A trip through Japan to discover the legends about native cats
The history of Japanese cats, pets loved by emperors
Iwazaki Eiji's family had cats at home, so living with them was the most normal in the world for him since he was born.At the University he studied feline nutrition and his personal interest led him to investigate the history of domestication of these animals.At that time it was believed that the first domesticated cats went back to the ancient Egyptian civilization, about 4 ago.000 years.The mininos were considered gods in Egypt.
“However, in 2004 they announced that they had discovered in Cyprus some bones of a cat breeding that dated about 9 years ago.500 years;They had found them in a tomb of the Archaeological site of Shillourakambos in which there were also human bone remains.Thus, it is currently thought that the origins of the domestic cat would be prior to ancient Egypt, ”explains Iwazaki.
“With regard to Japan, it was believed that the domestic cat descended from felines arriving at the archipelago through the Silk route, between the Nara and Heian periods.They brought them from the continent to protect the mice Buddhist sutras during boat journey.However, in 2011 they excavated at the Karakami site (Iki Island, Nagasaki), dating from the Yayoi period, bones that have been identified as the oldest of a domestic cat in the country.Apparently, the domestication of these animals dates back to about 2.000 years.On the other hand, it is thought that Japanese cats, which are characterized by their black, mottled or tricolor fur (calicó), their small ears and their short or crooked tail, differ slightly from Westerners in genetic terms.After having investigated the differences between the genes of the western cats and those of the Japanese and having verified the peculiarities of the latter, I consider that the latter deserve to be considered a race itself ”, the expert continues.
In the Heian period, when there were not many cats in Japan yet, felines were idolized and great value pets among the noble class, the emperor included.
“The imperial family of Japan is the oldest monarchy in the world, as well as the one that has cultivated a relationship with cats for longer.The deep link between emperors and cats stands out especially.There is a newspaper in which Emperor Uda, whose reign lasted from 887 to 931, wrote, as an official record and with great detail, about his cat.I loved him very much, judging by the way he expressed himself about this black cat that his father, Emperor Kōkō, had given him at age 17.On the other hand, it is known that Emperor Ichijō, who occupied the throne from 980 to 1011, also liked cats.In fact, in the book of the pillow they say that he idolized the mininos that came to give them an official position, ”says Iwazaki.
The doctor ended up fully in a folklore -centered investigation when he began to investigate the history of Japanese cats, on which there are hardly any official records, and to seek more legends related to the mininos.
Grateful legends and monstrous cats
At first, Iwazaki decided to explore some historical places related to cats once he had obtained a veterinary doctorate.Thus, after looking for information on the Internet and consulting several travel guides, he spent a week tour.To date, he has visited a hundred of these enclaves, distributed throughout Japan.
“When looking for ancient documents, I was surprised that there were so many places with this type of oral tradition.In many cases, the information found on the Internet is concise or plagued with errors.I wanted the next generations to have the right data available to them, so I started visiting those sites, ”says the doctor.
“In Niigata, the prefecture where the greatest number of unumptive sanctuaries throughout the country is concentrated, the oral tradition related to cats is extensive.Surely felines were also the nemesis of mice in the place par excellence of national rice production.For example, the Nanbu Sanctuary (Nagaoka) is enshrined in the cat Nekomata Gongen, whose stone statue receives us when we arrive at the main building.In the era of greatest prosperity of serulture, the people believed that this feline God protected the rice and the worms of the rodents, ”says Iwazaki.
Nanbu Sanctuary (Nagaoka, Niigata).
There are similar legends in different corners of the archipelago;However, we can also find many stories in a specific area.
“In Tōhoku we have the history of El Cat Parochian, one of the most recurring in oral tradition.They say that one day the cat of the Buddhist monk of a poor temple disappears, but then appears in dreams and says: 'They will celebrate a funeral in the house of a rich man who lived near here, so I will introduce myselfthere and I will bother the attendees.I will tell you the spell that you have to recite to stop making mischief;Then they will give you a lot of money in thanks and improve the situation of the temple ’.As the cat had told him, the temple thrives thanks to the fact that the notoriety charged by the monk's magic, ”says the expert.
“On the other hand, in Nagano there are many legends about the Karaneko, a term used to refer to cats from China.One of the most famous is what they count on the surroundings of the Karaneko Sanctuary.According to this story, Karaneko borrows from the neighbors to exterminate a mouse -shaped monster.In the end, the cat ending up making himself great as he fights the death against the giant rodent, ”says Iwazaki.
The mysteries of the legends of Yasaburōbā and the Nekomata
One of Niigata's most famous mythological creatures is Yasaburōbā, an old -fashioned old woman from Bakeneko (another character of Japanese folklore) that eats people.According to the doctor, children are usually used to scare children: if they behave badly, Yasaburōbā will kidnap them;In the Tōhoku region it has always been Yuki-onna, another being of Japanese folklore, who takes with her the children who upset at night, but in Niigata they have adapted the story to the local tradition.
Yasaburōbā was the mother of the Master Herrero of the Sanctuary of Yahiko (Niigata Northern Region), but the spite that caused her son's defeat in front of the master carpenter during the ritual in which the completion of the works was commemoratedIn an ogre.It should be noted that the legend of the goddess Myōtara-Ten, to which the Hōkō-In is dedicated (a Buddhist temple located in the vicinity of the sanctuary), links this old man demonized with a Bakeneko.
“On the island of Sado there was an old woman who liked cats and ended up becoming a Bakeneko while laying on the sand next to a cat that had thrown into the ground to play;Then he flew in the direction of Mount Yahiko.The locals tried to kill her, so the old woman turned into a cat caused several disasters.Shortly after, the town decided to venerate the old woman, who became known as the goddess Myōtara-ten.That is the legend;However, it is not an official version: in the Hōkō-in they explained to me that the goddess Myōtara-Ten to which they worship there is not related to the cats, ”says the expert.
There are also legends that have reached us through the official records: “In the village of Nakanomata (Niigata) the story of Ushiki Kichijūrō, a strong villager who killed a Nekomata, a cat with a cat with a cat shaped.Thanks to the documents that are preserved, it is known that the facts took place in 1683, and that the lifeless body of the creature was the same size as that of a calf.In addition, they keep in a museum the sword it used, ”explains Iwazaki.
Recreation of the history of Ushiki Kichijūrō, who in the period Edo killed a nekomata.Although the representation of the photograph corresponds to a spring festival that took place in the Nakanomata village in May 2012, they have repeated it in subsequent occasions (courtesy of the non -profit organization Kamiechigo Yamazato Fan Club).
According to Iwazaki, this story is related to that of a nekomata that appeared in the vicinity of Mount Fuji: “It is a legend linked to Mount Nekomata, in Kurobe's throat.It turns out that the cat, who unleashed the fury of the Fuji Gongen deity and was expelled from Fuji, ended up living in that mountain of the prefecture of Toyama, where people eaten and committed other evil acts.Then several hunters surrounded the mountain with the intention of killing it, but the cat suddenly disappeared.The monster would have fled to Niigata and would have continued feeding on locals, in this case of Nakanomata, where he would finally have died at the hands of Ushiki Kichijūrō.As I investigated about it, I discovered something else: the stories that are told in different places are related.I still collect information and enjoy the emotion that causes me to see how the different pieces of the puzzle fit ”.
The Bakeneko and the Manekineko of the Edo period
When serulture was a booming activity, in the Sanctuary of Bandai (Fukushima) they distributed amulets with the image of a cat.They currently retain a wooden plate with which they were made and this copy paper in the band of band-san enichi-ji.
If we give the existence of cats like that of the history of El Cat Paroquiano, who was grateful for its owner, we can think that there is also Bakeneko that attack people, such as Nekomata.The image of cat -shaped monsters spread in a particular way during the Edo period.“We can formulate certain hypotheses based on nutritional aspects: the calories that a feline needs to ingest per day equals ten mice.Mininos are not very good to fast and require proteins in large quantities.When hunger can no longer endure, they eat any type of meat.It is possible that the image of the Bakeneko is associated with the horror that would have caused in other times to see cats lacking proteins devouring human corpses.In addition, these animals are carnivores by nature, so they do not like foods rich in carbohydrates, such as rice.In the edo period they licked the fish oil from the foot lamps every night;They did it on two legs.Possibly, that scene caused some people to fear, ”says the doctor.
However, the Edo period was a time when the value of cats increased.“In the areas where serulture prospered, the mininos protected the silkworms of the mice, hence it would be marketed with them as useful animals for the human being.It is recorded that cats were sold for five Ryō, while a horse cost one, ”says Iwazaki.
Let's talk about the origins of the Manekineko, the decorative cats that appear with a front leg raised in invitation and that bring prosperity in business.There are several theories about these figures, which became popular during the Edo period.
The Manekineko of the Gōtoku temple occupy the cover of the book Waneko no Ashiato (after the traces of the Japanese cats), by Iwazaki Eiji.
Gōtoku-Ji (Setagaya, Tokyo) is very famous for a legend about the Manekineko.It was originally called Kotoku-in and was a poor temple.They say that the monk's cat of this temple caught the attention of II Naotaka, an important figure at the service of the tokugawa Sogunate at the beginning of the Edo period, and from his men raising the leg and guided them to the home of its owner just beforethat a strong storm fell, when they returned from hunting hawks.II, rejoicing for having got rid of the inclement weather and for the opportunity to listen.Today it has a place dedicated to the Manekineko next to the Shōfuku-Den Pavilion.In this area an enormous amount of figurines of these mininos of luck is grouped.
The Imado Sanctuary (Taitō, Tokyo), a place with tradition among those who seek the favor of the gods to find a partner, also enjoy fame as a sanctuary of the Manekineko.In the front of the chapel (Haiden) there are several cats of large luck.This does not mean that the sanctuary is the place of origin of these felines, but has to do with the fact that the Imado zone gives its name to a ceramics of there that was fashionable at the end of the Edo period.It is very possible that the Marushimeneko, some imado ceramic figurines, served as a prototype of the Manekineko.
On the left, the Manekineko of the Imado Sanctuary;On the right, two Marushimeneko.
On the other hand, there are those who believe that the origin of the Manekineko is related to the Usummo Dayū cat, a high -ranking courtesan of Yoshiwara.This pet he adored endangered his own life to protect her from a giant snake."There are several stories about the samples of gratitude of cats towards beautiful women who felt fascination with them and about the close relationship between prostitutes and cats," Iwazaki reveals.
"Many manekineko carry a red necklace.In the book of the pillow it is said that a cat that wears a red necklace garrinated from a white marbe has a refined grace.In addition, in the xylographs starring beautiful women of Edo (Bijinga), it became fashionable to imitate the composition of an image in which the third princess appears (Onna Sanno Miya), from the history of Genji, accompanied by a white pussyblack spots that wearing a red necklace.Therefore, there are still many cats of the fate of aspect similar to that.In the Iian period these valuable animals, who could only have the relevant figures of the Imperial Court, tied them with a rope so that they would not escape.Even in the period, the lovers of the felines tied their appreciated pets, ”explains the doctor.
The loss of legends
The habit of binding cats would have endured until the 16th century, since in 1602 the delegation of the Sogunate in Kyoto promulgated an ordinance under which felines had to be left loose.The reason for it was to alleviate the serious problem, the result of urbanization, in which the damage caused by mice had become.However, it seems that there were owners who continued to tie their mininos to prevent them from being robbed, since these animals had gained popularity as pets of great value.Cats and dogs were stopped by 1685, the year in which the fifth Sogún of the Tokugawa, Tsunayoshi, prohibited it as part of its animal protection ordinances.
At present, however, the most frequent thing is to have cats inside the house.“It is avoided that they get diseases or run over, hence they live more years.Anyway, it is not that one can say that they lead a happy life.They are likely to suffer from stones in idiopathic kidneys and cystitis, ailments that, according to the latest studies, could be caused by stress, among other factors.In addition, there are more and more obese cats.During some tests carried out with a view to creating a body mass index for cats, it was discovered that about half of Japan's mininos are overweight.At the moment the pandemic has caused an increase in the number of people who want to have a pet that helps them relax, which has caused the value of cats to be triggered to levels similar to those of the Edo period.It is a somewhat complicated situation from the mental point of view, ”says Iwazaki.
In addition to wishing that current cats live happy, the expert wants to do everything possible to preserve legends about Japanese mininos.“Many documents were lost during the war or because of natural disasters and there are less and less people aware of oral tradition.I would like to be disclosed abroad the information that I have, hence, for now, I am interestedFor the legends about Tokyo cats.In addition, I would like to collect the stories of the 47 prefectures of Japan, not only those of the capital.Pandemia is affecting the temples and sanctuaries of the country;For this reason, I hope that these places take advantage of the native legends that revolve around the mininos and incorporate them into local revitalization initiatives, ”says Iwazaki.
Image of the header: The stone statue of a cat placed at the entrance of the main building of the Nanbu sanctuary, also known as Nekomata Gongen.All the photographs that appear in the article are from Iwazaki Eiji, unless otherwise indicated in credits.
(Spanish translation of the original in Japanese)