Cats in Japan (2004-04-15)
Cats have acquired a special status in Japan. Many cartoon characters are based on the image of a cat, such as the one in My Neighbor Totoro, an animated film about a gigantic cat-like creature that lives in the forest, complete with his own cat bus. It is one of the highly successful animated films by Hayao Miyazaki, who is also the animator behind Spirited Away. He loves cats and in every single film of his, at least one cat is featured.
Doraeman, an earless cat robot from the future, is the ultimate
cartoon character in the world of Japanese manga (comic books).
It has been around for over thirty years. Besides manga, people
can also watch his weekly TV series and an animated movie that comes
out each summer. Its TV series are still showing in many parts of
the world and I used to watch it growing up in Hong Kong.
Manekineko (Beckoning/Inviting Cat) possibly sets the stage for
Japanese
people's love and interest in cats. Legend has it that long time
ago when a samurai was walking past a small temple, he saw a cat which
was sitting inside the entrance beckoning him with its foreleg.
The samurai's piqued curiosity led him to go to the cat. As soon
as he went inside the temple, lightening struck the exact place where
he had been standing , thus his life was spared thanks to
the intuitional cat. The samurai returned to the temple
after his trip with a cartload of presents, farming equipment and
seeds. The monks were able to parlay the farming resources into
huge agricultural success and using profits from their crops turned a
humble little temple into a large splendid place. That famous
temple, Gotokuji (
), still exists to this day. It can be found
in Gotokuji station on Odakyu line (
), just fifteen minutes from
Shinjuku (
). One day I hope to visit the temple myself.
Nowadays shopkeepers like to place a cat figurine with one paw held
up at the entrance hoping it will bring customers, wealth and good
luck. I have seen a large supply store in Kichijoji (
) which places
a pair of manekineko on a high selve throughout the store. I
don't know if
those cats make the owner richer, they certainly make the store
prettier.
Temples and shrines have a special bond with stray cats. Monks are often seen feeding them and let them roam around the temple grounds. I used to feed a family of stray cats but unfortunately they either succumbed to sickness and disease or disappeared. May be next time I will have to put a manekineko in our entrance for the stray cats' sake.
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