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The Neko, or cat, was first introduced into Japan from China by a nobleman, Fujiwara no Sanesuke, at the court of Emperor Ichijo (987-1011). They became popular pets, despite their destructive behavior in the fragile Japanese home with its paper shoji screens and straw Tatami mats. Neko's image has been used as a good luck symbol and thought its body to be a temporary resting place for a spiritual person's soul. Neko has been seen in art for at least two centuries and Edo period (1603-1867) Ukiyoe artist, Kuniyoshi Kitagawa, a great lover of cats, included them in much of his work.
Superstition and the cat are often entwined. The black cat in Japan is thought to ward off evil spirits and keep young women safe on the street. As it did not weep at the death of Buddha and also killed rats, the legendary animals that were sent to gather medicine for the Buddha, it was viewed with caution.
Many myths have evolved over time concerning the development of Maneki Neko, or beckoning cat. As the Edo period ended and world exposure came to Japan, it was seen with regularity in publications and business establishments. The image of this captivating figure of a cat with a raised arm, as if beckoning the viewer to come hither, led merchants to believe it encouraged customers to enter their place of business and invited happiness into their home. Some myths suggest this gesture mimics a cat washing its face. Commercialism and superstition have influenced the many colors of the Maneki Neko with pink symbolizing love, gold inviting money, red exorcising evil and illness and white representing purity.
Let us not forget the supernatural. The Japanese believed a kitten's tail must be cut off to prevent it from becoming a goblin or Neko Mata. It was thought when a Neko Mata became old, or when a cat was killed or wronged by a person it became Obake Neko (translates to "supernatural cat") to take revenge. On a more positive note, sailors prized tri-colored cats, believing they kept the spirits off their ships of those poor souls killed at sea and living in the white caps of waves, waiting to find respite on passing vessels.
Like many ancient cultures, Japan has developed a number of proverbs concerning little Neko: "when the cat's away the mice will play" perhaps being the most memorable for us all, others I found to be more unusual but worthy are "put on a cat" meaning false modesty, hypocrisy and feigned innocence; "coin to a cat" or don't give things to people incapable of appreciating them; "cat's tongue" meaning sensitive tongue. |
