Why did the cat become a monster?
It is said that the reason cats came to be considered yokai is because of the following characteristics:
- Nocturnal and has glowing eyes
- The shape of the pupil changes depending on the time of day and the environment
・When you stroke its back, it glows with static electricity
・Walk without making any noise
・Sharp claws
Lightweight and agile
・Whimsical behavior
Compared to dogs, which have an image of being obedient and cheerful, cats have an image of being mysterious and enigmatic.
Although they are cute, they also have a somewhat eerie aura about them, so while they are pets, they are also reminiscent of monsters.
It is said that various cat yokai have been passed down in legends due to their mysterious image, as it is difficult to know what they are thinking.
Three typical cat yokai
So, what kinds of cat monsters are there specifically? Among the many cat yokai that are spoken of in legends, we will introduce three famous and widely known yokai.Nekomata
Urameshi Nyanko Night Travel Cat Magnet Set - Nekomata & Karakasa
The first one is Nekomata. It is a very famous yokai, so many people have probably heard of it. Jibanyan from the popular anime "Yokai Watch" is also a character based on Nekomata. Nekomata are yokai that have taken the form of old cats, and are characterized by their large cat-like appearance and two split tails. They have a wide variety of personalities, with some being violent and causing trouble to humans, while others are gentle and repay their owners' kindness. It is said that there are two types of nekomata: those that are transformed from cats that have been kept as pets, and those that are transformed from wild cats. The Kamakura period "Kokin Chomonshu" is a record of a pet cat transforming into a nekomata. The Kokin Chomonshu describes a cat kept at a mountain lodge that ran away with a secret sword in its mouth and then disappeared. It was around this time that people began to say that "when a pet cat gets old, it turns into a nekomata and begins attacking, eating, or kidnapping people." From the Edo period onwards, the idea that "cats kept in people's homes transform into nekomata as they get old" seems to have become common. One tale of a wild cat transforming into a nekomata is "Meigetsuki," written by Fujiwara no Teika in the Kamakura period, which describes how "a nekomata killed and ate several people in one night in Nanto (present-day Nara Prefecture)." It seems that wild nekomata were sometimes interpreted as cats that were originally kept as pets that grew old and moved from their homes to live in the mountains. This led to the idea that it is better not to keep cats as pets for a long time.ghost cat
Next up is a monster called a bakeneko. A bakeneko is literally a cat that has transformed into a monster. As with nekomata, there is a folk belief that an old cat can turn into a bakeneko.
The difference between bakeneko and nekomata is unclear and they are easily confused, but the difference is that nekomata have two tails while bakeneko have one. Also, bakeneko have the ability to transform into humans, dance with a tenugui on their head, speak human language, control the dead, and possess humans.
One famous legend about a monster cat is the "Nabeshima Monster Cat Incident." The "Nabeshima Monster Cat Incident" is a legend that goes like this: "Nabeshima Mitsushige, the second lord of the Saga domain, killed the Go master Ryuzoji Matashichiro in revenge for losing to him at Go. When Matashichiro's mother (some say it was his father) found out, she committed suicide, voicing her resentment. A cat licked the blood from the corpse, sneaked into the castle, and transformed into a monster cat to torment Mitsushige."
At Shurinji Temple in Shiroishi Town, Saga Prefecture, there is a cat mound to commemorate the grudges of the "Nabeshima monster cat incident." It seems that even now, people still offer water and cat food at the Shurinji temple cat mound.
Yokai mask earrings - cat mask
Stylish Cat Round Cat Compact Mirror - Japanese Umbrella
Edo Nekogurasu Cat Round Plate - Tobacco Pipe with Gift Box
Cat Prostitute
The bakeneko yujo (bakeneko prostitute) is a cat yokai character that appeared in the entertainment book "Kusazoshi" in the mid-Edo period. The strange phenomenon of the bakeneko yujo is that prostitutes working in brothels turn into monster cats late at night. In the story, the typical pattern was that a prostitute and a customer spend the night together in a brothel, and while the customer is asleep, the prostitute transforms into a monster cat with a cat's face and a human body.
In Torii Kiyonaga's painting "Bakemono Sebitsubachiki," a prostitute is depicted transforming into a monster cat in the middle of the night and eating shrimp.
Stylish Cat Square Cat Magnet - Light Makeup
Celebration Series Cat Keychain - Dancing Cat
