Item #: SCP-2863

Object Class: Keter

Special Containment Procedures: Due to the impermanent nature of SCP-2863 instances, long-term containment is functionally impossible. Should an instance of SCP-2863 be sighted in the field, Mobile Task Force Omicron-3 is to move in and neutralize the entity by the use of ultra-bright floodlights. Any civilians exposed to SCP-2863 are to be given Class-A amnestics and released.

Description: SCP-2863 refers to a population of spectral entities resembling giant (approximately 30 meters tall) animated human skeletons that manifest within the borders of Japan. The exact number of SCP-2863 instances is not known, but at least 206 separate individuals have been catalogued1.

Instances of SCP-2863 will only appear after sunset, as they lose corporeal form if exposed to light brighter than approximately 1.1 lux. The exact process by which this occurs is currently not understood. Disappearance in this manner is temporary, as instances have been sighted on nights following their neutralization. A possible side-effect of this phenomenon is SCP-2863’s inability to be photographed by any known means. Research into the nature and relationship between these phenomena is ongoing.

It is not currently known whether or not SCP-2863 instances are sapient, as their behavior consists solely of the capture and consumption of humans. SCP-2863 instances are capable of moving very quietly, though manifestations are commonly preceded by a faint sound most commonly described as “rattling”. Due to their silence, size, and proclivity for very dark areas, SCP-2863 can easily and quickly catch humans on foot. Once an instance of SCP-2863 has caught a human victim, it will bite off its victim's head and drain their blood into its mouth. This blood is apparently absorbed into SCP-2863’s bone, despite the lack of any digestive mechanisms. SCP-2863 instances will become extremely hostile towards any who attempt to impede its feeding behavior.

Due to increasing urban development and Foundation monitoring, no fatalities due to SCP-2863 instances have been recorded since 10/31/2008.

Monitoring and control of SCP-2863 was formerly carried out by the IJAMEA2 until the agency’s dissolution. Several IJAMEA agents were brought on to aid in the creation of the Foundation’s control measures, and continued their service as full Foundation employees. Currently, SCP-2863 is being successfully controlled by MTF-O3.

Below is a translated transcript of the IJAMEA’s entity summary for SCP-2863.

The Gashadokuro are a race of malevolent yōkai, native to the whole of Imperial Japan.3 They will appear at night, out of the darkness, and seek the blood of men. Conventional weaponry is entirely useless against the Gashadokuro, and they can only be banished by the morning sun, or by the bright lights of human creation.

Gashadokuro are created by mass death, by the concentrated suffering of hundreds. While the Gashadokuro will eventually fade, they remain for centuries after their creation, lingering until their sorrow has diffused and faded. There is no way to hasten this process. The Imperial Japanese Anomalous Matters Examination Agency is currently aware of 2034 separate Gashadokuro.

Shinto ritual5 may banish a Gashadokuro, but there is no way to destroy one permanently.

Despite many failed attempts, no attempt at communication has been successful, and as such the Gashadokuro have proven too hostile to be enlisted into the Youkai Battalion6.

The IJAMEA will continue its attempt to bring the Gashadokuro under Imperial control, however the process has been slow and grueling and many men have been lost. If Japan is to continue on its path, then the Gashadokuro must be reined in, lest their number grow too large and they become more than just a nuisance.

The three additional instances of SCP-2863 catalogued since the Foundation takeover of IJAMEA assets, as detailed below.

SCP-2863-204 is believed to have first appeared in January of 1938, near Nanjing, China7. Instance is notably large, reaching an estimated 35 meters in height, and is identified by severe damage to the pelvis, skull, and ribs. For reasons unknown, the IJAMEA had no known written record of SCP-2863-204 despite seven years of first-hand reports of sightings from the Chinese, and the instance was cataloged by the Foundation in 1946.

SCP-2863-205 was first cataloged in 1954, several kilometers south east of Fukuoka City, although unconfirmed reports in that area date back to 1946. Instance is identified by severe burning to entirety of the skeleton. Instance emits low levels of gamma radiation.

SCP-2863-206 first appeared on March 15, 2011 approximately 40 meters offshore east of Tōhoku, Japan. Instance is identified by a total lack of teeth, and severe damage to the back of the skull.

Instance was neutralized after approaching the city of Sendai and exposing itself to the light of the city.8 Instance has been sighted 3 times since initial sighting, each time appearing offshore.

Footnotes

1. Individuals are identified by various visual differences in the skeleton such as cracks, nicks, or discoloration.

2. Imperial Japanese Anomalous Matters Examination Agency, dissolved in 1945 following the end of the second World War. The majority of IJAMEA assets and documentation were transferred to Foundation control.

3. IJAMEA records indicate that there were numerous SCP-2863 appearances across mainland Asia and the South Pacific under Imperial Japanese control. No such instances have been reported since the end of WWII, implying some connection between SCP-2863’s range and the political borders of Japan

4. This number is dated circa 1940. 3 additional instances have been catalogued since the time of writing.

5. IJAMEA records indicate a number of traditional practices for neutralizing SCP-2863, ranging from entirely ineffectual to as effective as bright light. MTF-O3 operatives assigned to SCP-2863 are to be trained in the effective practices as detailed in their training manual. Such rituals are to be considered an emergency alternative to standard neutralization protocol

6. A battalion of the IJA composed entirely of anomalous entities

7. At that point in time known as Nanking, recently captured by Japan during the Second Sino-Japanese War

8. Due to mass exposure of civilians to SCP-2863, a coordinated disinformation and suppression campaign was launched to spread the idea that SCP-2863-206 was merely a test of holographic imaging technology.