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Info
Title: SCP-3903-JP - How a Statue Feels
Author:
Qurisone
Translator:C-Dives (Author Page)
Source: SCP-JP Original / SCP-INT Mirror
Original Posting Date: 2025/07/12
SCP-3903-JP during initial containment
Item #: SCP-3903-JP
Object Class: Safe
Special Containment Procedures: SCP-3903-JP is to be contained in a low-risk item containment locker at Site-81██.
Description: SCP-3903-JP is a statue made of tuff. It depicts a humanoid bear wearing clothes and shoes, along with a soccer ball.
SCP-3903-JP produces a voice similar to that of a male child around six years old through unknown means. Its vocalizations occur irregularly at approximately 45 dB. As of 1989/06/05, forty-seven distinct phrases have been identified, including "Let's go," "I'll do my best," and "I'm gonna kick this." Research into other anomalous properties beyond those described above is currently ongoing.1
SCP-3903-JP was discovered and retrieved from a civilian residence in Hamada, Shimane Prefecture, Japan, on 1989/05/11. The occupant of this residence, Nagatomo Fumiyoshi, mentioned SCP-3903-JP during a conversation with an acquaintance at the city hall; this interaction led the Foundation to recognize the object's existence and proceed with its retrieval.
Nagatomo is a craftsman and the creator of SCP-3903-JP. The following interview was conducted for investigative purposes.
Subject: Nagatomo Fumiyoshi (Age 45, male)
Interviewer: Researcher Yamauchi
Note: The interview was conducted under the guise of magazine coverage.
<BEGIN LOG>
Rsr. Yamauchi: So, Nagatomo-san, we'd like to hear about that statue.
Nagatomo: My pleasure, I'll explain step by step. To begin with, when I first created the statue four years ago, it was just the bear. My intention was to portray a bear dressed like a young boy, stumbling and about to fall. The ball was added later.
Rsr. Yamauchi: Oh, is that so? Then what was the purpose of sculpting a stumbling bear?Nagatomo: Uh, to prevent my sons from falling in the garden. My sons, then 8 and 7 years old, used to run around and play in the garden a lot, but one month they ended up falling multiple times. Even their friends who came over got injured after tripping while playing tag or soccer.
Rsr. Yamauchi: All in such a short period? That’s unfortunate.
Nagatomo: Yes. So, I thought some negative aura had gathered in the garden, and decided to make the statue to ward it off. By placing a statue in a falling posture, I hoped it would draw away the bad luck that was causing my children to fall.
Rsr. Yamauchi: I see.
Nagatomo: And it was a few months after setting the statue in the garden. While I was cleaning there, I heard a faint voice coming from it. A young boy’s voice. …I’ve always thought there was some truth to someone’s saying that souls can dwell in sculptures, and what happened then seemed to back that up.Rsr. Yamauchi: So the statue had already begun exhibiting anomalous properties by that time.
Nagatomo: Yes. Except unlike now, the tone of its voice was somber, as if frightened. The volume was also very low, like it was being squeezed out. I had to lean close and listen carefully to barely make out what it was saying. …And the phrases it spoke were also different from now.
Rsr. Yamauchi: What kind of phrases were they?
Nagatomo: Things like "I'm scared" or "I don’t wanna."Rsr. Yamauchi: …That’s certainly very different. It’s hard to imagine given its current cheerful tone and vocabulary.
Nagatomo: It was unsettling the first time I heard it. I suspected it might be a prank, but there were no signs that anything had been done to it. For a while after that, I kept listening to the lamenting statue, racking my brain trying to figure out what on earth was going on.Rsr. Yamauchi: A frightened statue is indeed something you'd be deeply concerned about.
Nagatomo: Yes. And then, just as I was pondering this, the bear blurted out the words, "I don’t wanna fall."
Rsr. Yamauchi: "Don’t wanna fall," you say?
Nagatomo: Hearing that, I finally managed to come up with a possible explanation for the bear statue. …Well, I mentioned earlier that sculptures are said to have souls, remember?
Rsr. Yamauchi: Yes.
Nagatomo: …I've had this vague idea since childhood. If a sculpture has a soul, it might be perpetually bound to the form and purpose it was created with. In that case, a sculpture would continue to harbor the emotions associated with its form until it decays. Even if those emotions are fear.
Rsr. Yamauchi: Ah, so you deduced that the bear statue was suffering because of its own form. What a stumbling figure about to fall must feel is likely anxiety or fear, and the sculpture is constantly haunted by those emotions because its form is set in stone. Is that your theory?
Nagatomo: Yes. So assuming I was right, I felt sorry for it. And since I, the craftsman, caused it to suffer such distress, I knew I had to resolve the situation quickly. …The first thought that crossed my mind was to destroy it and end its misery, but a more gentle solution occurred to me, so I decided to try that instead.Rsr. Yamauchi: Could this have something to do with that soccer ball?
Nagatomo: Exactly. My idea was to change the meaning behind the bear’s posture. Inspired by my sons playing soccer, I integrated a stone soccer ball into the statue, turning the stumbling bear into one that’s raising its leg to kick the ball.
Rsr. Yamauchi: And that's how you succeeded in altering the statue’s emotional state.
Nagatomo: Yes. I was so relieved it worked out exactly as I'd hoped. Ever since then it's been full of energy, shouting things like "Kick!" and "Let’s go for it!," and really seems to be having a great time. Case closed, I suppose. Well, that wraps up the story of the statue.Rsr. Yamauchi: I’m grateful for your valuable insights. Thank you very much for your cooperation with today’s interview.
<END LOG>
Closing Statement: Following the interview, an investigation was conducted into the production environment and process of SCP-3903-JP, as well as into Nagatomo Fumiyoshi and his previous artworks; no anomalies were observed in either case. Nagatomo and his family and acquaintances were administered amnestics, as they were aware of the object’s anomalous nature.
Addendum: The research team has determined that SCP-3903-JP emits another distinct vocalization simultaneously with the one similar to a male child's voice; the two vocalizations share a notably similar timbre. Due to the extremely low volume and the fact that it overlaps with the other voice, this vocalization is highly difficult for humans to discern clearly.
Fourteen distinct phrases have been identified in this vocalization. The following are excerpts from the audio transcription.
I'm scared
Please stop
I'm gonna be kicked