Nekomata

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Nekomata walking on its hind legs. Two younger cats try unsuccessfully to walk on two legs as well. However, they fail because they are too young and have not yet turned into nekomata. Illustration from the Gazu Hyakkiyagyō (画 図 百 鬼 夜行“Illustrated nocturnal procession of all demons”, 3 volumes, 1776) by Toriyama Sekien .

A nekomata ( Japanese 猫 股or猫 又; from Japanese neko "cat" and mata "fork" or "forked"; completely therefore "forked cat") is a fictional being from Japanese popular belief that can develop from a domestic cat , but is also said to dwell in the wild in certain mountain regions of Japan and China . She belongs to the group of higher demons , the Yōkai .

The Nekomata is regarded as a relative of the Bakeneko (also a cat demon who knows magic ), whereby the transitions are fluid and the Nekomata are very often confused with the Bakeneko. Only the double or forked tail should ensure a distinction. Nekomata are considered to be malicious in traditional folk beliefs, in contrast to Maneki-neko , the "waving cat", which is said to bring good luck. The belief in Nekomata is represented in both Buddhism and Shintoism . Cat demons comparable to nekomata are also known from Chinese mythology . Stories and legends about alleged encounters with Nekomata have been handed down at least since the early author Yoshida Kenkō (1283-1350) of the transition period from the Kamakura period (1185-1333) to the beginning of the Muromachi period (1336-1573).

backgrounds

etymology

Of the different to the case of the Japanese used writing systems : two for the etymology of "Nekomata" are important Kanji (from the Chinese character acquired characters) and Hiragana (a Japanese syllabary ). The oldest spelling of the name “Nekomata” was a combination of the Kanji,猫 (neko) for “cat” and the two hiragana characters ま た(mata) . A later spelling used the two Kanji猫 股. The second Kanji has the meaning "fork" or "forked" and together the Kanji - in relation to the double tail - result in the descriptive term "forked cat". However, the most commonly used spelling is with the Kanji猫 又. Here, too, the first kanji stands for "cat". There are different explanations for the meaning of the second. One explains the second Kanji with the meaning of the counting word mata wa (“multiple”, “repeat”, but also “either or”) and refers to the demon's double tail. The second explanation relates to the meaning of the Kanji又in the sense of "again" or "also". The “re-cat” or “also-cat”, also translated as “revenant cat”, would therefore be traced back to the popular superstition that a cat has several lives.

Both kanji,股and又, are later additions. Most likely they are for from the past an attempt explanations handed down word to offer its real meaning has been lost by the differences in the traditions (so-called Chinese whispers principle ), so that no clear link more can be made between word origins and today's name . The exact origin of the name Nekomata is therefore not known. However, since mata also means “fork” or “forked”, which best suits the demon's appearance, the Japanese name Nekomata is commonly translated as “forked cat” in modern literature.

Traditional description

According to Japanese folklore , nekomata are thought to be very similar to an ordinary cat, but they are noticeable for their unusual size and two tails. They are said to develop when a house cat becomes unusually old (usually older than three or thirteen years) or obese and heavier than eight pounds (equivalent to 4 kg). It is also said that when nekomata feel unobserved, they walk upright on two legs. In addition, they should be able to transform themselves into old women. Furthermore, they are said to have certain black magic powers: They can bewitch non-magical house cats , summon Hitodama and feed on the blood of their owners (similar to vampires ). In Chinese popular belief, it is said that the tails of a nekomata turn into snakes during the night , which is why it became fashionable to dock the tails of domestic cats as early as the early 11th century . Around 1602 this was forbidden by an imperial decree.

Different shapes

Japanese popular belief also roughly distinguishes between two forms of Nekomata: One lives as a wild animal in the mountains , while the other form lives in houses and develops from the domestic cat. It can be observed that the body size of the Nekomata increases in the course of time in the traditions. In 1685 the Shinchomonshū reports of a Nekomata that was caught in the mountains of the province of Kii and that is said to have been approximately the size of a wild boar ; In 1775 the Wakun no shiori reported the roar of a nekomata that could be heard from the mountains, whereupon the size of a lion or panther was assumed. The Gūisō (寓意 草) from 1809 tells of a 2.8 m tall nekomata that carried a dog in its mouth.

Similarities to the Bakeneko

Nekomata are quite often confused with the similar Bakeneko (化 け 猫"monster cat"). This is due to the fact that Bakeneko not only resemble the former outwardly (they also have the appearance of a house cat), both demons are magic, can change their shape and arise in the same way. Therefore, it is often not easy for the uninformed to recognize which legend or anecdote tells of a Nekomata and which of a Bakeneko, unless the demon is named in its own name. The differences between the two beings are that the Nekomata walk upright on two legs and have two or more tails, while the Bakeneko has only one tail and always walks on all fours.

Lore

Wild Nekomata

Nekomata in Tonoigusa (宿 直 草), around 1687. A hunter kills a Nekomata (bottom left), which has assumed the form of its mother.
Nekomata in the Yamato Kaiiki ; around 1709
Kawaraban the giant cat (Nekomata) by Azabu, around 1685

The earliest mention of the word "Nekomata" so far can be found in Zuihitsu Tsurezuregusa (徒然 草"Reflections from the Silence") from the years 1334 to 1339, written by the Buddhist monk Yoshida Kenkō . One of these essays tells of a pious priest and zealous poet named Amedabutsu , who lives near the Gyōgan Temple. He learns from his neighbors that a 'Nekomata', a monster that eats people , has been sighted in the nearby mountains . People tell him: "Even though our place is not a mountain region, you often hear about cats that transform into nekomata and kidnap people." Amedabutsu then says to himself: "I should be careful when I'm traveling alone." If the poet returns late in the evening from a lecture and is attacked in the dark by an initially indefinable being, he takes it for a nekomata and is frightened. The man falls into a stream and calls for help. In the light of the torches of the local residents, Amedabutsu realizes that it was in reality his own house dog who recognized his master in the dark, greeted him and accidentally pushed him into the stream. But Amedabutsu, although he had lost his precious poems and writing utensils in the fall, returns home as if he had just escaped his life, and he is laughed at by the villagers.

Nekomata with Shamisen in the Hyakkai-Zukan (百 怪 図 巻) from 1737

A kawaraban (traditional Japanese leaflet ) dates from 1685 and reports on a Nekomata known as Ōneko (大 猫"giant cat"): In the village of Azabu (now a part of Tokyo ), people are said to have been repeatedly attacked and dogs and even foxes have been injured or injured have been killed. After several attempts to drive away or kill the animal, the creature was trapped in a cage. According to the story, the animal turned out to be a cat almost three feet high with a forked tail.

Companion of man

In the Yamato Kaiiki (大 和 怪異 記"Mysterious Tales of Japan"), written around 1709 by an unknown author, there is an account of the house of a samurai in which inexplicable Hitodama phenomena occur again and again: Eerily glowing fireballs, which almost 8 cm hover above the ground, are observed in and around the house, all attempts to catch them are unsuccessful. One evening watching the inhabitants of a residential area a whole bunch of Hitodama in a tree top of a neighboring garden. At the same time, the maidservants of the samurai are frightened by poltergeist activities: their sleeping pillows rotate like tops and one of the maidservants' pillows moves in all directions before it disappears without a trace. The samurai asks innumerable shamans , summoners and priests for help, but no one finds the source or the author of the spook . Their prayers and spells are also ineffective. One day the owner of the house finally discovers a very old cat who is walking across the roof on its hind legs and is wearing a headscarf with the name of the missing servant. When the man the cat with arrow and bow kills, discover the local residents that the animal has two tails and thus obviously a Nekomata was. With the death of the demon cat, the events are said to have ended immediately.

A similar anecdote can be found in Buson yōkai emaki (蕪 村 妖怪 絵 巻"Buson's illustrated story of the Yōkai"), which was written around 1754 by Yosa Buson (* 1716 - † 1784). It states that Prince Sakakibara's (榊 原) Nagoya (名古屋) estate was haunted by a Nekomata and harassed the residents . One of the followers, a certain Inaba Rokurō , finally provides the being. The Nekomata stands up, pats herself on the stomach with her paws and shouts cheekily: “Shoot!”. Inaba shoots the monster with his arquebus over fifty times , but the pellets ricochet off the cat's belly without injuring it. The story leaves open whether the Nekomata can ever be driven out.

Also in writings like the Taihei Hyaku Monogatari (太平 百 物語"Collection of 100 fairy tales") by Ichinaka Sanjin Yūsa from 1732 a Nekomata is reported. A visitor to the Buddhist Hyongo temple in Kyoto takes advantage of the abbot's absence to look around the temple. Through a crack in the door he observes three beautiful young women having a conversation in an adjoining room . This is the visitor as odd, after all, this is a temple and the abbot is actually considered ascetic living cleric known. When the abbot returns and invites the young man into the room in which the women were previously, there are now three cats sitting there - to the great surprise of the visitor. The man alerts the abbot when he identifies the cats as nekomata, and the abbot chases the creatures out of the temple. In revenge, the Nekomata place a curse on the visitor , which causes the young man to perish.

In Rōō Chawa (老 媼 茶 話"Tea chats of old women") by Kida Tomizō (木田 富 蔵) from 1742, encounters with Nekomata are also told. An old cat lover is on a pilgrimage to the Suwa Shrine and picks up a little red cat near the Ema Shrine there . Overjoyed, the old woman decides to take the cat home with her, but the animal has suddenly disappeared. Soon after, the cat granny begins to develop a strange eye condition that prevents her from leaving her dark room. Incomprehensibly, she refuses any help. One day one of the house servants discovered bones and bloody clothing belonging to servants who had previously been reported missing in a nearby field. On the way to the home owner, to whom he wants to report the find, he meets the old cat grandma. She reacts angrily at the sight of the lost property. She tears the things out of the hand of the unfortunate servant and threatens him: "If you tell my son about these bones and clothes, I will devour you here and now!" Neighbor had observed several times how the old woman jumped over the high fence of the property and washed blood from her mouth in the stream directly behind it. Suddenly a large, black dog appeared and bit the woman on the arm. But the old woman just shook the dog off and jumped back over the fence. When the neighbor tells the owner of the house, he says: “It was undoubtedly that red cat that my mother devoured and assumed her shape. My mother always cared about her future life and therefore prayed to the Buddha regularly . But since last summer she has not offered any flowers or perfume to Buddha and she has crawled into a dark room. She doesn't look at me either, probably because a cat's eyes change every hour on the hour. Let's put dogs on them and see what happens. ”The host then borrows the strongest and bravest dogs and releases them into his mother's room. As soon as the dogs saw the old woman, they bark like crazy and immediately try to tear her to pieces. Even during the fight, the woman reveals her true form: it was indeed the red cat that the old woman had once picked up at the Ema shrine.

Another story comes from the epic Nansō Satomi Hakkenden (南 総 里 見 八 犬 伝"The story of the eight dogs from [the house] Satomi in Nansō ") by Kyokutei Bakin , which was written in the years 1814-1842. One of the "dogs", called Inumura Daikaku (犬 村 大 覚), succeeds in killing a Nekomata after a spectacular fight.

Another well-known legend from 1840 is about the young daimyo of the Nabeshima clan of Hizen , who is threatened by a nekomata. The daimyo regularly retreats to the private apartments with his favorite geisha in the evening after the couple have been out for a walk in the garden. During one of these usual evening walks, the daimyo and the geisha are watched and chased by a nekomata. She sneaks into the geisha's private room to ambush her under the bed. When the geisha falls asleep, she is surprised and strangled by the nekomata. The cat demon buries the body in the garden. Then he takes the form of the geisha and actually manages to deceive everyone in the palace . From now on, the Nekomata always sneaks into the daimyo's bedchamber at midnight to drink of his blood. The daimyo has no inkling of this, but before the eyes of the worried family he becomes increasingly pale and sickly. The court doctors are amazed and initially powerless. Finally, they advise the daimyo and the court to have the bedrooms closely guarded around the clock. But as if by magic covers all guards spot midnight in deep sleep and the young daimyo wasting more and more there. One day a young soldier reports to the court. He pretends to have mastered a technique that will help him stay awake for days and nights. And so he takes a stand in front of the daimyo's room. Around midnight he witnessed the soldiers falling asleep as if at the push of a button. He draws a dagger and keeps stabbing himself with the tip of the blade to keep from falling asleep. Shortly afterwards he observes a beautiful geisha who sneaks into the daimyo's room on all fours. When the soldier confronts them with drawn sword , she stares at him contemptuously with bright yellow cat eyes and runs away. This incident repeated itself for four nights. During this time, the daimyo miraculously recovers. The young soldier finally suspects. But when he asks the master of the house about the suspected geisha, he becomes angry and scolds the soldier. But the latter is convinced that the geisha is not who she claims to be. So he waits again until midnight and goes to the geisha's bedchamber. The woman opens the door for him and the soldier hands her a piece of paper with magical spells with the request that the geisha read him what was written. The woman then begins to hiss and spit, just like a cat does when it sees itself threatened. She seizes a halberd and the soldier and the demoness fight each other bitterly until the guards wake up to the noise of the battle and intervene in the fight. The false geisha reveals her true form, becomes a cat with two tails again, and jumps out of the window. The soldier reports the fight to the daimyo and one of the guards shows the host the body of the real geisha. The daimyo is horrified and orders that the cat be killed immediately. In the end, the soldier succeeds in doing this.

Further traditions

Color woodcut by Kunisada , Kabuki Triptych , 1847; Cat witch surrounded by three small nekomata
Color woodcut by Kunisada , Kabuki Triptych , 1847; Cat witch, in the background a giant nekomata

theatre

Similar to Bakeneko and Tanuki , nekomata are a common and traditional mask motif in Japanese kabuki theater . In 1740, a cat demon endowed with magical powers was shown for the first time in the Japanese puppet theater , the Bunraku , in the play Honryo Nekomata Yakata . In the 19th century, several other pieces were created in the Kabuki theater (such as Hitori Tabi Gojūsan Tsugi (獨 道 中 五十 三 驛, 1827), Hanano Saga Nekomata Sōshi (花 埜 嵯峨 猫 魔 稿, 1853) and Saga no Oku Yomyō Sōshi (嵯峨 奥 猫 魔 草紙, 1880)), in which a nekomata played a leading role. Over the course of the century, these pieces were occasionally reappeared on the repertoire of the theaters of the Edo period in different versions and with new titles. The performance of Hanano Saga Nekomata Sōshi was taken out of the program after a few productions at the objection of Saga-han because the plot had the murder of a high-ranking, blind official and the transformation of his wife into a Nekomata.

Body jewelry

Images of Nekomata as a clothing motif and even as tattoos have been passed down since the late Edo period (from around 1750). The bodies of the heroic characters of the Suikoden (水滸 伝) are decorated with, among other things, blue images of nine-tailed cats. Even today, tattoos with nekomata as body decorations are popular motifs in Japan.

Modern

Movie

Nekomata are a common motif in modern horror films , for example in "The Ghost Cat of Otama Pond " and "Kuroneko" ("Black Cats"). There they correspond to the modern stereotype of the “vengeful cat woman” and go back to the old, Chinese and Japanese popular belief that young kittens' tails must be docked because otherwise they would eventually become Bakeneko or Nekomata. In the films, the Nekomata are described as beautiful and provocative women who reveal their demonic cat form as soon as a male victim falls on them.

Manga and Anime

Nekomata are also a popular theme in modern anime series and fantasy novels. A known Nekomata is Kirara from the manga - and anime series Inuyasha ( 「犬夜叉」 ) of Takahashi Rumiko that occurs in the normal state as a kitten with two tails and in the excited state (or on command of her mistress Sango back) into a giant, transformed into airworthy saber-toothed tiger . Another well-known Nekomata is Kūro alias "Blackie" from the manga and anime series Ao no Exorcist (青 の 祓 魔 師). Kūro appears there as a tame, always melancholy cat, patiently waiting for the home owner to return. When Kūro learns of the master's death from the guards, he has a fit of anger and transforms into a giant nekomata. Only the son of the host can calm down Kūro again. A nekomata also appears in the popular manga series Naruto (ナ ル ト): “Matatabi”, better known as Nibi (ニ 尾“two tail”). This demon appears in the form of a huge big cat with different colored eyes and two tails, the body of which consists entirely of blue flames. Two more Nekomata appear in High School DxD : They are Kuroka Tōjō and her sister Koneko Tōjō.

Games

The Pokémon Psiaugon from the game series of the same name is based on the Nekomata. Its appearance is based on a two-tailed cat, its Japanese nameニ ャ オ ニ ク ス Nyaonix means something like "meowing claw".

Mythological relatives or similar beings

In addition to the Nekomata, there are other cat demons similar to the Nekomata and - according to popular belief - related cat demons in Shinto and Buddhism :

literature

  • Colette Balmain: Introduction to Japanese Horror Film . Edinburgh University Press, Edinburgh 2008, ISBN 978-0-7486-2475-1 .
  • Cheryl A. Crowley: Haikai poet Yosa Buson and the Bashō revival (=  Brill's Japanese Studies Library . Vol. 27). Brill, Leiden et al. 2007, ISBN 978-90-04-15709-5 (also: New York NY, Columbia Univ., Diss., 2001).
  • Patrick Drazen: A Gathering of Spirits. Japan's Ghost Story Tradition from Folklore and Kabuki to Anime and Manga . iUniverse, Bloomington IN 2011, ISBN 978-1-4620-2942-6 .
  • Susanne Formanek: The “bad old woman” in Japanese popular culture of the Edo period. The enemy valence and its social environment (= contributions to the cultural and intellectual history of Asia. Volume 47; = Austrian Academy of Sciences. Philosophical-historical class. Session reports 727). Publishing house of the Austrian Academy of Sciences, Vienna 2005, ISBN 3-7001-3546-7 .
  • Willem Robert van Gulik: Irezumi. The Pattern of Dermatography in Japan (= Mededelingen van het Rijksmuseum voor Volkenkunde. Vol. 22, ISSN  0169-9156 ). Brill, Leiden 1982 (Simultaneously: Leiden, Univ., Diss., 1982).
  • Ishikawa Junichirō et al: Large encyclopedia of Japanese adventures and legends . Kadokawa Shoten Publishing, Tokyo 1986, ISBN 4-04-031300-3 (Japanese).
  • Tada Kamitsu:妖怪 図 巻. Ed .: Kyōgoku Natsuhiko. Kokushokankokai Corporation, Tokyo 2000, ISBN 4-336-04187-3 .
  • Yoshida Kenko, George Bailey Sansom: Essays in Idleness . Cosimo Inc., New York NY 2009, ISBN 978-1-60520-805-3 .
  • Masashi Kishimoto: The Cheering Village (=  Naruto . Vol. 48). VIZ Media et al., San Francisco, California et al. 2010, ISBN 978-1-4215-3474-9 .
  • Elli Kohen: World history and myths of cats . Edwin Mellen Press, Lewiston NY et al. 2003, ISBN 0-7734-6778-5 .
  • Yumoto Koichi: 『図 説 江 戸 東京 怪異 百 物語』 . Kawade Shobōshinsha, Tokyo 2007, ISBN 978-4-309-76096-4 .
  • Samuel L. Leader: New Kabuki Encyclopedia. A Revised Adaptation of Kabuki Jiten. Greenwood Press, Westport CT et al. 1997, ISBN 0-313-29288-4 .
  • Carl van Vechten : The Tiger In The House . Knopf, New York NY 1920 (Reprinted in New York Review Books, New York NY 2007, ISBN 978-1-59017-223-0 ).
  • Susan Veness, Simon Veness: The Hidden Magic of Walt Disney World Planner. A Complete Organizer, Journal, and Keepsake for Your Unforgettable Vacation . Adams Media, Avon MA 2012, ISBN 978-1-4405-2810-1 .
  • MW de Visser: The Dog and the Cat in Japanese Superstition . In: Transactions of the Asiatic Society of Japan . Vol. 37, No. 1 , 1909, ISSN  0913-4271 , p. 1-78 .
  • T. Volker: The animal in Far Eastern art and especially in the art of the Japanese netsuke, with references to Chinese origins, traditions, legends, and art (=  Mededelingen van het Rijksmuseum voor Volkenkunde . Vol. 7). Brill, Leiden 1950.
  • Peter Warner: Perfect Cats . Sidgwick & Jackson, London 1991, ISBN 1-55521-946-2 .
  • Hiraiwa Yumie:狐 の 嫁入 り: 御 宿 か わ せ み. In:御 宿 か わ せ み シ リ ー ズ. tape 6 . Bungei, Tokyo 2004, ISBN 4-16-716887-1 .

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ^ Origin of the word "Nekomata" ( Memento of July 8, 2012 in the Internet Archive )
  2. ^ Carl van Vechten: The Tiger In The House. P. 96.
  3. ^ Peter Warner: Perfect Cats. P. 68.
  4. ↑ a b Tada Kamitsu, Kyōgoku Natsuhiko:妖怪 図 巻, pp. 170–171.
  5. ↑ a b c Patrick Drazen: A Gathering of Spirits. P. 114.
  6. ^ Colette Balmain: Introduction to Japanese Horror Film . Edinburgh University Press, Edinburgh (UK) 2008, ISBN 978-0-7486-2475-1 , pp. 72-76.
  7. ↑ Yoshida Kenko, George Bailey Sansom: Essays in Idleness. P. 39.
  8. ↑ Hyakkai-Zukan. The Obakemono Project, accessed June 17, 2012 .
  9. ↑ Yumoto Kōichi:江 戸 東京 怪異 百 物語. S. 51 .
  10. ↑ a b c Elli Kohen: World history and myths of cats. Pp. 48-51.
  11. ↑ a b c M. W. de Visser: The Dog and the Cat in Japanese Superstition. P. 31.
  12. ↑ Cheryl A. Crowley: Haikai poet Yosa Buson and the Bashō revival. P. 209.
  13. ^ A b T. Volker: The Animal in Far Eastern Art and Especially in the Art of the Japanese Netsuke. P. 27 & 28.
  14. ↑ Jeremy Roberts: Japanese Mythology A to Z. Facts On File, New York NY 2004, ISBN 0-8160-4871-1 , pp. 11-12.
  15. ^ A b Colette Balmain: Introduction to Japanese Horror Film. Pp. 65 & 66, 72-76.
  16. ↑ Susan Veness, Simon Veness: The Hidden Magic of Walt Disney World Planner. P. 197.
  17. ↑ 三月 花 形 歌舞 伎 「獨 道 中 五十 三 驛」 . (No longer available online.) Kyōto Prefecture, archived from the original on January 8, 2014 ; Retrieved June 17, 2012 .
  18. ^ Samuel L. Leader: New Kabuki Encyclopedia. P. 465.
  19. ↑ Susanne Formanek: The "bad old woman" in Japanese popular culture of the Edo period. Pp. 137, 138 & 142.
  20. ↑ 鍋 島 騒 動. (No longer available online.) In:デ ジ タ ル 版 日本人 名 大 辞典 + Plus at kotobank.jp. Formerly in the original ; Retrieved December 22, 2011 (Japanese).  ( Page no longer available , search in web archives )  Info: The link was automatically marked as defective. Please check the link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.@1@ 2Template: Toter Link / kotobank.jp  
  21. ^ Willem R. van Gulik: Irezumi. Pp. 69 & 70.
  22. ↑ Illustration of a Nekomata tattoo ( Memento from July 7, 2012 in the Internet Archive ) (English / Japanese)
  23. ↑ Nekomata and Cat Tattoo Website (Japanese)
  24. ↑ Characters of the Manga ( Memento from April 20, 2011 in the Internet Archive ) at Jump SQ (Japanese)
  25. ↑ Masashi Kishimoto: The Cheering Village.
  26. ↑ Chih-hung Yen: Representations of the Bhaisajyaguru Sutra at Tun-huang. In: Kaikodo Journal. Vol. 20, 2001, ZDB -ID 2602228-X , p. 168.
  27. ↑ Ju Brown, John Brown: China, Japan, Korea. Culture and Customs. BookSurge, North Charleston SC 2006, ISBN 1-4196-4893-4 , p. 172.
  28. ^ 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]).