Japanese urban legend - TEKE TEKE

Teke Teke is a Japanese urban legend that tells the story of a young girl or schoolgirl who reportedly fell onto the tracks and was crushed in half by a train. As an onryo or Vengeful Spirit, she is known to wander aimlessly in neighborhoods and around train stations during the night. Due to the loss of her lower body, Teke Teke moves using her hands or elbows, dragging her upper body and producing a distinctive sound resembling "Teke teke," from which she derives her name. If she encounters someone, she will chase and cut the victim's body in half, transforming them into a disfigured form like her own.

Teke Teke is commonly portrayed as a woman with long black hair in different variations, with some stories mentioning them as men. Their faces are often shown as deformed from the train accident that ended their lives, but the majority of depictions feature them with normal girl faces.

This female demon can reach speeds of up to 150km/h despite moving manually, making escaping from them nearly impossible. They are believed to possess sharp claws that they use to pull their upper bodies along. Additionally, in certain variations, they hold a picking net in their hands.

Teke teke, similar to other urban legends, features various versions and has an uncertain origin. Nonetheless, all iterations incorporate elements related to shinkansen trains, suggesting that this legend emerged post-1957 when Japan initiated the development of a high-speed rail network.

Teke Teke is depicted differently in various versions of the tale. Some portray her as a female student who accidentally fell onto the railway tracks, while others suggest she was attempting suicide. Another tragic variation involves Teke Teke being pushed onto the tracks by her lover. Despite these differences, all versions converge on the detail of her body being severed by an oncoming train. Fueled by anger, she transforms into an onryo or yokai, embarking on a vengeful journey. Encountering Teke Teke usually seals one's fate, leading to a gruesome demise and a transformation into Teke Teke themselves.

The most well-known tale of how teke teke came to be involves an office worker named Kashima Reiko who lived in Hokkaido. One evening, she was assaulted, severely injured, and mistreated by a gang of delinquents who then abandoned her in the dark.

Reiko tried her best to scream for help, "It hurts! Is there anyone here? Please help me. Where are my legs?" But no one could hear her cry for help. With a little strength, Reiko hopes to find someone who can help her. However, when she crawled towards a railway line, she collapsed and lost consciousness, at which point the train finally arrived and cut her body into two pieces. Reiko was cut in half right at the waist.

Despite the harsh cold in Hokkaido, she miraculously survived as it caused her blood vessels to contract, aiding in stopping the bleeding. She persisted in moving her upper body in search of assistance.

A train station worker noticed her presence, but instead of offering assistance or summoning an ambulance, he simply placed a tarp over her and nonchalantly departed. In this manner, she passed away gradually, experiencing a unique agony known only to her.

Ever since that day, the ghost of Reiko roams ceaselessly, driven by the desire for vengeance and the relentless quest for her missing lower body. Consequently, whenever she crosses paths with someone, she demands, "Where is my leg?" While public baths or toilets are frequent sightings of Reiko, there have been instances where she materializes in the bathroom of one's home in the dead of night.

When she appears, she will ask the victim a series of questions in order and force the victims to answer.

– “Where are my leg?”

– “Who told you?”

– “Do you know my name?”

Usually, Kashima Reiko will ask in Japanese, will use puns to puzzle the victim, causing them to rack their brains in fear and think. If you answer incorrectly, the victim will have her legs cut off to avenge her hateful past and unjust death.

However, there is still a way to get rid of Reiko. Answering the questions she asks correctly will help you survive. If she asks the first question, answer immediately: "On the Meishin Expressway". To the second sentence, answer: "Kashima Reiko told me that".

And in the last sentence, when asked his name, the correct answer is "Kashima - kamen shinin ma". This is the name of the female ghost with the ka in kamen being mask, shi in shinin being death and ma being devil.

And then she will give you 3 days to tell the story about teke teke to at least 5 people or she will come back and take your legs

In addition, another way to help you get rid of teke teke ghosts is the mantra "Jikoku ni ochiro" which means go to hell. Teke Teke cannot accept the fact that he is dead, so when he hears this he will run away.

The origin and true story of Teke Teke remain undiscovered to this day, yet it stands as one of Japan's most renowned urban legends, evoking fear whenever mentioned, particularly among those who frequently commute by train late at night. Teke Teke has served as a muse for writers and filmmakers, inspiring the creation of horror novels and films like the 2009 movie "Teke Teke" directed by Kuoji Shiraishi, as well as the 20-episode anime "Gakkou no Kaidan" aired from October 22, 2000, to March 25, 2001, which prominently featured Teke Teke's silhouette.