retrieved5 October2020.
  18. ^"14th Generation Toilet Hanako-san Official Web Site"(in Japanese). 2024-04-04.Retrieved2024-04-04.

Bibliography

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