SCP-3835

Description

SCP-3835 is a statue of the Akita dog known as Hachiko originally located in Shibuya, Japan, directly outside of Shibuya Station's northwest exit. The statue is made of non-anomalous bronze, and shows visible wear due to natural causes. The current version of the statue was placed at its original location in 1948, replacing a previously removed statue placed there to commemorate Hachiko's loyalty to his deceased owner.

While usually immobile and silent, SCP-3835 is capable of moving and emitting sound. It has been known to walk and jump, and has on occasion been heard barking despite lacking an apparatus to allow for making such noises. SCP-3835's capabilities are limited to that of other non-anomalous Akita dogs, and does not behave in a manner unusual for a dog. No signs of its anomalous properties existed until 2015, in which several reports were made of the statue being missing from its pedestal. These reports coincided with reports of "an Akita dog made of metal" being seen entering, riding, and exiting from trains on the Ginza and Marunouchi lines, and the appearance of a statue of a dog matching SCP-3835's description next to a statue located on the Tokyo University campus.

A non-anomalous copy of SCP-3835 was placed at its original location, and a series of disinformation campaigns regarding the vandalization of and repairs on SCP-3835 was spread. SCP-3835 was placed in anomalous storage at Site-8130.

Addendum A: On ██/██/2015, two days after retrieval, SCP-3835 breached containment. SCP-3835 had ceased movement and remained stationary after initial containment, which was believed to be SCP-3835's reaction to sudden confinement. The non-anomalous replacement was then noted to have gone missing three days later, and was discovered to have gained SCP-3835's anomalous properties while the statue in Foundation containment had lost all anomalous properties. Recapture was successful. Revision of containment procedures pending.

SCP-3835 is not the only existing statue of Hachiko, but these other statues have failed to show any sign of anomaly as well. Survey of the area around SCP-3835's original location and the area around the statue at the university (a consistent end point of SCP-3835's travels) has revealed nothing. The anomaly isn't inherent to the physical object or location, it seems. There's only one SCP-3835, and for whatever reason it's choosing to manifest through the statue at this specific location. -Dr. Mitchell

Addendum B: The statue at Tokyo University which SCP-3835 (now designated SCP-3835-1) had frequently visited has been confirmed as a Class-G-3 (Sapient-Mobile Inanimate) Anomalous Item. The statue, designated SCP-3835-2, depicts former Professor Hidesaburo Ueno of Tokyo University, who died in 1925 of non-anomalous causes. The statue was erected in 2015 in his memory, the same year in which reports of SCP-3835's anomalous properties began to surface. SCP-3835-2 is also capable of movement (limited to that of the human body) although slightly under average human ability, and speech despite also lacking the necessary apparatus to vocalize. SCP-3835-2 speaks exclusively in Japanese and does not appear to understand any other languages.

SCP-3835-2's anomalous properties were discovered during another containment breach of SCP-3835-1. SCP-3835-2 moved to grab SCP-3835-1 as it attempted to bite an agent during recapture. Both SCP-3835-1 and -2 were secured by agents and contained at Site-8130. The locations where SCP-3835-1 and -2 originally stood have been temporarily marked as having the statues undergoing repairs.

Addendum C: As a controlled test, non-anomalous replacements for SCP-3835-1 and SCP-3835-2 were placed at their original locations. Both SCP-3835-1 and SCP-3835-2 breached containment in the same manner as SCP-3835-1's previous containment breach, as expected. Both were recaptured without incident immediately after.

As long as we keep replacing them, SCP-3835-1 and -2 will keep hopping into the replacements. Logically, never installing replacements would be the most effective containment. While permanently removing Professor Ueno's statue isn't much of a problem, permanently removing Hachiko's statue is impossible. Hachiko is a national icon; civilian attention on the removal would be constant and endless. Whatever the new containment procedures entail, it has to involve some sort of replacement for SCP-3835-1. We don't have the resources to amnesticize all of Japan, and then some. -Dr. Mitchell

Addendum D: It has been noted from observation during containment that SCP-3835-1 and -2 show no visible signs of anomalous activity while placed together, and due to repeated unpreventable containment breaches, new containment procedures will be tested to confirm if permanent containment in this manner is possible. SCP-3835-2 will be removed with the cover story of sustaining irreparable damage, then returned with the addition of SCP-3835-1 to the sculpture and announced as a replacement for the original sculpture. If this containment is successful, a replacement will be placed at SCP-3835-1's original location and monitored to ensure that the previous containment breaches do not repeat.

Addendum E Containment procedures have been revised. No containment breaches have occurred since revision.