Ubume (産女,lit. childbirth woman) is a ghost or bakemono in Japanese folklore.
Origin
Ubume 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 the stories of ubume are many.
Appearance
Ubume usually appear in the form common to most Japanese ghosts, they are clad in robes of white, and have long, unbound, and dishevelled hair.
Behavior
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 other stories, 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.
References
- Iwasaka, Michiko and Toelken, Barre. Ghosts and the Japanese: Cultural Experiences in Japanese Death Legends, Utah State University Press, 1994. ISBN 0-87421-179-4