Day XLVIII - Gashadokuro

Japanese bones stir,

Ringing warns of giant's rise,

Skeletal spectre.

Shaking its bones and sending chills down the spine of all who encounter its enormous form, the Gashadokuro is a giant skeleton of Japanese mythology. Gathered together from the bones of those who've starved to death, the morbid manifestation is said to be fifteen times taller than a regular human and intends to bite the head off all those in its path. Such a fate can be avoided if you quickly flee upon hearing the ringing in your ears that precedes the appearance of a Gashadokuru. Despite its fearsome nature, the skeletal spirit is a popular mythical figure, showing up across pop culture - most prominently in video games - and providing the subject matter for a particularly awesome ukiyo-e print by Utagawa Kuniyoshi. A true titan of Japanese folklore, the Gashadokuru stands up as glorious ghastly entity. It's a 90-foot skeleton: enough said.