TALE OF HANAKO-SAN

Welcome back to my blog. The next ghost story that I want to tell you today is about the ghost that haunt the school toilet. Imagine that you meet a pretty young girl in the toilet. What should you do? Well, if that was me, I will ask her "do you like to come home with me and haunt my toilet instead" haha just kidding. well then, here goes the story of school toilet girl "Hanako-san"..

HANAKO-SAN

Hanako-san or Toire no Hanako-san (トイレのはなこさん, "Hanako of the toilet") is a Japanese urban legend that the famous and widely spread so it has a variety of versions. Eventhough she has many variety of versions, Hanako-san is the spirit, ghost, or soul of a young girl which haunts Japanese school bathrooms. She allegedly appears when one shouts her name. In the Western, it similar to the urban legend of summoning the ghost of Bloody Mary (in Bloody Mary case, she is said to be appear in a mirror when her name is called three times).

Summoning the ghost of Hanako-san was quite famous and is often performed by school children in Japan as proof of courage ritual, or as a method of student hazing.

The "Hanako" name itself was a common girl's name in Japan during the 1950s when the legend supposedly began.

HANAKO-SAN ORIGINS

Hanako-san ghost legend began in the 1950s when Japan still in the condition after World War II. Her origins has many variety, some say that she is the ghost of a girl killed during an air raid in World War II while the other story said that she was murdered by a psychotic parent or stranger.

That’s why Hanako-san has been said to have various origins and behaviours, depending on the school or region.

HANAKO-SAN APPEARANCE

Hanako-san physical appearance can also vary, but is usually that of a young girl with bobbed hair and a red skirt. According to one Yamagata prefecture legend, something terrible will happen to you if Hanako-san speaks to you in nasty voices. After Hanako-san has answered and someone enters the stall, he or she will find and be eaten by a three-meter long, three-headed lizard who can mimicked a girl's voice to attract prey. In the Iwate prefecture, the legend purports that after someone has called Hanako-san three times, a large, white hand will emerges from the a hole in the floor of the third bathroom stall and drag you in. In the Kanagawa prefecture, a blood-stained hand will appear after Hanako-san is called three times.

In the other versions, it was said to be a boy who was hiding in the girl’s school toilet and was killed by his crazy mother (so if you wished you would meet the girl Hanako-san, think again. Because maybe the Hanako-san you meet is the boy with a girl's skirt).

HANAKO-SAN BEHAVIOR

Hanako-san behavior also varies according to location, but in most cases, she remains holed up in the bathroom until an adventurous student dares to provoke her. Hanako-san can be conjured up by knocking on the door to her stall (usually three times), calling her name, and asking a particular question. The most common question is simply “Are you there, Hanako-san?” If Hanako-san indeed present, she says in a faint voice, “Yes, I’m here.” Some stories claim that courageous enough to open the door at this point is greeted by a little girl in a red skirt and then pulled into the toilet.

From many stories, Hanako-san hiding location is the third floor of the girl’s school toilet and she will be hide in the third stall. You can summon her by knocking her stall three times too. So, in my conclusion, I think Hanako-san has interest to number three or it just a coincidences.

HANAKO-SAN TALES AND STORY

The stories of how Hanako-San became a ghost vary depending on who you ask and in which japan area you’re living. Here are some stories about Hanako-san:

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The first story says that she was a girl who lived during the time of World War II. She was playing hide and seek in her school one day and hid in the third stall of the girl’s bathroom. However while she was crouched and waiting in the stall some planes came and bombed the area, causing that part of the school to collapse on her.

The second story says she was a victim of ongoing bullying (called ‘ijime’ in Japan) by her classmates. One day the bullying got particularly bad and she ran into the third stall of the bathroom to try and get away. The other kids came and banged on the door to try to force her to Hanako-San being bullied and haunting third stall of bathroom.come out, but she had locked the door and they eventually left. Later that evening some school staff members found Hanako-San dead in that same stall, she just couldn’t take it anymore and had committed suicide right there.

The third story is a little more mysterious. It says simply that Hanako-San fell out of the window of the school library. It implies that her fall was an accident, but doesn’t give enough details for us to know for sure or even why she ended up in the third stall of the bathroom. It doesn’t make much sense to me at all, but the fact that the story has been told for generations of people has got to mean something.

The fourth story is about a little girl (who in the other version is said to be a boy) who runs away from her home and hiding in the school toilet from the pursuit of her crazy parents. At home she was tortured and persecuted by his parents who allegedly was his mother who was stressed due to divorce with her husband. Hanako who fled from her parents after school came planning to hide in the school toilet on the third floor until dawn. Her crazy mother who was looking for her from day to night, found herself hiding in her school toilet at night. Brutally her crazy mother tortured her in the school toilets at night until she died. In the next morning the local police finally arrested her mother after seeing the body of her deceased in his school toilet. Until today, her soul always trapped in the school toilet, waiting for someone who can save her.

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THE CHARACTER OF HANAKO-SAN IN POPULAR CULTURE

Hanako-san appears in movies, television shows or films (anime), and even in literature (both novels and manga).Here are some of Hanako-san figures from many popular culture:

Anime and Manga

1. In Hanako and the Terror Allegory manga, Hanako-san is one of the main characters.
2. In Haunted Junction manga, Hanako-san is one of the seven school spirits and she is a seductive spirit in an undersized Japanese school uniform.
3. In Gakkou no Kowai Uwasa Hanako-san ga Kita!! Manga, Hanako-san is also a main character.
4. In Jigoku Sensei Nube anime, they find the spirit of a little girl (apparently also named Hanako, though it is not confirmed), who died during the Tokyo bombings in World War II. Feeling sorry for her, Nūbē comforts the ghost girl and sends her to Heaven with his powers.
5. In Kyoukai no Rin-ne anime, Hanako-san is a school spirit seeking revenge on exorcist Tsubasa Jūmonji for tarnishing her image five years ago.
6. In Yo-Kai Watch anime, Hanako-san fancies herself as an entertainer and considers the third-floor girls' bathroom as her stage, but ends up in a personal predicament where her sightings have been reported too quickly thanks to the internet

Other Films and Games

1. Hanako-san appears in the 1995 film Toire no Hanako-san, also known as School Mystery.
2. Hanako-san appears in the 1998 film Shinsei toire no Hanako-san.
3. Hanako-san appears in the 2013 film Hanako of the Toilet.
4. Hanako-san appears in the 2016 film Toire no Hanako-san Shinshō – Hanako vs Yōsuke.
5. Higanbana no Saku Yoru ni visual novel is a story that creates a legend similar to this one.
6. In Yo-Kai Watch 2 game, Hanako-san is one of the many yōkai that player can befriend with.
7. In the 12.5th installment of the danmaku shooter Touhou Project, Double Spoiler game, Scene 12-6 features the spell card "Hanako-san in the Toilet", and when beaten, both playable characters mention Hanako-san and make references to the legend.
8. In The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask game for Nintendo 64, there is a character referred to only as "???" who appears in the bathroom of the Stockpot Inn at midnight.
9. In Yomawari: Night Alone game, Hanako-san is a little girl spirit with a red dress that gives you a voodoo doll item as reward if you play with her hide & seek in the park lot at downtown area.
10. In the indie game Yandere Simulator, if you go into the girls bathroom in the third floor and snap a picture, a ghost representing Hanako-san will appear in the picture.
11. In Misao game, Hanako-san will appear if you calling her name three times on the door of the fourth stall, and then flushing the toilet on the first stall.

WHAT SHOULD YOU DO IF YOU MEET HANAKO-SAN

There are some tips and tricks from me that if in any chance you meet Hanako-san after fool around in the toilet. Then you want to get rid of her because you realized that the situation started goes wrong. Well, it’s still up to you to follow it or not:

1. “RUN!”. Same just like in Yuki-onna case but this one is easier. According to people who see it, most of them will just run and Hanako-san will not pursue. there's some story that say she can’t leave her hiding place (her toilet). That means, at least just run away from her until you can get out from the school. Try no to get caught if she was trying to capture you.
2. “Be a Good People and Try not to being Asshole”. That’s because in another story there’s being said that the ghost of Hanako-san is actually a good figure who even want to help anyone who is in the middle of problem and often to bring luck. Well, you can use this tips if you meet the human version of Hanako-san. If you meet the three-headed lizard or the giant white hand, please forget this second tips and just use the first tips.
3. "Show your Graded Exam with a Perfect Score”. That’s because some legends claim that the sight of good grades makes her vanish into the thin air. So if you happen to have a perfect score at school, don't lose it. Keep it in somewhere safe. Be proud of it. Because you're smarter than Hanako-san it seems lol. At least it can be a weapon to save your life from this ghost someday.

Well.. See you in the next entry..

References :

• https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hanako-san
• http://anitasnotebook.com/2014/10/legend-of-hanako-san-spooky-japanese-ghost-of-the-school-bathroom.html
• https://www.quotev.com/story/5641910/Scary-Stories-And-Legends/80
• Yokai Attack!: The Japanese Monster Survival Guide book (2008) by. Hiroko Yoda, Matt Alt, and Tatsuya Morino