Kejōrō (or Kojōrō) 毛倡妓

Kejōrō (毛倡妓), the “Hairy Courtesan,” is a terrifying and deceptive inhabitant of the pleasure districts, whose beautiful form hides a literal mass of suffocating hair.

Meaning and Origin

The name comes from ke (毛 - hair) and jōrō (倡妓/女郎 - courtesan or prostitute). While the user’s list spells it “Kojoro,” it is almost certainly a reference to the Kejōrō documented by Toriyama Sekien in 1779.

The legend is a satirical and dark commentary on the “Floating World” (Ukiyo) of the Edo period. It plays on the concept of keshō (makeup), suggesting that the beauty of the courtesans was a “monstrous” mask that hid their true exhaustion and the predatory nature of the industry.

Characteristics

From behind, a Kejōrō appears to be an exquisitely dressed, high-ranking courtesan with an exceptionally long and beautiful mane of black hair. However, when she turns around, she has no face—or rather, her face is entirely covered by the same thick, black hair.

In some versions of the legend, her hair behaves like tentacles or spiders’ silk, winding around any man who approaches her. It is said that her hair can stretch infinitely, filling an entire room until the victim is strangled or driven mad by the sight of the faceless, hairy specter.

Legends

A common tale involving the Kejōrō describes a young man who spots a beautiful woman leaning against a cherry tree or sitting in a high window of a tea house. He calls out to her, and she turns around slowly, but as she does, her hair begins to grow at an impossible rate, lashing out like whips. The man is found hours later, unconscious and wrapped so tightly in black hair that his breathing has nearly stopped.

Another interpretation connects the Kejōrō to the ritual of Shinjū-tate, where a courtesan would cut her hair as a sign of extreme devotion to a lover. If that lover betrayed her, it was believed her severed hair would take on a life of its own, returning as a Kejōrō to haunt the pleasure districts and take revenge on all unfaithful men.