The Gashadokuro

Description//Modern Culture

The Gashadokuro are spirits that take the form of giant and are fifteen times taller than an average person, said to be created from the amassed bones of people who died of or in battle, without being buried. These roam after midnight, grabbing lone travelers and biting off their heads to drink their spraying blood. There is a way to know of their approach, as the victim would hear the sound of loud ringing in the ear. The Gashadokuro are said to possess the powers of invisibility and indestructibility, though Shinto charms are said to ward them off. They were believed as Feared Gods. 

The Gashadokuro is a yōkai that first appeared in print in the latter half of the 20th century. It was created by the authors of shonen magazines published from 1960–1970 and illustrated yōkai encyclopedias. Shigeaki Yamauchi's World's Bizarre Thriller Complete Works 2: Monsters of the World (, 1968) compiled articles about yōkai by . At the same time, it was also picked up by and , and from their introduction, the Gashadokuro became more widely known from 1980 on.

The illustration in Arabumi's Illustrated Encyclopedia of Japanese Yōkai (1972) and the illustration by Mizuki both base the appearance of the Gashadokuro on the giant skeleton in 's print, . It has no direct connection to the Gashadokuro, but is said to have influenced modern depictions. Kuniyoshi's print was commissioned in the by for a , depicting a scene in which 's daughter, Takiyasha-hime, summons a skeleton yōkai to attack the samurai Ooya Tarou Mitsukuni. Although originally described as many life-sized skeletons, Kuniyoshi depicted it as a single giant skeleton, as is characteristic of his work.

In the , one of the Straw Hat members, Brook the skeleton, disguises himself as a Gashadokuro in the Wano Arc.

In the videogame , the player must defeat a Gashadokuro created from the remains of the fallen soldiers of the .

In the videogame series , the Gashadokuro is represented by a known as Gutsy Bones.

In the Bone Collection, the heroine, Paira, is a Gashadokuro.

In the movie , a giant skeleton appears as a minor antagonist.

In the In/spectre the protagonist rides on the shoulder of a gashadokuro.