Purpose: The expansion of the Empire of Japan into Shina1 has been, as expected, rapid and successful. However, this does not mean that our success has come without difficulty. The chankoro,2 though weak in spirit when compared to the brave men of our army, have stubbornly defended the city of Shanghai from assault for almost a month. This has resulted in unacceptable casualties and dishonors.
Among the causes of the difficulties faced by the Empire are the common defensive scenarios the chankoro organize for themselves, being their preference to fortify themselves within homes and other buildings. It is undeniable that the necessity for building-to-building combat in the Shanghai area is one of the primary reasons that the city remains just out of the hands of the Empire.
The following are the strategic limits of the situation: direct assault upon fortified buildings is undesirable. Aerial and artillery bombardment, already relied upon heavily, has proven to only be partially effective in neutralizing military threats. Sources of otherworldly power have been determined to be of too great a risk to utilize; ever since the Empire's great invasion of Shina, the imperialists of the SCP Foundation have demanded IJAMEA refrain from the use of such assets, as to avoid disturbing their "Veil". Though true patriots of Japan care not for the limitations set by Western dogs, it is known that the Foundation is closely scrutinizing IJAMEA's activity, and the Empire already has a war to fight.
However, Sergeant Major Takahashi has proposed a solution: though the modern day is an age of cameras and surveillance, that which cannot be seen will not be known to the imperialists.
Assets: On 04/03/1937, IJAMEA stormed and dismantled an auction of Western capitalists just outside the old city of Kyoto, where imperialist pigs were seen to be selling amongst themselves the priceless relics of Asia. The foreigners in question continue to be held as high-value prisoners, but of further value werethe various artifacts and writings being traded by the auctioneers.
Among the items recovered were a set of washi3 scrolls, detailing the exploits of prominent samurai in the time of the Great Unifiers.4 Of particular interest, the sixth of these scrolls describes the life and times of Katō Kiyomasa, a samurai of great honor, and one of Toyotomi Hideyoshi's Seven Spears of Shizugatake.5 After the review of these scrolls, Sergeant Major Takahashi has highlighted a passage of importance to Project Kenshutsu Fukanō regarding Katō's activities during the first expansion6 into Chōsen:7
When Katō-dono was wont to retire command from time to time, among his most preferred pastimes was the hunting of the most terrible beast; that is, the tiger. It has been said that this was done to eliminate the threat of the tooth and claw from the advancing army, and this is true to an extent. However, as Katō-dono was yet but a man, he required occasional recreation, and this was often his chosen method. Therefore, as many men of high standing during the expedition were commonly seen to do, he organized hunting parties to see to the sport.
In the second year8 of the expedition, Katō-dono gathered together ten samurai, all as honorable as he, to poach a family of tigers seen to prowl about the nearby forests of his camp. Going yonder perhaps a two or three days walk from the front line, the men chose to pitch their tents deep into the woods at night, sitting atop a thicket on a hill. With a day's hunt of beasts roasting on the fire, and the men's hearts merry with sake, one soldier excused himself from the circle of storytelling around the flame to relieve himself at the pitch black edge of the camp. As Katō-dono himself stood to tell of his valor at Pyongyang, his compatriot let out a bloodcurdling scream, and the growl of a great tiger filled the air.
Each man taking hold of sword or spear, they quickly rushed to the aid of their endangered brother in arms, and were filled with horror at the sight of him; the dim glow of the camp's edge showed the green grass to have been stained red. Held up at an awkward angle, the man was gushing blood from holes in his jugular, and from his neck he was being shaken violently. However, what had created those holes, and what still held him by the neck, was not to be seen; a beast invisible to the eye was the cause of the attack. The samurai was clearly seen to be assaulted, but the cause of the danger appeared as but thin air to all those there. Before any man could think to thrust his blade into the unseen evil, the beast dragged the soldier away into the night, the samurai never to be seen again.
The spirits of the expedition dampened by the loss of a comrade, it was a unanimous decision to return to the main camp the following morning. Each man held his weapon close that night, and for good reason: yet another man was taken from his tent not long after the fire was extinguished. Seeing this, the remaining party gathered in the tent of Katō-dono, which was the greatest of the tents, and kept watch in shifts until the sun rose the next morning.
During the return to the camp, no great fortune was enjoyed by the hunting party. The unseen evil, an undeniably crafty beast, took the opportunity to seize the samurai one by one during the course of the return. One man was dragged into the water, as he held up the rear during the river crossing; another was mauled as he hung up the food supplies from a tree, the basket of provisions falling to strike his head as he was thrown about. Day and night, for three days and nights, the party was harassed constantly by the evil. That is, until the third night, when only Katō-dono remained of the original eleven.
Lodging in his tent, Katō-dono knew that the beast would return to kill him that night. Lying down on his mat, his head resting on a cushion, his hand placed on the shaft of his yari,9 he waited thirty minutes, an hour, an hour and a half, two hours, the moon peeking through the flaps of the tent door. All was silent in this time, as not even a twig was heard to snap, nor the wind to blow. This remained so until the third hour, when, still silently, Katō-dono witnessed the flaps of the tent door slowly part, seemingly on their own, as the beast poked its head through the entrance. Feigning sleep, the samurai waited until the perfect time, just before it appeared that the unseen evil would pounce upon him. Jolting upwards, he took his yari and thrust it through the beast’s head, the animal howling out in pain as the metal was jammed through its skull. Before long, it collapsed dead. The samurai, relieved, yet exhausted, slept that night with the corpse at his feet.
The following morning, Katō-dono rose to discover the body still present, though also still invisible. Taking his knife, he removed the head of the monster, cutting through flesh and bone that appeared as but air, yet still was tangible to the touch. The head severed, he carried it the remaining journey to the camp, using the invisible trophy as proof of the terrible ordeal.
After a short time, the head appeared to decompose, its invisible qualities coming off in patches like dead flesh. Eventually, all that was left appeared to be a typical tiger skull, but Katō-dono was not satisfied to let the beast forget the ordeal. Placing a diamond in the hole created by his yari, putting sapphires in its eyes, encrusting its teeth with silver, and otherwise filling the skull with gems and precious metals, the bones became a prized trophy of the noble samurai.
It has been said that, as part of making a trophy from the skull, Katō-dono contacted occultists and spiritualists to return the spirit of the unseen evil to its head; it is even said that this power was used against the enemies of Japan during the campaigns of the samurai, and that it was even stronger than when Katō-dono encountered it. It is also said that he made the beast subject to whoever holds the skull. The histories and written records do not say with certainty the truth of the matter. However, one thing is known: Katō-dono, when his forces were assaulted and forced to relocate to favorable positions, was forced to abandon his trophy in the shrine where he worshiped the spirits and Buddha. The Chōsenjin10 are said to have feared the skull, or perhaps worshiped it. But the skull remains hidden at the shrine to this day.
Artistic interpretation of Katō Kiyomasa hunting tigers.
Harmonizing the accounts of various historical writings, IJAMEA has concluded that the yokai skull is currently being stored in a subterranean basement of Naejangsan Temple, a Buddhist shrine located in southwest Chōsen.
The following is the plan of action regarding the project:
- IJAMEA will dispatch a convoy of three staff cars, three motorcycles, and two transport trucks from the Southern Chōsen Headquarters in Pusan. They will take the lesser traveled roads to Naejangsan Temple. The large number of involved personnel will allow for high levels of security, and more efficient fulfillment of the following step.
- IJAMEA will neutralize any Chōsenjin worshiping at the site. Once this is accomplished, the most highly ranked individual of the operation will have the privilege to activate the mechanism concealing the subterranean portion of the temple.
- IJAMEA will collect the yokai's skull. This accomplished, all personnel will return to Pusan with honor.
After consulting relevant sources and appropriately qualified mystics, IJAMEA is certain that the tiger's skull hosts a powerful yokai, an invisible beast subject to the will of the skull's owner. Using the power of the object, our army will flush out chankoro cowering in buildings from a safe distance.
Results: Project Kenshutsu Fukanō produced mixed results. IJAMEA was successful in recovering the yokai skull. Sergeant Major Takahashi, who was present as the most senior officer of the project, has provided a written account of the events.
Concluding the lengthy drive through the thick forests and mountain passes, the unit finally arrived at Naejangsan Temple. From motorcycle, truck, and staff car, about 20 fighting men disembarked to their objective. Here and there, a solitary individual or family of Chōsenjin were seen going about their business within the site, and they appeared concerned by the arrival of IJAMEA. A detachment of the operation's men rounded up those in and around the temple grounds, and, marching a little ways into the woods, the Chōsenjin were quickly disposed of.
The remainder of the unit stepped through the red arch gates, entering the beautifully maintained temple grounds. Walking the gravel paths under the shade of maples and other blossoming trees, even the basest men among us were seen to be humbled by the craftsmanship. Private Abe flipped a coin into the clear koi pond, the fish mouthing the metal and deciding that the piece was not good to eat. It was almost difficult to imagine how the Chōsenjin could've created something as beautiful as any shrine in Japan, but the site's allure did not distract the men from the mission; the unit remained following the furthest right path, to the most isolated temple hall on the premises.
Inside the shrine, below a ceiling of lotus flower origami, stood a solitary elevated altar. It was shaped like a dragon's head, and it held up a statue of the Buddha. Four stone rods were planted into the floor around the altar, one on each side of the square pedestal supporting the statue. With red velvet rope surrounding the altar, it was clearly an ancient treasure the monks would prefer not to be touched. However, by consulting the historical sources and the fortune tellers, the right course of action was already known to the unit.
It is at this point that I must briefly inject myself into this narrative. Stepping forward from among the men, I took hold of the rod closest to the door and pulled on it to the right; with a moderate effort, the rod's resistance subsisted, and it was pulled in my desired direction, for the rods are the secret levers of the temple's monks to their hidden chamber. Moving it right, then left, then right, then thrice right for the second lever, and on and on with the complex combination, it took over 30 movements to hear a quiet "click". The, in front of the altar, the floor fell away, and revealed a staircase carved downward into the earth.
The men filed down to the bottom of the staircase. The dank chamber not only held the most stagnant air I'd wager any man in that unit had ever smelled, but further, it was pitch dark. I was the first to activate my flashlight.
The size of a small house, the chamber held unimaginable treasure, stored wall-to-wall. It seemed the light bounced off gold and jewels wherever it was shone, creating a brilliant glint. Golden bars, silver goblets, and jewelry hanging off of any unoccupied space on the shelves, we were faced with the spoils of centuries. Every man in the room overwhelmed by that fact, those present were stunned silent for a moment.
Private Abe broke the silence.
"Banzai!" He yelled at the top of his lungs. The fact that he cried out alone did not seem to cow or embarrass him; he shouted with the full pride of the samurai of old.
"Banzai!" Another man joined in. Before long, the room echoed with the cries of nearly a dozen victorious warriors.
"Banzai! Banzai! Banzai!"
Stepping forward from the joyful crowd, I came to a table in the center of the room. On it was placed one treasure: a tiger's skull, as brilliantly white as quartz, its edges encrusted with gold, sapphires filling its eye sockets, a diamond placed into its forehead.
Pressing down on the diamond, every man in the room was silenced by a low growl. Fear struck us all, as we remembered the legend of Katō-dono. But then, the growl turned to a whimper, and there was a noise like an animal sitting down.
In one hand, I held the tiger’s skull. I reached out the other. I felt a warm, furry sensation fill my palm. Then, I could not help but smile.
After loading the yokai skull, along with the other treasures of the temple, into one of the transport trucks allocated for the project, the victorious men of IJAMEA began their return to Pusan along the mountain roads. However, the project was faced with difficulty during this time. Sergeant Major Takahashi, including the accounts of other witnesses into his work, has provided a written account of the events in question.
The return to Pusan had barely begun. The convoy was still high up in the mountains. The path was only wide enough for one vehicle at a time, perhaps two at its widest points, so the convoy drove single-file. This was not simply a necessity to avoid damage to the vehicles, as the road often opened to sheer cliffs. Though perhaps slowing down on said cliffside roads, the vehicles of the convoy drove at around 30 kilometers per hour.
Some of the mountainous area around where Naejangsan Temple is located.
The convoy was ordered in this way: the officers (including myself) sat in a staff car with the driver, while one of the motorcycles escorted us from the front. The troop transport truck was the next vehicle behind, carrying the bulk of the men. Behind that was the truck carrying the spoils of the project, with only one occupant, the driver; he was the operation's most trusted soldier, and there was a desire to not risk greed taking over a lesser man as to see him plunder what was rightfully the Emperor's. Behind them were two staff cars, in each two men, and finally, two motorcyclists rounding out the rear.
When the excitement of the day's exploits finally began to fade, the officers saw, emerging from a cloud ahead, a single small plane perhaps 200 meters above the convoy. The plane did not appear to be of Japanese make, but it was certainly not large enough to carry heavy ordinance, so the officers of the front car were more confused than truly concerned. It flew in a perfectly straight line, its path intersecting the road horizontally. As it passed over the dirt path, the side door of the craft opened, and a single person jumped out. Soon after, a large white parachute was seen to rise up from his body, and he began to slowly drift down to the ground.
The officers did not think he would land in a way to cause harm. That particular stretch was perfectly straight, meaning the vehicles were headed straight towards him, but he was quite far down the road. Further, there was a clear desire among the officers to intercept and detain this man before he could flee into the woods. Therefore, it was decided that the convoy would simply continue. Corporal Hideki was heard to say "What harm can one man cause to the Emperor's army?"
As the car passed under the man, he had descended so close that the officers could count the buttons of his shirt. In fact, there were eight buttons holding together his tan button-up, concealed under a brown leather jacket, and tucked into blue jeans.
Passing him, the officers turned to get a better look, and he had certainly cut his drop close; going over the second truck, he had to tuck his legs up to his stomach so as to not strike the top of the vehicle. Finally, reaching the conclusion of his descent, he did not miss the convoy: he landed perfectly on his feet, on the flat back of the last staff car. This man was a foreign devil, an imperialist from across the Pacific: an Amerika-jin. And he stood not three feet from the occupants of the vehicle.
A Type 93 staff car with an open top, similar to the ones used during Project Kenshutsu Fukanō.
Acting quickly, the Amerika-jin first shook off his parachute and its connected pouch, causing it to fall behind the staff car. A soldier on the motorcycle behind was caught in the cloth, and his vehicle spun out and crashed. The rear motorcyclist barely could react before striking the wreck. Understanding the danger their comrades were in, the car ahead of the first began to slow down in order to close the distance to the foreigner.
Then, the passenger of the car took action. The brave man jumped up from his seat and grabbed hold of the enemy’s hips, wishing to deny him use of his holster. The man, however, simply reached into his coat and retrieved from a shoulder holster11 a revolver, shooting the Empire’s soldier in the forehead.
However, the driver did not submit himself to the fate of his comrade. Acting quickly, before the body of the first man could even fall back into its seat, he slammed his foot on the brakes of the car. The Amerika-jin was thrown forward several meters, losing his revolver as he flew. However, he was flung headlong into the now closer car in front of the first, and on this vehicle he found a grip.
Taking hold of the rear end of the staff car, the Amerika-jin was hanging off of the vehicle, dragging his feet in the dirt. The cars continued forward, stopping for nothing, as there was fear that an attack that forced the convoy to halt may have been a feint to leave it vulnerable to a Chōsenjin rebel ambush.
Both the rear car’s driver and the forward car’s passenger drew their pistols. However, the road was very rough; the men fired a few rounds, but they were wildly inaccurate. So much so, the driver of the rear vehicle saw his windshield shatter due to the gunfire, and one stray bullet even shot the pistol out of his hand. Disarmed, he signaled to the other to cease firing, and so he did.
Even as the passenger of the forward car was forced to put down his firearm, he was not finished. Reaching into the holding space between the two seats of his vehicle, he drew one of two gunto12 and turned to face the Amerika-jin. The cowardly dog hooked a strap of his shoulder holster to the car, allowing him to lower himself further. This was so that his head would not be peaking above the body of the staff car, making a sword swipe from the passenger seat impossible. Therefore, the soldier crawled to the rear of the vehicle, squatting on the flatbed of the car.
The soldier looked down on the foreign devil as he was dragged along. Then, raising his blade high, he thrust it downwards. However, once again conniving, the Amerika-jin swung himself away from the attack. The Empire’s servant now vulnerable, the Amerika-jin took hold of his forearms, and he was pulled downward, dragging him off the car and onto the road. The driver of the vehicle behind had no time to react, and the man was run over. Worse still, the Amerika-jin seized the gunto as the soldier fell, and this he carried with him as he climbed up into the vehicle.
The driver of this car quickly took hold of the second gunto and blocked a swiping attack from the Amerika-jin. Seeing his ambush was unfruitful, the devil quickly slid into the passenger seat. For several seconds, the two men's blades clashed, the driver distracted. However, when the two swords had met and had become bound together,13 the Amerika-jin jolted up in his seat before lunging for the steering wheel, keeping one hand holding his sword. He quickly veered the vehicle to the right, away from its former trajectory going straight off a sheer cliff, as the road had opened up to a cliffside path.
Things continued in this manner: the Amerika-jin and the soldier, restricted by their enclosed environment, clumsily attacked and parried, before one or the other turned to steer their vehicle away from the cliff. However, after perhaps a minute, the foreign devil played another trick; for he, at a point where the road was straight, feigned jumping for the steering wheel while the two were once again in blade binding. Instead of correcting course, the man reached to open the driver's side door of the vehicle, and he pushed it open. Delivering a stunning punch to his opponent’s face, he then bashed into him with all his strength, pushing him out of the vehicle and taking his place in the driver's seat. Putting his gunto in its holder, the Amerika-jin quickly accelerated, advancing on the transport truck.
An Isuzu Type 94 cargo truck, similar to the ones used during Project Kenshutsu Fukanō to transport both personnel and objects.
Coming to a point in the cliffside road where its width could support two vehicles, the Amerika-jin stamped down on the accelerator, took his gunto, and jumped from his seat. Running along his car's rear, he jumped to the side of the treasure transport vehicle, taking hold of the canvas. The Amerika-jin thrust his blade into the canvas covering of the truck, attempting to cut a hole large enough for his entry. The staff car, now without a driver, went over the edge of the cliff and crashed into the forest below.
However, the road widening allowed the rear motorcycle to pass the remaining car. The rider then accelerated to come right behind the Amerika-jin, the foreigner turning to face the motorcycle. The rider reached to his side and began to retrieve his pistol. Before he could, the Amerika-jin threw his gunto backwards. The blade landed inside the wheel, jamming its rotation. The motorcycle flipped forward, throwing both it and the rider over the cliff.
The Amerika-jin then entered the truck through the hole he made. He emerged at the back opening of the vehicle, and, after a moment’s struggle, pushed the closest crate of treasure out onto the road. The driver of the rear staff car, directly behind the truck, had no time to react before he collided with the crate at high speeds. The vehicle's engine was damaged beyond repair, but the driver was unharmed and later recovered.
For a few moments, the convoy went on without disturbance. In this time, the road exited the cliffside area and came into a dense forest, with gently sloped foothills on either side. The peace was then ended when the driver's door to the truck was flung open, and its rightful operator was thrown out. The devil then took his seat at the steering wheel.
However, IJAMEA quickly jumped into action: four men of the troop transport truck had sat at the back opening of the vehicle, lying in wait for some time. The Amerika-jin barely could take his seat before he slammed on the brakes and ducked for cover, as the forward truck also stopped, and the honorable soldiers fired submachine guns into the front of the captured vehicle. They unloaded for about ten seconds, utterly decimating the windshield, engine compartment, and cab of the truck.
When the call to cease fire was made, about ten men filed out of the transport truck, moving to investigate the fate of the Amerika-jin. It was clear from looking through the bullet holes that the foreign devil was not in the cab. Fearing he was still dangerous, the ten men circled around the vehicle and raised their weapons. That is, except one brave volunteer, who entered the truck through the back opening. Looking inside, he said that a few of the boxes of treasure were open, and, from one, there seemed to be an empty space where an item was once placed. It was then that every man present heard a low growl.
In an instant, the volunteer was thrown from where he stood onto the ground. Animalistic howling and screaming was heard as the man was mauled by an unseen force. Taken by the neck, the volunteer was shook about and bloodied, before finally being thrown to the side.
Every soldier opened fire on the yokai, but it seemed to have no effect. It moved from man to man, brutalizing, mauling, and roaring. A grenade even detonated at its feet, but it only seemed to hasten the death of the then-current victim. Hearing this event unfold, it was deemed wise to relocate the officers’ staff car from the area, as to avoid endangering valuable personnel. Therefore, the car, and its accompanying motorcycle, elected to exit the area during the yokai attack.
Eventually, after six men were mauled, fear overtook the remaining soldiers, and they began to flee towards their truck. One of them reported looking backwards as they retreated, and, not only did he see a comrade dragged by his hip down the road, but he also witnessed the Amerika-jin. The imperialist coward jumped from the hole in the truck canvas and, carrying the yokai skull, disappeared into the forest.
Wishing to not remain in the area any longer, the survivors did not engage the Amerika-jin, but instead returned to their truck and fled the area. Disciplinary actions for their inaction are in consideration for these men.
In regards to recovery of the yokai skull, Project Kenshutsu Fukanō is considered a failure. However, IJAMEA did receive a substantial injection of funding due to the recovery of the remaining treasure in the transport truck.
As for the Amerika-jin, after extensive searches in the forest, he was not captured. Despite his status as a worthless dog, IJAMEA officers consider it impossible to ignore the threat he may pose if he engages the organization at a later date.
