153 - Nekomata

【猫又、nekomata】

[The first character in nekomata means cat, as I'm sure many are aware, however, there are two ways to write this word in Japanese. The first is written above, with the second character meaning 'again' or 'and'. The second is "猫股", with the new character meaning 'a fork', like in a road, tree, or even in a person (the crotch).]

The name "nekomata" comes from the sight of a cat's tail splitting in two when it grows old and develops mystical powers.

Since ancient times, it has been said that long-lived cats, by virtue of their longevity, acquire magical powers, learn to speak human languages, stand on their hind legs and walk, and can even turn into humans and attack people.

Although it is now believed that it is mainly female cats that can change form, the "Illustrated Sino-Japanese Encyclopedia (1719)" states that a male cat with pure yellowish-red hair that lives more than ten-odd years will transform and bring misfortune, suggesting that it was male cats that originally would change form.

In China, it is said that a cat from Jinhua, if bathed in the life essence of the moon every night, will transform within three years of being kept and take on the form of a human being to bewitch humans. If a person is bewitched by this cat, they will fall asleep and never wake up, and the only way to cure them is to feed them the cat's flesh.

There are many stories of monster cats throughout Japan, but the most famous is probably the "Monster Cat of Nabeshima" from Saga Prefecture.

During the Edo period, Saga was ruled by the Nabeshima family who had replaced the Ryuuzouji family, the previous lords of the domain. One day, Mitsushige Nabeshima, head of the clan, was playing Go with his vassal, Mataichirou Ryuuzouji, a direct descendant of the previous lord, when they had a quarrel and Mataichirou was murdered.

When Mataichirou's mother learned of the incident, she cursed the lord and committed suicide.

Koma, her cat, licked all of the mother's blood, and after killing the feudal lord's concubine, disguised itself as the concubine and tormented the feudal lord night and day. A retainer, who was on guard duty at the castle, witnessed the concubine's suspicious behavior, such as licking the oil from lanterns, and realized that she was a monster cat, and attacked her.

However, she avoided the attack and fled to the mountains, taking the form of a frightening monster cat.

Cats have a long history as friends of humans, and there are many stories about them around the world.

It is said that Egypt was the first country to keep cats as pets, sometimes revered as sacred beasts. Therefore, in ancient Egypt, there was a god named Bastet, a cat-headed humanoid.

In Northern Europe, there is also a black cat fairy called Cait Sith, who is said to walk on two legs and speak human language.