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Nekomata

Real Name

Nekomata

First Appearance

 Japanese Myth

Created by

Japanese Myth

Origin[]

Nekomata are a kind of cat yōkai described in Japanese folklore, classical kaidan, essays, etc. There are two very different types: those that live in the mountains and domestic cats that have grown old and transformed into yōkai. Nekomata are often confused with Bakeneko. The distinction between them is often ambiguous, but the largest difference is that the nekomata has two tails, while the bakeneko has only one.

Mountain Nekomata conceal themselves in mountain recesses; and there are stories that deep in the mountains they shapeshift into humans. The nekomata captured in the mountains of Kii Province are as large as a wild boar. Their roaring echos throughout the mountain, and they can be seen as big as a lion or leopard. In Etchū Province (now Toyama Prefecture), in Aizu, at Nekomatayama said to be where nekomata would devour humans (now Fukushima Prefecture), nekomata that shapeshift into humans and deceive people, like Mount Nekomadake, the legends sometimes are named after the name of the associated mountain.

Since the Edo period, it has become generally believed that domestic cats turn into nekomata as they grow old, and mountainous nekomata have come to be interpreted as cats that have run away to live in the mountains. As a result, throughout Japan a folk belief developed that cats should not be kept for long periods.

In the book Yamato Kaiiki, one story speaks of a rich samurai's haunted house where the inhabitants witnessed several poltergeist activities. Attempting to end those events, the samurai called upon countless shamans, priests and evokers; but none of them could locate the source of the terror. One day, one of the most loyal servants saw his master's aged cat carrying in its mouth a shikigami with the samurai's name imprinted on it. Immediately shooting a sacred arrow, the servant hit the cat in its head; and as it lay dead on the floor, everyone could see that the cat had two tails and therefore had become a nekomata. With its death, the poltergeist activities ended.

It is generally said that the "mata" of "nekomata" refers to their having two tails; but from the perspective of folkloristics, this appears questionable. Since nekomata transform as they age, "mata" meaning "repetition" is postulated. Alternatively, since they were once thought to be mountain beasts, there is a theory that "mata" refers to monkeys, since nekomata can come and go freely among the mountain trees. There is also a theory that the term derives from the way in which cats that grow old shed the skin off their backs and hang downwards, making it appear that they have two tails.

In Japan cats are often associated with death, and this particular spirit is often blamed. Far darker and more malevolent than most bakeneko, the nekomata is said to have powers of necromancy, and upon raising the dead, will control them with ritualistic dances, gesturing with paw and tail. These yōkai are associated with strange fires and other inexplicable occurrences. The older and more abused a cat is prior to its transformation, the more power the nekomata is said to have. To gain revenge against those who wronged it, the spirit may haunt humans with visitations from their deceased relatives. Some tales state that these demons, like bakeneko, assume human appearances, usually appearing as older women, behaving badly in public, and bringing gloom and malevolence wherever they travel. Due to these beliefs, sometimes kittens' tails were cut off based on the assumption that if the tails could not fork, the cats could not become nekomata.


Public Domain Literary Appearances[]

All published appearances of the nekomata from before January 1, 1930 are public domain in the US.

Some notable appearances are listed below:

  • Hyakkai Zukan
  • Meigetsuki
  • Wakun no Shiori
  • Kankyō Hōin
  • Yamato Kaiiki
  • Taihei Hyakumonogatari
  • Rōō Chabanashi
  • Gazu Hyakki Yagyō

Notes[]

  • In the Pokemon series there are several examples of Pokemon inspired by the Nekomata including Espeon and Meowstic.

See Also[]

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