Paranormal Urban Legends

Gashadokuro

Gashadokuro (がしゃどくろ/ 餓者髑髏, literally "starving skeleton," also known as Odokuro) are mythical creatures in Japanese mythology.Said to consist of skeleton remains of those who have died of starvation.The Gashadokuro is a spirit that rises more than fifteen times,the height of a regular person.While one would suspect they would notice a near hundred foot skeleton,the Gashadokura is said to possess powers of invisibility.Legend states that they hunt at night,plucking lone travelers from empty roads and biting off their heads.It is said that sounds of gnashing teeth and an odd ringing sensation in the ears can be heard right before they strike.There are no stories of anyone successfully running from these bloodthirsty spirits,but it is said that shinto charms may ward them off.

  The earliest record of a gashadokuro goes back over 1000 years to a bloody rebellion against the central government 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. 

he Gashadokuro is a yōkai that first appeared in print in the later 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 Saito Ryokuu.