Gashadokuro, also known as Odokuro, are giant skeletons that are approximately fifteen times taller than the average person. They are said to consist of the bones of people who died from starvation and did not receive the funerary rites necessary for them to pass on. The anger and pain of the dead manifests as a grudge against the living and, when the remains of hundreds of victims of starvation are gathered, leads to the creation of a Gashadokuro. Due to the numbers of bodies required to create them, Gashadokuro typically form in or near mass-graves or battlegrounds.
Gashadokuro roam in the countryside after midnight, preying upon lone travelers. The only warning victims have is a loud ringing in their ears. Since Gashadokuro sneak up on their victims and are indestructible, little can be done to avoid falling prey to one other than avoiding traveling alone at night. However, Shinto charms can ward them off.
If a Gashadokuro catches you, it will either crush you with its hands or bite your head off. Gashadokuro are said to drink people's blood after biting their heads off. While Gashadokuro do not actually need to eat people, they enjoy doing so.
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Gashadokuro only vanish once the energy and malice within their bones has completely burnt out. Despite this, they are actually quite rare because of the sheer number of dead bodies it takes to create one. Famines are much less common today than they were in the past, so Gashadokuro are far less likely to form.
The first Gashadokuro was supposedly created over 1000 years ago during a bloody rebellion against the central government of what would eventually become Japan by a samurai named Taira no Masakado. His daughter, Takiyasha-hime, was a famous sorceress. When Masako was eventually killed for his revolt, his daughter continued his cause. Using her black magic, she summoned a great skeleton to attack the city of Kyoto. Her monster is depicted in a famous print by Utagawa Kuniyoshi (see the image above this chapter).
Examples in various media:
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Unnamed Gashadokuro (Kubo and the Two Strings)
FUN FACT: The Gashadokuro in this movie is the largest stop motion puppet ever built. It's about 16 feet tall.
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Unnamed Gashadokuro (Goemon's Great Adventure)
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Creaking Skull (Castlevania)
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Unnamed Gashadokuro (Pom Poko)
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