○ A mirror of the mind Read less as luck and more as a mirror of how you are now
A woman with a second mouth at the back of her head: hidden desires breaking out.
Category: Japanese yokai (how to read this category)
Psychology
Two mouths suggest a split between what you say and what you think. If the rear mouth was clamouring, long-suppressed needs or complaints may be nearing their limit.
Folklore and history
The futakuchi-onna hides a second mouth under her hair, feeding it with hair like hands. An Edo-period tale says it grew on a woman who starved her stepchild, and the folk tale of the wife who never eats shows a bride secretly devouring food through a mouth on her head.
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This site's view
In this site's view, every futakuchi tale begins with forced denial—not letting someone eat, or pretending not to. Suppressed hunger grows a mouth where no one looks. Fearing it means dreading your true wants; feeding it suggests you are making peace with them.
Going deeper: our reading
Placed in modern life, the futakuchi-onna tale brings to mind someone who eats little in front of others and then eats alone late at night, or who smiles and agrees outwardly while shouting something else inside. In this site's reading, the key is whose head the second mouth was on. On the back of your own head, it means suppressed desires have reached the point where they can no longer be held down. Behind a family member or someone close, you may be sensing a gap between their words and their true feelings. What the mouth said or wanted is another clue. Craving food suggests a heart or body left unsatisfied; speaking means unspoken feelings want out. This is our speculation, but feeding the back mouth yourself reflects a kindness that acknowledges buried desires and wants to meet them properly.
What to do on waking
Grant yourself one small wish you have been denying today—a favourite food or a book you wanted. Let yourself be fed.
In this scene
- ◎Good It helps you or gives treasure: like the zashiki-warashi, luck is coming (good)
- ▲Warn Tricked or taken: a hidden trap, or words to doubt (warning)
- Seeing what it really is: a fear becomes clear and fades
- It felt good: the lucky reading gets stronger
- ▲Warn It felt frightening or painful: the warning reading gets stronger — rest first
- The same dream again and again: something your mind has not settled yet
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FAQ
Q. Is dreaming of futakuchi-onna (The Two-Mouthed Woman) a good or bad sign?
A. Read less as luck and more as a mirror of how you are now. A woman with a second mouth at the back of her head: hidden desires breaking out.
Q. Why do I keep dreaming of futakuchi-onna (The Two-Mouthed Woman)?
A. A recurring dream usually points to something your mind has not settled yet. Research suggests such dreams tend to stop once the underlying worry is resolved. Keeping a dream diary helps you notice what triggers it.
Q. What should I do after dreaming of futakuchi-onna (The Two-Mouthed Woman)?
A. Grant yourself one small wish you have been denying today—a favourite food or a book you wanted. Let yourself be fed.
Related dream essays
- True Dreams and Reverse Dreams: Why We Read Dreams Backwards
- Buying Dreams, Turning Dreams: A Japanese History of Dream Trading and Dream Charms
Read this dream with your own scene in the Dream Dictionary →
More dreams in "Japanese yokai"
- Sunekosuri
- Kamaitachi (The Sickle Weasel)
- Amanojaku (The Contrary Imp)
- Yamabiko (The Mountain Echo)
- Iso-onna (The Shore Woman)
- Tomokazuki (The Twin Diver)
- Mikoshi-nyudo (The Looming Giant)
- A Shapeshifting Tanuki
- The Tengu's Hidden Village
- Three Eyes
- A Demon Woman
- Being Chased by a Tanuki
※ Dream interpretation here is entertainment drawing on psychology and folklore — it is not scientifically proven. "This site's view" is our own interpretation.
