Project Osanshouo, 2006

Purpose: Due to the mass disappearance of a significant percentage of the native kappa population of the empire, the IJAMEA has deemed it necessary to synthesize replacement yokai in order to maintain the natural order of our aquatic ecosystems and preserve the spiritual integrity of the nation.

The significant goals of Project Osanshouo are as follows:

Determine the effectiveness and efficiency of IJAMEA genetic blending ability.

Explore the possibility of synthetic yokai and kami as alternatives to obstructively opinionated natural entities.

Create a series of potential replacement aquatic beings to fulfill the natural niche of the kappa.

Introduce synthesized beings into the wild and monitor their activities until such an exercise is no longer deemed necessary.

Due to difficulties involved with homeland operations, Project Osanshouo has been delegated to the Qinghai Mainland Division until such a time when successful results can be imported to Japan.

Project Osanshouo is in many ways a spiritual successor to Project Kaeru which, in 1942, attempted domestication of native kappa populations through selective breeding with human and nonhuman stock to create a more docile and pliable population for use in the Youkai Battalion. Such efforts were largely failures, and it was determined that kappa were inherently poorly suited for the war effort. Three outposts continued using kappa as beasts of burden until their disappearance in 1999. Undeveloped and terminated embryos from these experiments were kept on ice at the Etorofu Outpost until their destruction in 1945.

Assets: Due to the scope of this undergoing, numerous material and supernatural assets are required for the project, and include:

Several breeding populations of Cryptobranchidae salamanders.

Upwards of several hundred human volunteers and conscripts.

Funds and materials necessary for establishing laboratory environments for the project.

Several live and preserved kappa specimens for comparative research (sourced from Khyargas Lake).

Any surviving texts of the Hida Mountain People, with specific regard to fleshcrafting magics.

Results: As of 2012, Project Osanshouo is proceeding smoothly, and is estimated to reach an optimal point within 3 years. Preliminary results have been promising. The current working model of organism, named shin-kappa , is a hybridized animal composed largely of Homo sapiens and Andrias davidianus, with several genetic elements transposed from kappa specimens that have proven crucial to long-term survival.

Initial experiments consisted largely of grafting procedures and genetic modification of human stock, Unfortunately, such experiments were frequently failures, as non-negotiable difference between mammalian and amphibian anatomy resulted in weak and sickly beings that were not able to survive for any extended period of time outside a laboratory environment. A number of prototypic entities were released in a natural setting, resulting in the deaths of all but one, who was abducted by an unknown entity and is considered missing in action.

Following the failures of the first round of experimentation, the Qinghai division turned to the use of fleshcrafting ritual in order to more effectively combine disparate organisms. After early attempts resulted in the unintentional deaths of 4 soldiers, 220 salamanders, and the oldest living kappa specimen in IJAMEA possession, such avenues were abandoned. It has been decided that IJAMEA projects should not incorporate such methods until such a time as they can conclusively be deemed safe to use (this prohibition does not apply to emergency situations such as a direct threat on Japan or its people).

The most recent experimentation has returned to a genetic basis. IJAMEA scientists first created a subspecies of Andreas japonicas salamander with heavy incorporations of a significant portion of genetic material, and allowed the subspecies to breed for twelve generations into a stable phenotype. Then, through a controlled reproductive program, small portions of the organism’s DNA were incorporated into in vivo fetal humans at varying stages of development. Best results occurred when this was carried out during the formation of blastocystic structures, which yielded a population of dependably fertile organisms.

The current population of shin-kappa are being raised in captivity, and are expected to reach reproductive maturity within the year. Once conclusive survivability data has been obtained, specimens are to be transferred to Qinghai lake and observed to determine if further engineering is necessary for survival outside of captivity.

Should observations be deemed acceptable, specimens are to be air-lifted from Qinghai to Vladivostok, and then loaded onto a smuggling craft into Hokkaido, from which small breeding populations will be relocated to the historical ranges of the kappa.