Nekogami

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Nekogami ( Japanese 猫 神 ) is the name for Kami - often translated as deity, but more precisely spirit beings - revered cats ( neko ) of the Japanese Shinto belief. During the Edo period , cats were raised to the status of kami , as they acted as friends and helpers to protect people's food supplies, but also to protect silkworms from rats and mice . Today the "cat gods" are worshiped as protectors of domestic cats in this world and in the hereafter . Offerings should make them favorable, give their own cats a long life or heal them from diseases.

The Maneki-neko , which is a lucky charm in the form of an upright cat, is not one of the nekogami . Nor are the cat-like figures of the Kasha , the Bakeneko and the Nekomata assigned to the demons ( Yōkai ) .

Cat worship in Japan today

The center of the worship of the cat as Nekogami is the area of ​​today's Miyagi Prefecture . There are only ten Shinto - shrines that are dedicated to a "cat deity", and are located in the prefecture also a variety of stone steles (compared to the other Japanese prefectures Sekihi , 石碑 ), the cats are devoted, and 51 known cat -Tombs.

The accumulation of cat shrines in Miyagi Prefecture is explained by the fact that the area was a center of Japanese sericulture during the Edo period . Rats were a natural enemy of the silkworms and were in turn hunted by cats. The farmers expressed their gratitude to the cats, on which their welfare depended in part, by building these shrines.

The Neko-jinja on Tashiro Island

The most famous cat shrine ( Neko-jinja , 猫 神社 ) in Miyagi Prefecture is located on Tashiro Island (Tashirojima, 田 代 島 ), which is part of Ishinomaki Township , Miyagi Prefecture. The Legend of lived on the island once a cat who made friends with the local fishermen and provide them with weather forecasts helped to achieve a better catch. An accident caused a rockfall during construction work by the fishermen, which killed the cat. In order to avoid mischief and bad catch, the shrine was built on the site of the misfortune. It is still used today by cat lovers to ask the cat raised as a kami for the welfare of the cats now living in the house.

In Takahata , Yamagata Prefecture (a prefecture neighboring Miyagi), silkworms were also farmed during the Edo period, and a “ palace of the cat” (Neko-no-miya, 猫 の 宮 ), a special one , was even established for the cats generous temple, erected.

Nekogami-jinja

The most famous shrine of cat worship in Japan is the Nekogami-jinja ( 猫 神 神社 ) in Kagoshima . According to tradition, it was founded in 1602 by Shimazu Yoshihiro ( 島 津 義 弘 , 1535-1619), daimyo of Satsuma . During his campaigns to Korea on behalf of Toyotomi Hideyoshi , he is said to have had seven cats on board one of his ships, whose pupils changed over the course of a day with the position of the sun. Each cat could have shown a specific time of day (e.g. 6:00 a.m., 8:00 a.m., etc.) and ensured navigation and adherence to military schedules. Two of the seven cats survived the expedition and upon their return to Japan, Shimazu had a shrine built for them in gratitude for their faithful service. The shrine is now part of the extensive Sengan-en ( 仙巖 園 ) gardens , which were laid out in the middle of the 17th century by Shimazu Mitsuhisa ( 島 津 光 久 , 1638–1687).

The Nekogami-jinja is visited by pilgrims who want to ask the help of the "cat god" in the search for missing cats, to pray for the recovery of sick animals, a long life for their cats or for the welfare of a deceased cat in the afterlife. Cat lovers come all year round and leave messages for their beloved pets on wooden votive boards , the ema . In addition to Japanese inscriptions, there are also Chinese or those with English or French texts. Twice a year, on "Day of the Cat" ( Neko-no-kinenbi , 猫 の 記念 日 ) on February 22nd, and on the "Day of Time" ( Toki-no-kinenbi , 時 の 記念 日 ), on February 10th June, a special ceremony takes place in the shrine , at which the priest reads, among other things, the names of the deceased cats entered in a death register. On the “Day of Time”, not only cat lovers, but also watchmakers and watch dealers gather to ask for a long life on this day, as the “cat deities” venerated in the shrine are also considered the guardians of time.

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Individual evidence

  1. ^ Charles Alfred Speed ​​Williams: Chinese Symbolism and Art Motifs: A Comprehensive Handbook on Symbolism in Chinese Art through the Ages . 8th edition. Tuttle Publishing, North Clarendon 2006, ISBN 0-8048-3704-X (English, limited preview in Google Book Search [accessed August 5, 2012]).
  2. ↑ a b 猫 神 神社 . WaShimo, accessed on August 5, 2012 (With images of the Nekogami-jinja and the votive tablets.).