I had the good
fortune to attend Zack Davisson's Supernatural Cats of Japan panel
at Sakuracon this year. At fan-focused conventions, the content of
panels can often be hit or miss. Sometimes, presenters have little
experience with presenting to an audience, or they only scratch the
surface of their topic. This was not at all the case with Zack's
talk. He was an entertaining presenter who knew his material inside
and out, having recently published a book of the same title,
which he directed attendees to, should they want to learn more. I'm
tempted to order the book, but will hold out hope that a kindle
version comes about.
Monsters and myth hold a very special place in
my heart, and I'm happy to share my takeaways from the panel,
recreated from my notes, which are a bit dry.
Cats
have a long and interesting history in Japan. From the endearing
Super Station Master Tama who has been enshrined as a Shinto
deity of the railways, to the belief that a cat could animate a corpse by leaping
over it, there's a large amount of cat lore for an island nation where the felines are a relatively recent phenomenon.
There
is some evidence of cats in Japan as early as the Yayoi period,
during the 3rd century, and legends of the yamaneko, or mountain cat,
dating back to the earlier Jomon period, but no definite evidence.
It is a little difficult to pin down because of some vagueness in the
kanji character used for "cat". In any case, it is
generally believed that cats
were brought to Japan by Buddhist monks and used to protect the
scriptures (which were printed on vellum) from rats. The
first concrete reference of a cat was during the Heian Period
(794-1185), when an emperor was describing his cat. At this time,
cats were a symbol of wealth.
They were granted special titles within the court.
During
the Kamakura period (1185-1333), there are references to the first
supernatural cat, the Nekomata. The Nekomata is a two-tailed
cat which acquired its
supernatural powers after reaching a certain age, at which point its
tail would split. This superstition is a possible origin of the
practice of bobbing cat's tails in Japan.
Later
on, during the Azuchi period, in 1602, there was an edict by the
emperor which forbade anyone from owning a cat.
This forced the cats outside so that they could eat mice and protect
food stores.
Another
supernatural cat that was discussed was the Bakeneko, a shapeshifting
cat with the ability to transform into a half-person, half-cat form.
This supernatural creature is known for putting things on its head.
Its legend was likely strengthened by the Tenpo reforms, during which
time it was forbidden for artists to depict the famous Kabuki actors
and prostitutes. However, there was no law forbidding the artists
from depicting cats with striking resemblances to these same
celebrities of the time, and so artwork of cats (and
other animals) became quite popular, as did the myth of bakeneko
prostitutes in the pleasure district.
Some
other supernatural cats that Zack briefly discussed:
The Kasha, a demon which takes
sinners' corpses away in a flaming cart.
The Neko Musume, or Cat Daughter,
which originated from a real person during the Edo period.
Gotoko Neko, or Trivet Cat, which
relights fires
Maneki Neko, the inviting cat, which
has two origin stories. This is the "waving cat" that is
often sold as a little statue. In one origin, it originates from a
dream that a poor woman had, where her cat told her to craft the
maneki neko and sell them so that she could make enough money to feed
both her and her cat. In the other version, a samurai was saved by a
cat leading him away from shelter that was struck by lightning.
Zack
concluded by sharing a few other sources for those curious about
Japanese folklore. There is Michael Dylan Foster, who takes a
relatively academic approach in his Book of Yokai, and Matt Alt, who
takes a more pop culture-centric approach
with "survival guide" style books.
All that said, if any of this piqued your interest, I encourage you to go check out Zack's work!
