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| In China, they are told in stories even older than in Japan from the ] like in 猫鬼 or 金花猫 that told of mysterious cats, but in Japan, in the ] by ] in the early ], in the beginning of ] (1233), August 2, in Nanto (now ]), there is a statement that a nekomata (猫胯) ate and killed several people in one night. This is the first appearance of the nekomata in literature, and the nekomata was talked about as a beast in the mountains. However, in the "Meigetsuki," concerning their appearance, it was written, "they have eyes like a cat, and have a large body like a dog," there are many who raise the question of whether or not it really is a monster of a cat,<ref name="笹間1994">]、127-128頁。</ref> and since there are statements that people suffer an illness called the "{{nihongo|nekomata disease|猫跨病}}," there is the interpretation that it is actually a beast that has caught the ].<ref name="石川1986">]、696頁。</ref> Also, in the essay ] from the late Kamakura period (around 1331), it was written, "{{nihongo|in the mountain recesses, there are those called nekomata, and people say that they eat humans...|奥山に、猫またといふものありて、人を食ふなると人の言ひけるに……}}."<ref name="笹間1994"/><ref name="平岩1992">]、36-66頁。</ref> | In China, they are told in stories even older than in Japan from the ] like in 猫鬼 or 金花猫 that told of mysterious cats, but in Japan, in the ] by ] in the early ], in the beginning of ] (1233), August 2, in Nanto (now ]), there is a statement that a nekomata (猫胯) ate and killed several people in one night. This is the first appearance of the nekomata in literature, and the nekomata was talked about as a beast in the mountains. However, in the "Meigetsuki," concerning their appearance, it was written, "they have eyes like a cat, and have a large body like a dog," there are many who raise the question of whether or not it really is a monster of a cat,<ref name="笹間1994">]、127-128頁。</ref> and since there are statements that people suffer an illness called the "{{nihongo|nekomata disease|猫跨病}}," there is the interpretation that it is actually a beast that has caught the ].<ref name="石川1986">]、696頁。</ref> Also, in the essay ] from the late Kamakura period (around 1331), it was written, "{{nihongo|in the mountain recesses, there are those called nekomata, and people say that they eat humans...|奥山に、猫またといふものありて、人を食ふなると人の言ひけるに……}}."<ref name="笹間1994"/><ref name="平岩1992">]、36-66頁。</ref> | ||
| Even the ] collections, the "{{nihongo|Tonoigusa|宿直草}}" and the "{{nihongo|Sorori Monogatari|曾呂利物語}}," nekomata conceal themselves in the mountain recesses, and there are stories where deep in the mountains they would appear shapeshifted into humans,<ref>{{Cite book |
Even the ] collections, the "{{nihongo|Tonoigusa|宿直草}}" and the "{{nihongo|Sorori Monogatari|曾呂利物語}}," nekomata conceal themselves in the mountain recesses, and there are stories where deep in the mountains they would appear shapeshifted into humans,<ref>{{Cite book|author=荻田安静編著|editor=]編・校中|title=江戸怪談集|year=1989|publisher=]|series=]|volume=上|isbn=978-4-00-302571-0|pages=121–124|chapter=宿直草}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book|author=編著者不詳|editor=高田衛編・校中|title=江戸怪談集|year=1989|publisher=岩波書店|series=岩波文庫|volume=中|isbn=978-4-00-302572-7|pages=57–58|chapter=曾呂利物語}}</ref> and in folk religion there are many stories of nekomata in mountainous regions.<ref name="多田2000" /> The nekomata of the mountains have a tendency to be larger in later literature, and in the "{{nihongo|Shin Chomonjū|新著聞集}}," nekomata captured in the mountains of the ] are as large as a ], and in "{{nihongo|Wakun no Shiori|倭訓栞}}" from 1775 (Anei 4), from the statement that their roaring voice echos throughout the mountain, they can be seen to be as big as a ] or a ]. In "{{nihongo|Gūisō|寓意草}}" from 1809 (Bunka 6), a nekomata that held a dog in its mouth had a span of 9 shaku and 5 sn (about 2.8 meters).<ref name="笹間1994" /> | ||
| In the ] (now ]), in ], at the ] said to be where nekomata would eat and kill humans (now ]), nekomata that shapeshift into humans and fool people, like ], sometimes have their legends be named after the name of the mountain.<ref name="石川1986" /> Concerning Nekomatayama, it can be seen that not following folklore at all, there actually are large cats living in the mountain that attack humans.<ref>{{Cite book |
In the ] (now ]), in ], at the ] said to be where nekomata would eat and kill humans (now ]), nekomata that shapeshift into humans and fool people, like ], sometimes have their legends be named after the name of the mountain.<ref name="石川1986" /> Concerning Nekomatayama, it can be seen that not following folklore at all, there actually are large cats living in the mountain that attack humans.<ref>{{Cite book|author=]|title=続 日本の地名|year=1998|publisher=]|series=]|isbn=978-4-00-430559-0|page=146}}</ref> | ||
| ==Nekomata that domestic cats turn into== | ==Nekomata that domestic cats turn into== | ||
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| In the book ''Yamato Kaiiki'' ({{lang|ja|大和怪異記}}, engl. "Mysterious stories from Japan"), written by an unknown author in 1708, a story speaks about a haunted house of a rich ]. The inhabitants of this house witness several ]-activities and the samurai invites countless ]s, ]s and evokers in attempt to make the happenings come to an end. But none of them is able to find the source of the terror. One day one of the most loyal servants observe the very old cat of his master carrying a ] with the imprinted name of his lord in its mouth. Immediately the servant fires a sacred arrow, hitting the cat in its head. When the cat is lying dead on the floor, all inhabitants can see that the cat has two tails and therefore has been a nekomata. With the death of the demon-cat the poltergeist-activities end. Similar eerie stories about encounters with nekomata appear in books such as ''Taihei Hyakumonogatari'' ({{lang|ja|太平百物語}}, engl. "Collection of 100 fairy tales"), written by ''Yusuke'' ({{lang|ja|祐佐}}, or ''Yūsa'') in 1723 and in the book ''Rōō Chabanashi'' ({{lang|ja|老媼茶話}}, "Tea-time gossip of old ladies"), written by Misaka Daiyata ({{lang|ja|三坂大彌}}) in 1742. | In the book ''Yamato Kaiiki'' ({{lang|ja|大和怪異記}}, engl. "Mysterious stories from Japan"), written by an unknown author in 1708, a story speaks about a haunted house of a rich ]. The inhabitants of this house witness several ]-activities and the samurai invites countless ]s, ]s and evokers in attempt to make the happenings come to an end. But none of them is able to find the source of the terror. One day one of the most loyal servants observe the very old cat of his master carrying a ] with the imprinted name of his lord in its mouth. Immediately the servant fires a sacred arrow, hitting the cat in its head. When the cat is lying dead on the floor, all inhabitants can see that the cat has two tails and therefore has been a nekomata. With the death of the demon-cat the poltergeist-activities end. Similar eerie stories about encounters with nekomata appear in books such as ''Taihei Hyakumonogatari'' ({{lang|ja|太平百物語}}, engl. "Collection of 100 fairy tales"), written by ''Yusuke'' ({{lang|ja|祐佐}}, or ''Yūsa'') in 1723 and in the book ''Rōō Chabanashi'' ({{lang|ja|老媼茶話}}, "Tea-time gossip of old ladies"), written by Misaka Daiyata ({{lang|ja|三坂大彌}}) in 1742. | ||
| It is generally said that the "mata" (又) of "nekomata" comes from how they have two tails, but from the view of ], this is seen as questionable, and since they transform as they grow older, the theory that it is the "mata" meaning "repetition," or as previously stated since they were once thought to be a beast in the mountains, there is the theory that it comes from "mata" (爰) meaning monkeys, with the meaning that they are like monkeys that can freely come and go between trees in the mountains at will.<ref>{{Cite book |
It is generally said that the "mata" (又) of "nekomata" comes from how they have two tails, but from the view of ], this is seen as questionable, and since they transform as they grow older, the theory that it is the "mata" meaning "repetition," or as previously stated since they were once thought to be a beast in the mountains, there is the theory that it comes from "mata" (爰) meaning monkeys, with the meaning that they are like monkeys that can freely come and go between trees in the mountains at will.<ref>{{Cite book|author=日野巌|title=動物妖怪譚|year=2006|publisher=]|series=]|isbn=978-4-12-204792-1|volume=下|pages=158–159}}</ref> There is also the theory that it comes form how cats that grow old shed the skin off their backs and hang downwards, making it seem like they have two tails.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://nyanmaru.com/etc/index.html |title=ネコのうんちく|publisher=|accessdate=2012-11-03}}</ref> | ||
| Cats are often associated with death in Japanese, and this particular spirit is often blamed. Far darker and malevolent than most bakeneko, the nekomata is said to have powers of necromancy, and upon raising the dead, will control them with ritual-like dances - gesturing with paw and tail. These yokai are associated with strange fires and other unexplainable occurrences. The older, and the more badly treated a cat has been before its transformation, the more power the nekomata is said to have. To gain revenge against those who have wronged it, the spirit may haunt humans with visitations from their dead relatives. Like bakeneko, some tales state how these demons have taken on human appearance - but have usually appeared as older women, behaving badly in public and bringing gloom and malevolence wherever they travelled. Sometimes the tails of kittens were cut off as a precaution as it was thought that if its tail couldn't fork they couldn't become one. | Cats are often associated with death in Japanese, and this particular spirit is often blamed. Far darker and malevolent than most bakeneko, the nekomata is said to have powers of necromancy, and upon raising the dead, will control them with ritual-like dances - gesturing with paw and tail. These yokai are associated with strange fires and other unexplainable occurrences. The older, and the more badly treated a cat has been before its transformation, the more power the nekomata is said to have. To gain revenge against those who have wronged it, the spirit may haunt humans with visitations from their dead relatives. Like bakeneko, some tales state how these demons have taken on human appearance - but have usually appeared as older women, behaving badly in public and bringing gloom and malevolence wherever they travelled. Sometimes the tails of kittens were cut off as a precaution as it was thought that if its tail couldn't fork they couldn't become one. | ||
| From this discernment and strange characteristics, they have been thought as devilish ones from time immemorial, and due to fears such as the dead resurrecting at a funeral, or that 7 generations would be cursed as a result of killing a cat, it is thought that with this background of folk belief, the legend of the nekomata was born.<ref name="石川1986" /><ref>{{Cite book |
From this discernment and strange characteristics, they have been thought as devilish ones from time immemorial, and due to fears such as the dead resurrecting at a funeral, or that 7 generations would be cursed as a result of killing a cat, it is thought that with this background of folk belief, the legend of the nekomata was born.<ref name="石川1986" /><ref>{{Cite book|author=佐野賢治他|editor=]編|title=民間信仰辞典|year=1980|publisher=]|isbn=978-4-490-10137-9|page=223}}</ref> Also, in folk beliefs where cats and the dead are related, the carnivorous cats have a sharp sense of detecting the smell of rotting, and since they are thought to have a trait of approaching corpses, with this folk belief, sometimes the ], a yōkai that steals the corpses of the dead, are seen to be the same as the nekomata.<ref name="多田2000" /> | ||
| Also, in Japan there is also the yōkai of cats called the ], but since nekomata are certainly the yōkai of transformed cats, sometimes nekomata are confused with bakeneko.<ref>{{Cite book |
Also, in Japan there is also the yōkai of cats called the ], but since nekomata are certainly the yōkai of transformed cats, sometimes nekomata are confused with bakeneko.<ref>{{Cite book|author=]|editor=郡司聡他編|title=]|year=2010|publisher=]|series=カドカワムック|volume=vol.0029|isbn=978-4-04-885055-1|page=122|chapter=妖怪の宴 妖怪の匣 第6回}}</ref> | ||
| Furtheremore, in Canada, there have been photographs taken of cats with 2 tails.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2001-2009|last=Hartwell |first=Sarah|url=http://www.messybeast.com/winged-cats.htm |title=Winged Cats, What are they?|work=Cat Resource Archive |publisher=Messybeast.com|accessdate=2010年4月26日}}</ref> | Furtheremore, in Canada, there have been photographs taken of cats with 2 tails.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2001-2009|last=Hartwell |first=Sarah|url=http://www.messybeast.com/winged-cats.htm |title=Winged Cats, What are they?|work=Cat Resource Archive |publisher=Messybeast.com|accessdate=2010年4月26日}}</ref> | ||
| Line 33: | Line 33: | ||
| In the Edo period, many in style of illustrated reference books, ], have been made, and nekomata are frequently the subject of these yōkai depictions. In the ] published in 1737 (Gembun 2), there was a depiction of a nekomata taking on the appearance of a human female playing a ], but since shamisen in the Edo period were frequently made by using the skins of cats, the nekomata played the shamisen and sang a sad song about its own species,<ref name="多田2000" /> and has been interpreted as a kind of irony etc.<ref name="古山他2005">]、155頁。</ref> Concerning the fact that they wear ] clothing, there is the viewpoint they are related due to the fact that geisha were once called "cats (neko)"<ref name="古山他2005" /> (refer to first image). | In the Edo period, many in style of illustrated reference books, ], have been made, and nekomata are frequently the subject of these yōkai depictions. In the ] published in 1737 (Gembun 2), there was a depiction of a nekomata taking on the appearance of a human female playing a ], but since shamisen in the Edo period were frequently made by using the skins of cats, the nekomata played the shamisen and sang a sad song about its own species,<ref name="多田2000" /> and has been interpreted as a kind of irony etc.<ref name="古山他2005">]、155頁。</ref> Concerning the fact that they wear ] clothing, there is the viewpoint they are related due to the fact that geisha were once called "cats (neko)"<ref name="古山他2005" /> (refer to first image). | ||
| Also, in the "Gazu Hyakki Yagyō" published in 1776 (An'ei 5) (refer to image on right), with a depiction of a cat on the left with its head coming out of a shōji, a cat on the right with a handkerchief on its head and its forepaw on the veranda, and a cat in the middle also wearing a handkerchief and standing on two legs, and thus as a cat that has not had enough experience and thus as difficulty standing on two legs, a cat that has grown older and has become able to stand on two legs, it can be seen to be depicting the process by which a normal cat grows older and tramsforms into a nekomata.<ref name="古山他2005" /> Also, in the Bigelow collection of the ] (the ukiyo-e collection), in the "Hyakki Yagyō Emaki," since pretty much the same composition of nekomata has been depicted, some have pointed out a relation between them.<ref>{{Cite book |
Also, in the "Gazu Hyakki Yagyō" published in 1776 (An'ei 5) (refer to image on right), with a depiction of a cat on the left with its head coming out of a shōji, a cat on the right with a handkerchief on its head and its forepaw on the veranda, and a cat in the middle also wearing a handkerchief and standing on two legs, and thus as a cat that has not had enough experience and thus as difficulty standing on two legs, a cat that has grown older and has become able to stand on two legs, it can be seen to be depicting the process by which a normal cat grows older and tramsforms into a nekomata.<ref name="古山他2005" /> Also, in the Bigelow collection of the ] (the ukiyo-e collection), in the "Hyakki Yagyō Emaki," since pretty much the same composition of nekomata has been depicted, some have pointed out a relation between them.<ref>{{Cite book|author=湯本豪一編著|title=続・妖怪図巻|year=2006|publisher=]|isbn=978-4-336-04778-6|pages=161–165}}</ref> | ||
| ==Senri== | ==Senri== | ||
| In China there is a cat yōkai called "senri (仙狸)" (where 狸 means "leopard cat"). This is where leapord cats that grow old gain a divine spiritual power, and they would shapeshift into a beautiful man or woman and suck the spirit out of humans.<ref>{{Cite book |
In China there is a cat yōkai called "senri (仙狸)" (where 狸 means "leopard cat"). This is where leapord cats that grow old gain a divine spiritual power, and they would shapeshift into a beautiful man or woman and suck the spirit out of humans.<ref>{{Cite book|author=新紀元社編集部|editor=健部伸明監修|title=真・女神転生悪魔事典|year=2003|publisher=]|series=Truth In Fantasy|isbn=978-4-7753-0149-4|page=94}}</ref> | ||
| There is the theory that the legends of nekomata of Japan comes from senri.<ref>{{Cite book |
There is the theory that the legends of nekomata of Japan comes from senri.<ref>{{Cite book|author=]監修|title=世界の幻獣エンサイクロペディア |year=2010|publisher=]|isbn=978-4-06-215952-4|page=194}}</ref> | ||
| == Nekomata in modern subculture == | == Nekomata in modern subculture == | ||
| Line 54: | Line 54: | ||
| == References == | == References == | ||
| * {{Cite book |
* {{Cite book|author=石川純一郎他|editor=乾克己他編|title=日本伝奇伝説大事典|year=1986|publisher=]|isbn=978-4-04-031300-9|ref=石川1986}} | ||
| * {{Cite book |
* {{Cite book|author=笹間良彦|title=図説・日本未確認生物事典|year=1994|publisher=]|isbn=978-4-7601-1299-9|ref=笹間1994}} | ||
| * {{Cite book |
* {{Cite book|author=]|editor=]・多田克己編|title=妖怪図巻|year=2000|publisher=]|isbn=978-4-336-04187-6|ref=多田2000}} | ||
| * {{Cite book |
* {{Cite book|author=]|chapter=猫股伝説の変遷|title=猫の歴史と奇話|year=1992|publisher=]|isbn=978-4-806-72339-4|ref=平岩1992}} | ||
| * {{Cite book |
* {{Cite book|author=古山桂子他|editor=播磨学研究所編|title=播磨の民俗探訪|year=2005|publisher=]|isbn=978-4-343-00341-6|ref=古山他2005}} | ||
| * Patrick Drazen: ''A Gathering of Spirits: Japan's Ghost Story Tradition: from Folklore and Kabuki to Anime and Manga''. iUniverse, New York 2011, ISBN 1-4620-2942-6, page 114. | * Patrick Drazen: ''A Gathering of Spirits: Japan's Ghost Story Tradition: from Folklore and Kabuki to Anime and Manga''. iUniverse, New York 2011, ISBN 1-4620-2942-6, page 114. | ||
| * Elli Kohen: ''World history and myths of cats''. Edwin Mellen Press, Lewiston 2003, ISBN 0-7734-6778-5, page 48–51. | * Elli Kohen: ''World history and myths of cats''. Edwin Mellen Press, Lewiston 2003, ISBN 0-7734-6778-5, page 48–51. | ||
Revision as of 08:32, 21 September 2013
Nekomata (猫又, 猫股) are a yōkai of cats told about in folklore as well as classical kaidan, essays, etc. There are two very different types, the beast that lives in the mountains, and the ones raised domestically that grow old and transform.
Nekomata in mountains
In China, they are told in stories even older than in Japan from the Sui Dynasty like in 猫鬼 or 金花猫 that told of mysterious cats, but in Japan, in the Meigetsuki by Fujiwara no Teika in the early Kamakura period, in the beginning of Tenpuku (1233), August 2, in Nanto (now Nara Prefecture), there is a statement that a nekomata (猫胯) ate and killed several people in one night. This is the first appearance of the nekomata in literature, and the nekomata was talked about as a beast in the mountains. However, in the "Meigetsuki," concerning their appearance, it was written, "they have eyes like a cat, and have a large body like a dog," there are many who raise the question of whether or not it really is a monster of a cat, and since there are statements that people suffer an illness called the "nekomata disease (猫跨病)," there is the interpretation that it is actually a beast that has caught the rabies. Also, in the essay Tsurezuregusa from the late Kamakura period (around 1331), it was written, "in the mountain recesses, there are those called nekomata, and people say that they eat humans... (奥山に、猫またといふものありて、人を食ふなると人の言ひけるに……)."
Even the kaidan collections, the "Tonoigusa (宿直草)" and the "Sorori Monogatari (曾呂利物語)," nekomata conceal themselves in the mountain recesses, and there are stories where deep in the mountains they would appear shapeshifted into humans, and in folk religion there are many stories of nekomata in mountainous regions. The nekomata of the mountains have a tendency to be larger in later literature, and in the "Shin Chomonjū (新著聞集)," nekomata captured in the mountains of the Kii Province are as large as a wild boar, and in "Wakun no Shiori (倭訓栞)" from 1775 (Anei 4), from the statement that their roaring voice echos throughout the mountain, they can be seen to be as big as a lion or a leapord. In "Gūisō (寓意草)" from 1809 (Bunka 6), a nekomata that held a dog in its mouth had a span of 9 shaku and 5 sn (about 2.8 meters).
In the Etchū Province (now Toyama Prefecture), in Aizu, at the Nekomatayama said to be where nekomata would eat and kill humans (now Fukushima Prefecture), nekomata that shapeshift into humans and fool people, like Mount Nekomadake, sometimes have their legends be named after the name of the mountain. Concerning Nekomatayama, it can be seen that not following folklore at all, there actually are large cats living in the mountain that attack humans.
Nekomata that domestic cats turn into
At the same time, in the Kokon Chomonjū from the Kamakura period, in the story called Kankyō Hōin (観教法印), an old cat raised in a precipitous mounta villa held in its mouth a secret treasure, a protective sword, and ran away, and people chased after it, but it disguised its appearance right then, and it left behind that the pet cat became a monster, but in the aforementioned "Tsurezuregusa," this is also a nekomata, and it talks about how other than the nekomata that conceal themselves in the mountains, there are also the pet cats that grow old, transform, and eat and abduct people.
In the Edo period and afterwards, it has become generally thought that cats raised domestically would turn into nekomata as they grow old, and the aforementioned nekomata of the mountains have come to be interpreted as cats that have run away and came to live in the mountains. Because of that, a folk belief emerged in each area of Japan that cats are not to be raised for a long period over many months and years.
In the "Ansai Zuihitsu (安斎随筆)" by the court ceremonial Sadatake Ise, the statement "a cat that is several years of age will become to have two tails, and become the yōkai called nekomata" can be seen. Also, the mid-Edo period scholar Arai Hakuseki stated, "old cats become 'nekomata' and bewilder people," and thus it was common sense at that time to think that cats become nekomata, and even the Kawaraban of the Edo period reported on this strange phenomenon of cats.
In the book Yamato Kaiiki (大和怪異記, engl. "Mysterious stories from Japan"), written by an unknown author in 1708, a story speaks about a haunted house of a rich samurai. The inhabitants of this house witness several poltergeist-activities and the samurai invites countless shamans, priests and evokers in attempt to make the happenings come to an end. But none of them is able to find the source of the terror. One day one of the most loyal servants observe the very old cat of his master carrying a shikigami with the imprinted name of his lord in its mouth. Immediately the servant fires a sacred arrow, hitting the cat in its head. When the cat is lying dead on the floor, all inhabitants can see that the cat has two tails and therefore has been a nekomata. With the death of the demon-cat the poltergeist-activities end. Similar eerie stories about encounters with nekomata appear in books such as Taihei Hyakumonogatari (太平百物語, engl. "Collection of 100 fairy tales"), written by Yusuke (祐佐, or Yūsa) in 1723 and in the book Rōō Chabanashi (老媼茶話, "Tea-time gossip of old ladies"), written by Misaka Daiyata (三坂大彌) in 1742.
It is generally said that the "mata" (又) of "nekomata" comes from how they have two tails, but from the view of folkloristics, this is seen as questionable, and since they transform as they grow older, the theory that it is the "mata" meaning "repetition," or as previously stated since they were once thought to be a beast in the mountains, there is the theory that it comes from "mata" (爰) meaning monkeys, with the meaning that they are like monkeys that can freely come and go between trees in the mountains at will. There is also the theory that it comes form how cats that grow old shed the skin off their backs and hang downwards, making it seem like they have two tails.
Cats are often associated with death in Japanese, and this particular spirit is often blamed. Far darker and malevolent than most bakeneko, the nekomata is said to have powers of necromancy, and upon raising the dead, will control them with ritual-like dances - gesturing with paw and tail. These yokai are associated with strange fires and other unexplainable occurrences. The older, and the more badly treated a cat has been before its transformation, the more power the nekomata is said to have. To gain revenge against those who have wronged it, the spirit may haunt humans with visitations from their dead relatives. Like bakeneko, some tales state how these demons have taken on human appearance - but have usually appeared as older women, behaving badly in public and bringing gloom and malevolence wherever they travelled. Sometimes the tails of kittens were cut off as a precaution as it was thought that if its tail couldn't fork they couldn't become one.
From this discernment and strange characteristics, they have been thought as devilish ones from time immemorial, and due to fears such as the dead resurrecting at a funeral, or that 7 generations would be cursed as a result of killing a cat, it is thought that with this background of folk belief, the legend of the nekomata was born. Also, in folk beliefs where cats and the dead are related, the carnivorous cats have a sharp sense of detecting the smell of rotting, and since they are thought to have a trait of approaching corpses, with this folk belief, sometimes the kasha, a yōkai that steals the corpses of the dead, are seen to be the same as the nekomata.
Also, in Japan there is also the yōkai of cats called the bakeneko, but since nekomata are certainly the yōkai of transformed cats, sometimes nekomata are confused with bakeneko.
Furtheremore, in Canada, there have been photographs taken of cats with 2 tails.
Yōkai depictions
In the Edo period, many in style of illustrated reference books, yōkai emaki, have been made, and nekomata are frequently the subject of these yōkai depictions. In the Hyakkai Zukan published in 1737 (Gembun 2), there was a depiction of a nekomata taking on the appearance of a human female playing a shamisen, but since shamisen in the Edo period were frequently made by using the skins of cats, the nekomata played the shamisen and sang a sad song about its own species, and has been interpreted as a kind of irony etc. Concerning the fact that they wear geisha clothing, there is the viewpoint they are related due to the fact that geisha were once called "cats (neko)" (refer to first image).
Also, in the "Gazu Hyakki Yagyō" published in 1776 (An'ei 5) (refer to image on right), with a depiction of a cat on the left with its head coming out of a shōji, a cat on the right with a handkerchief on its head and its forepaw on the veranda, and a cat in the middle also wearing a handkerchief and standing on two legs, and thus as a cat that has not had enough experience and thus as difficulty standing on two legs, a cat that has grown older and has become able to stand on two legs, it can be seen to be depicting the process by which a normal cat grows older and tramsforms into a nekomata. Also, in the Bigelow collection of the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston (the ukiyo-e collection), in the "Hyakki Yagyō Emaki," since pretty much the same composition of nekomata has been depicted, some have pointed out a relation between them.
Senri
In China there is a cat yōkai called "senri (仙狸)" (where 狸 means "leopard cat"). This is where leapord cats that grow old gain a divine spiritual power, and they would shapeshift into a beautiful man or woman and suck the spirit out of humans.
There is the theory that the legends of nekomata of Japan comes from senri.
Nekomata in modern subculture
Nekomata are popular motifs in manga and anime today. A well known fictitious Nekomata of modern times is "Kirara" from the novel and anime series InuYasha, written by Takahashi Rumiko. Kirara appears there as a cuddly little kitten with two tails when calm, but she rapidly morphs into a giant, flying saber-toothed tiger, when provoked or whenever her mistress 'Sango' orders the cat to do so.
A Nekomata is also seen in Ao No Exorcist with the character Kuro aka 'Blackie'. It is known for being a docile, sad cat who is waiting for his master to return. However, hearing the guards talk about his master's death, he becomes furious, unable to believe their words. He turns into his demon form, causing chaos until his master's son, Rin, settles him down. Chen, a character in the game series Touhou is also a Nekomata, under the control of another demon, Ran Yakumo.
See also
Notes
- ^ 多田 (2000)、170-171頁。
- ^ 笹間 (1994)、127-128頁。
- ^ 石川 (1986)、696頁。
- ^ 平岩 (1992)、36-66頁。
- 荻田安静編著 (1989). "宿直草". In 高田衛編・校中 (ed.). 江戸怪談集. 岩波文庫. Vol. 上. 岩波書店. pp. 121–124. ISBN 978-4-00-302571-0.
- 編著者不詳 (1989). "曾呂利物語". In 高田衛編・校中 (ed.). 江戸怪談集. 岩波文庫. Vol. 中. 岩波書店. pp. 57–58. ISBN 978-4-00-302572-7.
- 谷川健一 (1998). 続 日本の地名. 岩波新書. 岩波書店. p. 146. ISBN 978-4-00-430559-0.
- 日野巌 (2006). 動物妖怪譚. 中公文庫. Vol. 下. 中央公論新社. pp. 158–159. ISBN 978-4-12-204792-1.
- "ネコのうんちく". カフェ にゃんまる. Retrieved 2012-11-03.
{{cite web}}: External link in|publisher= - 佐野賢治他 (1980). 桜井徳太郎編 (ed.). 民間信仰辞典. 東京堂出版. p. 223. ISBN 978-4-490-10137-9.
- 京極夏彦 (2010). "妖怪の宴 妖怪の匣 第6回". In 郡司聡他編 (ed.). 怪. カドカワムック. Vol. vol.0029. 角川書店. p. 122. ISBN 978-4-04-885055-1.
{{cite book}}:|volume=has extra text (help) - Hartwell, Sarah (2001-2009). "Winged Cats, What are they?". Cat Resource Archive. Messybeast.com. Retrieved 2010年4月26日.
{{cite web}}: Check date values in:|accessdate=(help) - ^ 古山他 (2005)、155頁。
- 湯本豪一編著 (2006). 続・妖怪図巻. 国書刊行会. pp. 161–165. ISBN 978-4-336-04778-6.
- 新紀元社編集部 (2003). 健部伸明監修 (ed.). 真・女神転生悪魔事典. Truth In Fantasy. 新紀元社. p. 94. ISBN 978-4-7753-0149-4.
- 一条真也監修 (2010). 世界の幻獣エンサイクロペディア. 講談社. p. 194. ISBN 978-4-06-215952-4.
References
- 石川純一郎他 (1986). 乾克己他編 (ed.). 日本伝奇伝説大事典. 角川書店. ISBN 978-4-04-031300-9.
- 笹間良彦 (1994). 図説・日本未確認生物事典. 柏書房. ISBN 978-4-7601-1299-9.
- 多田克己 (2000). 京極夏彦・多田克己編 (ed.). 妖怪図巻. 国書刊行会. ISBN 978-4-336-04187-6.
- 平岩米吉 (1992). "猫股伝説の変遷". 猫の歴史と奇話. 築地書館. ISBN 978-4-806-72339-4.
- 古山桂子他 (2005). 播磨学研究所編 (ed.). 播磨の民俗探訪. 神戸新聞総合出版センター. ISBN 978-4-343-00341-6.
- Patrick Drazen: A Gathering of Spirits: Japan's Ghost Story Tradition: from Folklore and Kabuki to Anime and Manga. iUniverse, New York 2011, ISBN 1-4620-2942-6, page 114.
- Elli Kohen: World history and myths of cats. Edwin Mellen Press, Lewiston 2003, ISBN 0-7734-6778-5, page 48–51.
- Carl Van Vechten: The Tiger In The House. Kessinger Publishing, Whitefish 2004 (Reprint), ISBN 1-4179-6744-7, page 96.
External links
- web-informations about Nekomata at obakemono.com (English)
- Nekomata – The Split-Tailed Cat at hyakumonogatari.com(English)