The Giant Centipede is a cryptid, an unusually large centipede that is said to appear in Japan.
Description[]
The largest centipede found in Honshu, to which many prefectures belong, is the Chinese red-headed centipede, which reaches 20 cm. However, there are reports of centipedes much larger than this, not only in old folklore, but also in recent sightings.
In 1986, a farmer in Saga Prefecture saw a centipede over 2.5 feet, or 70 centimeters, crawling out of a pile of logs. He was so startled that he struck it with a rake he was carrying, tore it in half, and killed it.
One day in the 2000s, a group camping in Nagano Prefecture noticed that one of the tents was making strange noises. After investigating the cause, they found that the noise was coming from the pillowcase. When they noticed it, suddenly a 2 foot (60 cm) centipede jumped out of the pillowcase and ran off into the woods.
Reports from outside Japan[]
The hoax photo in question
Giant Centipedes were also encountered by American soldiers in Vietnam during the Vietnam War. A famous hoax photo exists of an American soldier holding one of such centipedes in his hand.
This photo was actually made using forced perspective, and holding a centipede closer to the camera using a fishing line, giving the illusion of the centipede being of such a massive size.