Hasshakusama

Ms. Eight Feet Tall (八尺様, Hachishakusama, also informally called Hasshakusama) is a type of main Japanese spirit (Yokai) that takes the form of an impossibly tall female specter often said to have a deep, masculine or an attractive, feminine voice in which she repeats the interjection "Po" [ぽ] repeatedly (and she ONLY makes that noise), and a habit of preying on children, usually ones who are nine to eleven years old.

Hachishakusama often appears as an eight-feet tall woman with black hair. She wears a white hat and a white dress sometimes with shoes such as sandals, white or black high heels or sometimes she goes around barefoot. Most people depict her as a beautiful and attractive woman (most likely to increase her manipulative nature and charisma). Some depictions usually describe her face as a beautiful woman, although some have her face with extremely soulless eyes and a twisted creepy smile. The spirit could possibly have shapeshifting abilities to disguise herself in public or even trick her victims into thinking she’s a normal woman.

Hachishakusama catches her victims by stalking the child for a few days or months. After that, she takes the child away from its family. It’s unknown how she takes them away, but it can be assumed that like most spirits, she can teleport near the child and take them away.

Hachishakusama can vary from a withered hag (akin to a beldam) or an attractive woman (as most depict her as), yet is always odd in terms of height. While her appearance varies between accounts, most eyewitnesses have stated that she dressed in a white summer dress and the wide-brimmed hat.

Hachishakusama attacks children instead of adults. This is due to the fact that children are easy to take advantage of and are still dependent on older family members, which Hachishakusama can mimic in order to lure her victims away.

Hachishakusama appears to be very similar to numerous other Japanese spirits in the fact she usually seen dressed in white with long black hair and is always female. This may have something to do with ancient Japanese folklore having female ghosts (Onryo) that often sought revenge on the living or grew malicious after death, with this same legend inspired fictional monsters like Sadako Yamamura, Samara Morgan, Alcina Dimitrescu, and Kayako Saeki.

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