Hey, Welcome to Stuff to Blow Your Mind. My name is Robert Lamb.

Hey, Welcome to Stuff to Blow Your Mind. My name is Robert Lamb.

And I am Joe McCormick, and it's Saturday. We're heading on down into the Vault for an older episode of the show. This is part one of our series on the supernatural cats of Japanese myth and legend, published originally on October seventeenth, twenty twenty three. We hope you enjoy.

And I am Joe McCormick, and it's Saturday. We're heading on down into the Vault for an older episode of the show. This is part one of our series on the supernatural cats of Japanese myth and legend, published originally on October seventeenth, twenty twenty three. We hope you enjoy.

Welcome to Stuff to Blow Your Mind, a production of iHeartRadio.

Welcome to Stuff to Blow Your Mind, a production of iHeartRadio.

Hey, Welcome to Stuff to Blow your Mind. My name is Robert.

Hey, Welcome to Stuff to Blow your Mind. My name is Robert.

Lamb and I am Joe McCormick, And the month of October continues. The Monster Ooze flows on Rob and I were out last week, and in our absence we featured a couple of Vault episodes from the previous October about the Great he Goat, in which we discussed go as animals, as biological entities, and as symbols, and got into the question of why goats have come to be associated with strange forces and demonic powers, especially in a Western Christian cultural context. Today, we wanted to begin an October themed series in that same vein looking at a different liminal beast, not the Christian imagery of the Grand Goat presiding over the witches sabbath, but Japanese stories about the ghostly eminence of altered cats.

Lamb and I am Joe McCormick, And the month of October continues. The Monster Ooze flows on Rob and I were out last week, and in our absence we featured a couple of Vault episodes from the previous October about the Great he Goat, in which we discussed go as animals, as biological entities, and as symbols, and got into the question of why goats have come to be associated with strange forces and demonic powers, especially in a Western Christian cultural context. Today, we wanted to begin an October themed series in that same vein looking at a different liminal beast, not the Christian imagery of the Grand Goat presiding over the witches sabbath, but Japanese stories about the ghostly eminence of altered cats.

That's right, we're talking about the common house cat, the domesticated if you want to use that word cat. That plays a central role in many of our households. But yeah, instead of yeah, when it comes to Halloween, the cat has become an icon of the season, especially the black cat, and a lot of that is depending on the Western traditions and Western superstitions, which we're probably not going to get into in this series, but that's informing a lot of that imagery that we're seeing in the West.

That's right, we're talking about the common house cat, the domesticated if you want to use that word cat. That plays a central role in many of our households. But yeah, instead of yeah, when it comes to Halloween, the cat has become an icon of the season, especially the black cat, and a lot of that is depending on the Western traditions and Western superstitions, which we're probably not going to get into in this series, but that's informing a lot of that imagery that we're seeing in the West.

The cat as witch is familiar.

The cat as witch is familiar.

Yeah, cat as which is familiar, and then just sort of generally cat hanging out looking a little bit creepy. Has a nice silhouette to use in various Halloween backgrounds. Though, of course, like the goat, the cat as an organism doesn't really care about trick or treating. It doesn't really care about seances and Satanic rites or whatever you have stirred up in your imagination. They have different needs, but they live in close proximity to us. So yeah, we're gonna be focusing on the various supernatural treatments of this animal in Japanese traditions and rob.

Yeah, cat as which is familiar, and then just sort of generally cat hanging out looking a little bit creepy. Has a nice silhouette to use in various Halloween backgrounds. Though, of course, like the goat, the cat as an organism doesn't really care about trick or treating. It doesn't really care about seances and Satanic rites or whatever you have stirred up in your imagination. They have different needs, but they live in close proximity to us. So yeah, we're gonna be focusing on the various supernatural treatments of this animal in Japanese traditions and rob.

I have to admit, before you picked this topic and I started looking into it, I was not familiar with how many Japanese monster cats there were, how many cat yo kai, and how many specifically cat oriented Japanese horror movies from the mid century there were.

I have to admit, before you picked this topic and I started looking into it, I was not familiar with how many Japanese monster cats there were, how many cat yo kai, and how many specifically cat oriented Japanese horror movies from the mid century there were.

Yeah, that's right. I mean when you stop to think of them, they start jumping out at you. I guess part of it is I think we all know that cats are popular in Japan. If you're even a casual consumer of Japanese pop culture, then you've probably seen various cute cat videos from Japan. You've seen, oh, I guess some of the major stars include Hello Kitty, There's the talking cat Gigi, and Miyazaki's nineteen eighty nine film Kiki's Delivery Service. There's that blue robot cat. I'm not actually sure how to say its name, Doriman. I believe I'm not super familiar with him. But yeah, on top of that, you have luck cats, you have just all sorts of cat imagery, and yes, you also have various horror movies and horror stories that entail the cat but prior to researching this, yeah, I think I would have maybe identified two cat based yokai or cat based Japanese traditional monsters. I didn't know that there were enough to fill a couple of episodes with.

Yeah, that's right. I mean when you stop to think of them, they start jumping out at you. I guess part of it is I think we all know that cats are popular in Japan. If you're even a casual consumer of Japanese pop culture, then you've probably seen various cute cat videos from Japan. You've seen, oh, I guess some of the major stars include Hello Kitty, There's the talking cat Gigi, and Miyazaki's nineteen eighty nine film Kiki's Delivery Service. There's that blue robot cat. I'm not actually sure how to say its name, Doriman. I believe I'm not super familiar with him. But yeah, on top of that, you have luck cats, you have just all sorts of cat imagery, and yes, you also have various horror movies and horror stories that entail the cat but prior to researching this, yeah, I think I would have maybe identified two cat based yokai or cat based Japanese traditional monsters. I didn't know that there were enough to fill a couple of episodes with.

Oh wait, I also just remember the cat bus.

Oh wait, I also just remember the cat bus.

Oh goodness, yes, the cat bus from my neighbor Totoro. Yeah, another iconic cat. And you know, even Totoro has varia. You could you could say that he has some cat like features. I don't know. He's kind of a combination of panda and bear and so many other things.

Oh goodness, yes, the cat bus from my neighbor Totoro. Yeah, another iconic cat. And you know, even Totoro has varia. You could you could say that he has some cat like features. I don't know. He's kind of a combination of panda and bear and so many other things.

If a city had cat bus based transportation, would you take it? Would you rely on that transportation?

If a city had cat bus based transportation, would you take it? Would you rely on that transportation?

Yeah?

Yeah?

Yeah.

Yeah.

The kids in Toto seem to dig it. It looks soft and warm in there. You know, the whole lining is like a cat's belly, except you won't be scratched if you touch it.

The kids in Toto seem to dig it. It looks soft and warm in there. You know, the whole lining is like a cat's belly, except you won't be scratched if you touch it.

I guess I'd be concerned about whether it's going to take me to my destination or its own I don't know, whatever it caters to it.

I guess I'd be concerned about whether it's going to take me to my destination or its own I don't know, whatever it caters to it.

Yeah, I mean the cat bus does have that kind of cheshire cat spirit to it, like what is it going to do? And this gets to the heart of like the spirit of the cat I mean, we could go on and on with just you know, personal anecdotes and also all sorts of sort of folk wisdom about the differences between the dog and the cat. What is it like living with a dog versus living with a cat? What is it like encountering an unknown dog versus encountering an unknown cat? There there are so many differences, but definitely the cat has a unique spirit that can be challenging, that can be inviting, that can be very comforting. There's a there's really a broad spectrum of attitudes one ends up having, even about the most beloved cat in your life.

Yeah, I mean the cat bus does have that kind of cheshire cat spirit to it, like what is it going to do? And this gets to the heart of like the spirit of the cat I mean, we could go on and on with just you know, personal anecdotes and also all sorts of sort of folk wisdom about the differences between the dog and the cat. What is it like living with a dog versus living with a cat? What is it like encountering an unknown dog versus encountering an unknown cat? There there are so many differences, but definitely the cat has a unique spirit that can be challenging, that can be inviting, that can be very comforting. There's a there's really a broad spectrum of attitudes one ends up having, even about the most beloved cat in your life.

So you're making the point that cats have a good deal of cultural prominence in Japan, not just in their monstrous forms, right.

So you're making the point that cats have a good deal of cultural prominence in Japan, not just in their monstrous forms, right.

Right, And but by exploring some of the monstrous forms, you also get some insight into how and why they were so admired and and are still admired to this day. Now, in terms of sources here, I'm going to refer to. There's an older book I have, Yokai Attack The Japanese Monster's Survival Guide by Hiroko Yoda and Matt Alt. That one's really good, but also a couple of books I picked up for this include Joshua Friedman's The Japanese Myths, A Guide to God's Heroes and Spirits, and Zach Davison's Kaidyo The Supernatural Cats of Japan.

Right, And but by exploring some of the monstrous forms, you also get some insight into how and why they were so admired and and are still admired to this day. Now, in terms of sources here, I'm going to refer to. There's an older book I have, Yokai Attack The Japanese Monster's Survival Guide by Hiroko Yoda and Matt Alt. That one's really good, but also a couple of books I picked up for this include Joshua Friedman's The Japanese Myths, A Guide to God's Heroes and Spirits, and Zach Davison's Kaidyo The Supernatural Cats of Japan.

So this is a book entirely on the altered cats.

So this is a book entirely on the altered cats.

Yes, yeah, this is a really good one. You can find this wherever you get your books, and it has just so many wonderful illustrations in it and stories. We're gonna touch on some of the main points, but if you want to deeper dive into the world of Japanese supernatural cats, that's a book to pick up. Now, getting back briefly just to the general idea of cats in Japan, the domestic cat in Japan, I want to refer to a recent New York Times article titled why do Cats hold Such mythic power in Japan? By Hanya Yanagahara. The author here points out that housecats are thought to have first arrived in Japan during the sixth century CE, brought in via the Silk Road as a curiosity from India via China or possibly from Korea. I think they're just different possible routes that cats may have taken. And at that point, yanagahar points out that cats would have likely enjoyed the split value that they enjoyed everywhere else they traveled via human beings. They proved themselves an aid to agricultural pursuits, feasting on rodents, and they were amusing. They're amusing to look at, they're amusing to watch and to try and figure out, and they can become quite affectionate, especially if it serves their purposes.

Yes, yeah, this is a really good one. You can find this wherever you get your books, and it has just so many wonderful illustrations in it and stories. We're gonna touch on some of the main points, but if you want to deeper dive into the world of Japanese supernatural cats, that's a book to pick up. Now, getting back briefly just to the general idea of cats in Japan, the domestic cat in Japan, I want to refer to a recent New York Times article titled why do Cats hold Such mythic power in Japan? By Hanya Yanagahara. The author here points out that housecats are thought to have first arrived in Japan during the sixth century CE, brought in via the Silk Road as a curiosity from India via China or possibly from Korea. I think they're just different possible routes that cats may have taken. And at that point, yanagahar points out that cats would have likely enjoyed the split value that they enjoyed everywhere else they traveled via human beings. They proved themselves an aid to agricultural pursuits, feasting on rodents, and they were amusing. They're amusing to look at, they're amusing to watch and to try and figure out, and they can become quite affectionate, especially if it serves their purposes.

Right, So cute and useful as an unbeatable combination.

Right, So cute and useful as an unbeatable combination.

Right, And as Zianagahara points out, Japan was both an agricultural country and a court culture country as well, so we can imagine the cat catching on at every level of society. I see that.

Right, And as Zianagahara points out, Japan was both an agricultural country and a court culture country as well, so we can imagine the cat catching on at every level of society. I see that.

So in the agricultural sense, the cat is useful because you can have one around your grain supplies to keep the rats out of it. But in the wealthy court setting, it might be attractive to have a cat in your lap or in your vicinity as a beautiful regal object or companion.

So in the agricultural sense, the cat is useful because you can have one around your grain supplies to keep the rats out of it. But in the wealthy court setting, it might be attractive to have a cat in your lap or in your vicinity as a beautiful regal object or companion.

That's right, yeah, well what the cat is here to fulfill those needs either way again, if it wants to. Now. Zach Davison in his book emphasizes a kind of court first trajectory for cats, taking hold in Japan, and we do have Heyan period descriptions of how wonderful cats were and how much the emperors of the time period loved them. But his populations grew, they were no longer confined to palaces, and as they lost their regal and exotic air, more attention was placed on their behaviors and legends than sprang up about them, both rural and urban in nature. Now, of course, I'm not sure if this is necessarily a case where, you know, I always have to acknowledge that sometimes it's those accounts from the upper parts of society that stand the test of time and it's not the lives of people lower down the socioeconomic ladder. But this sounds reasonable, right, I mean, as the cat coming in as an exotic singularity, brought into the court, enjoyed in the court. But over time, cats are going to reproduce, the population is going to swell, and there's going to be like a trickle down cat economy in a given country.

That's right, yeah, well what the cat is here to fulfill those needs either way again, if it wants to. Now. Zach Davison in his book emphasizes a kind of court first trajectory for cats, taking hold in Japan, and we do have Heyan period descriptions of how wonderful cats were and how much the emperors of the time period loved them. But his populations grew, they were no longer confined to palaces, and as they lost their regal and exotic air, more attention was placed on their behaviors and legends than sprang up about them, both rural and urban in nature. Now, of course, I'm not sure if this is necessarily a case where, you know, I always have to acknowledge that sometimes it's those accounts from the upper parts of society that stand the test of time and it's not the lives of people lower down the socioeconomic ladder. But this sounds reasonable, right, I mean, as the cat coming in as an exotic singularity, brought into the court, enjoyed in the court. But over time, cats are going to reproduce, the population is going to swell, and there's going to be like a trickle down cat economy in a given country.

Yes, there's a there's a cat sieve, and eventually the cats make their way through to every corner of the country.

Yes, there's a there's a cat sieve, and eventually the cats make their way through to every corner of the country.

Now, another wrinkle in this that Davison points out is that it can be a little difficult to pin down exactly when written records are are are specifically talking about cats. And this concerns something that's come up before on the show concerning like novel animals in a given culture, and that is that when it comes to the way that animals were written about in ancient Japan, known animals had unique kanji characters. New animals did not, and it sometimes took centuries for them to get unique characters, so instead you'd use other animal characters in their place. So Davison points out that in ancient Japan, the same kanji character designated both with tanuki and cat, so it was sometimes sometimes difficult to look back at these writings and determine exactly what animal is being described.

Now, another wrinkle in this that Davison points out is that it can be a little difficult to pin down exactly when written records are are are specifically talking about cats. And this concerns something that's come up before on the show concerning like novel animals in a given culture, and that is that when it comes to the way that animals were written about in ancient Japan, known animals had unique kanji characters. New animals did not, and it sometimes took centuries for them to get unique characters, so instead you'd use other animal characters in their place. So Davison points out that in ancient Japan, the same kanji character designated both with tanuki and cat, so it was sometimes sometimes difficult to look back at these writings and determine exactly what animal is being described.

So in kind of the same way, you might imagine like, I don't know, early medieval European writings about seafaring, and like you can't tell if they're trying to describe a mythical sea monster or a real whale or some type of fish. It's just a word that means like some kind of creature that's clearly in the water, but other than that, you're not sure what it's referring to.

So in kind of the same way, you might imagine like, I don't know, early medieval European writings about seafaring, and like you can't tell if they're trying to describe a mythical sea monster or a real whale or some type of fish. It's just a word that means like some kind of creature that's clearly in the water, but other than that, you're not sure what it's referring to.

Yeah, or how everything is a type of apple. Yeah, so you can imagine where would be confusing going back and trying to figure out all this stuff. Now, so in any rate, we can one way or another, cats eventually really catch on. They're everywhere. One important date in Japanese cat history this would be the year sixteen oh two. This is the year, according to Davidson, that during which, amidst a plague of rats destroying Japanese silkworm industry, the Japanese government issues uneeditt release all domestic cats to battle the rats, which maybe sounds a bit extreme, but they apparently did it. They made it illegal to buy or sell cats. Just release them, let them do their thing, let them fight the good fight against the rats. However, apparently it might not have actually helped much. It seems like there's some writings that kind of dispute the idea that this was really all about helpful Davidson. SHARE's a quote that I've seen featured in numerous sources talking about cats in Japan. This is from a character has come up on the show before. I believe, a German doctor visiting Japan during the period, doctor Ingelbert Kompher.

Yeah, or how everything is a type of apple. Yeah, so you can imagine where would be confusing going back and trying to figure out all this stuff. Now, so in any rate, we can one way or another, cats eventually really catch on. They're everywhere. One important date in Japanese cat history this would be the year sixteen oh two. This is the year, according to Davidson, that during which, amidst a plague of rats destroying Japanese silkworm industry, the Japanese government issues uneeditt release all domestic cats to battle the rats, which maybe sounds a bit extreme, but they apparently did it. They made it illegal to buy or sell cats. Just release them, let them do their thing, let them fight the good fight against the rats. However, apparently it might not have actually helped much. It seems like there's some writings that kind of dispute the idea that this was really all about helpful Davidson. SHARE's a quote that I've seen featured in numerous sources talking about cats in Japan. This is from a character has come up on the show before. I believe, a German doctor visiting Japan during the period, doctor Ingelbert Kompher.

That name brings a bell.

That name brings a bell.

Yeah. I don't remember the context what we were talking about, but I'm pretty sure he's come up before. But he wrote there is only one breed of cat that is kept in Japan. It's discussing here. It has large patches of yellow, black and white fur. Its short tail looks as if it has been bent and broken. It has no mind to hunt for rats and mice, but just wants to be carried and stroked by women, which I think this could basically be applied to many cats in our lives. This sounds a lot like my cat Mochi yellow, black and white. Yeah. Yeah, And Calico just wants to hang out generally with my wife and will occasionally hang out with me if it's cold enough in the house, and it doesn't particularly want to chase anything around except me. Sometimes sometimes she will attack my feet.

Yeah. I don't remember the context what we were talking about, but I'm pretty sure he's come up before. But he wrote there is only one breed of cat that is kept in Japan. It's discussing here. It has large patches of yellow, black and white fur. Its short tail looks as if it has been bent and broken. It has no mind to hunt for rats and mice, but just wants to be carried and stroked by women, which I think this could basically be applied to many cats in our lives. This sounds a lot like my cat Mochi yellow, black and white. Yeah. Yeah, And Calico just wants to hang out generally with my wife and will occasionally hang out with me if it's cold enough in the house, and it doesn't particularly want to chase anything around except me. Sometimes sometimes she will attack my feet.

By the way, I just had to look it up to see when Engelbert Campfer came up before. This was another connection from the Vegetable Lamb of Tartary episode. He had a theory apparently. I don't remember whether it was more on track or more off track. I think it was one of the off track ones.

By the way, I just had to look it up to see when Engelbert Campfer came up before. This was another connection from the Vegetable Lamb of Tartary episode. He had a theory apparently. I don't remember whether it was more on track or more off track. I think it was one of the off track ones.

Okay, now another interesting historical cat tib that comes up in this book from Japan. In eighteen forty two, Emperor Tatakuni instituted the Tenpo Reform, which sort of reined in what could be presented in the arts, especially as a concerned kobuki and geisha imagery. However, nowhere in the law did it say you couldn't depict cats doing all of these things. So artists of the day began to illustrate drunken and cavorting cats like basically, you know, kabuki style cat soap opera, which I love because this kind of reminds me of the whole like nobody says a donkey can't play football sort of thing, and also brings to mind dogs playing poker.

Okay, now another interesting historical cat tib that comes up in this book from Japan. In eighteen forty two, Emperor Tatakuni instituted the Tenpo Reform, which sort of reined in what could be presented in the arts, especially as a concerned kobuki and geisha imagery. However, nowhere in the law did it say you couldn't depict cats doing all of these things. So artists of the day began to illustrate drunken and cavorting cats like basically, you know, kabuki style cat soap opera, which I love because this kind of reminds me of the whole like nobody says a donkey can't play football sort of thing, and also brings to mind dogs playing poker.

Yeah, airbud rules apply. I love that.

Yeah, airbud rules apply. I love that.

Now. Friedman in his book writes the stories of cats date back to at least as far as the Hayan period seven ninety four through eleven eighty five see concerning the cats kept by the Emperor By the fourteenth century. Magical cats pop up in numerous works of art, in literature, and of course they become central parts of Japanese folklore in legend as well. In this episode, yeah, we're going to provide an overview of these range cats, these kaibio, the strange cats, supernatural cats. They have a number of things in common, but they all have distinctive flavors, and some of them are more threatening than others. Now, as Figment points out, one of the main attributes you find in various tales of strange magical cats in Japan is that is the idea that, as with tales of magical foxes, kaibyo are individual cats who have lived long enough to acquire magical abilities and also, like fox spirits, grow multiple tales.

Now. Friedman in his book writes the stories of cats date back to at least as far as the Hayan period seven ninety four through eleven eighty five see concerning the cats kept by the Emperor By the fourteenth century. Magical cats pop up in numerous works of art, in literature, and of course they become central parts of Japanese folklore in legend as well. In this episode, yeah, we're going to provide an overview of these range cats, these kaibio, the strange cats, supernatural cats. They have a number of things in common, but they all have distinctive flavors, and some of them are more threatening than others. Now, as Figment points out, one of the main attributes you find in various tales of strange magical cats in Japan is that is the idea that, as with tales of magical foxes, kaibyo are individual cats who have lived long enough to acquire magical abilities and also, like fox spirits, grow multiple tales.

Yes, that's an interesting comparison to the way the altered foxes are treated in stories. Those commonalities. I was trying to think, what is the difference between like a monstrous altered fox and a monstrous altered cat. And in my view, you know, the fox seems like it has the potential to be more of a chaotic alignment, and so in its bad form, it's kind of chaotic evil, whereas the cat in its monstrous form. I don't know, cats can be chaotic, and I know in some of these stories they are, but it seems like more of a cold, calculating evil to me.

Yes, that's an interesting comparison to the way the altered foxes are treated in stories. Those commonalities. I was trying to think, what is the difference between like a monstrous altered fox and a monstrous altered cat. And in my view, you know, the fox seems like it has the potential to be more of a chaotic alignment, and so in its bad form, it's kind of chaotic evil, whereas the cat in its monstrous form. I don't know, cats can be chaotic, and I know in some of these stories they are, but it seems like more of a cold, calculating evil to me.

Yeah, I think that's accurate. But it's also interesting to think of this as in a situation where you have superstitions concerning an animal that is native to Japan, the red fox, and then when you bring in these animals from outside, these domestic cats, something gets applied to them that was previously applied to native organisms. We do need to be clear that there is no such thing as a domestic cat with more than one tail. There are, however, two types of morphological mutations that affect the tail. There's the Manx tailless gene, which can prove lethal, and then there's the Japanese bobtail gene, in which the tail is shortened and kinked, but otherwise doesn't seem to really impact health, or at the very least, it doesn't entail skeletal issues and or involve death with certain genotypes. The Japanese bobtail gene is of course of no here, because, as the name implies, it is native to Japan. It emerged there in Japan's feline population, though it has since spread beyond the limits of Japan. Now Here is an area though that I want to stress that I wasn't able to get like one hundred percent clarity on you for my own research purposes, and that is the alleged practice of bobbing or docking cat tales in Japan. I couldn't find many solid contemporary references to this, though Friedman mentions it in passing, and there's a lot of dismissal of the idea as a myth in general. So, on one hand, the Japanese bobtail variant was at one point considered lucky, and Friedman indicates that this could have influenced a tail docking practice, some practice by which the tales of domestic cats are removed, though he also writes with uncertainty about exactly how superstition, mutilation and genetic mutation would have been intertwined here. You know, because if this was taking place to any degree, you know, you asked them. You can easily ask the question, well, is it because of superstition? Is it because of the genetic mutation that was already there? And you know, to and to what extent these things are interplaying with each other. Now, tail bobbing of different forms does seem to come up in historic foreign writings on Japan, including a nineteen oh six letter by Greek writer Lefacadio Hearn, who mentions kittens having their tails cut off so that they don't grow up to become a monster cat of one sort or the other. Of course, the obvious situation with this is you're dealing with with outsiders who are then you know, you're dealing with possible translation errors. You're dealing with them having to, you know, perhaps make sense of local lore concerning a genetic mutation that's not completely understood and so forth.

Yeah, I think that's accurate. But it's also interesting to think of this as in a situation where you have superstitions concerning an animal that is native to Japan, the red fox, and then when you bring in these animals from outside, these domestic cats, something gets applied to them that was previously applied to native organisms. We do need to be clear that there is no such thing as a domestic cat with more than one tail. There are, however, two types of morphological mutations that affect the tail. There's the Manx tailless gene, which can prove lethal, and then there's the Japanese bobtail gene, in which the tail is shortened and kinked, but otherwise doesn't seem to really impact health, or at the very least, it doesn't entail skeletal issues and or involve death with certain genotypes. The Japanese bobtail gene is of course of no here, because, as the name implies, it is native to Japan. It emerged there in Japan's feline population, though it has since spread beyond the limits of Japan. Now Here is an area though that I want to stress that I wasn't able to get like one hundred percent clarity on you for my own research purposes, and that is the alleged practice of bobbing or docking cat tales in Japan. I couldn't find many solid contemporary references to this, though Friedman mentions it in passing, and there's a lot of dismissal of the idea as a myth in general. So, on one hand, the Japanese bobtail variant was at one point considered lucky, and Friedman indicates that this could have influenced a tail docking practice, some practice by which the tales of domestic cats are removed, though he also writes with uncertainty about exactly how superstition, mutilation and genetic mutation would have been intertwined here. You know, because if this was taking place to any degree, you know, you asked them. You can easily ask the question, well, is it because of superstition? Is it because of the genetic mutation that was already there? And you know, to and to what extent these things are interplaying with each other. Now, tail bobbing of different forms does seem to come up in historic foreign writings on Japan, including a nineteen oh six letter by Greek writer Lefacadio Hearn, who mentions kittens having their tails cut off so that they don't grow up to become a monster cat of one sort or the other. Of course, the obvious situation with this is you're dealing with with outsiders who are then you know, you're dealing with possible translation errors. You're dealing with them having to, you know, perhaps make sense of local lore concerning a genetic mutation that's not completely understood and so forth.

Or just making assumptions about things they've observed without understanding key elements. Like you could imagine a scenario where somebody observes a place where there is a genetic mutation that creates bobtailcats, and they assume people cut off the tales.

Or just making assumptions about things they've observed without understanding key elements. Like you could imagine a scenario where somebody observes a place where there is a genetic mutation that creates bobtailcats, and they assume people cut off the tales.

Yeah, because, as we've we're very mentioned, apparently the bobtailed effect does kind of look like you can easily look at it and think, oh, well, something bad happened to that animal's tale, et cetera. Now, a legend that I've seen mentioned in multiple texts is that the original bobtail cat lost its tail when it caught fire, causing it to run about and catch a whole town on fire, resulting in an imperial decree cats should not have tales because they are fire hazards. This is obviously not true, but it does illustrate there's a lot of room for just so stories here. You know, some sort of story that is obviously fictional and legendary, but it is is providing some sort of an origin story for something in nature that is not completely understood. Yeah. So, yeah, there's plenty of room for translationaire foreign misinterpretation, and more. I mean, of course, on the other hand, we have to acknowledge that cosmetic utilation of dogs and cats is nothing new and can be found in various cultures. With cats, there's the example of decline, which had been widespread in the US and Canada in prior decades and generally entails more than the removal of the clock self, but like the end of the digit on each claw finger. And then tail docking and ear cropping was widespread and has now banded many countries with dogs. I mentioned all of this just for added context and the consideration of potential historic tail docking. But again, there seems plenty of evidence to consider a mutation the primary cause here.

Yeah, because, as we've we're very mentioned, apparently the bobtailed effect does kind of look like you can easily look at it and think, oh, well, something bad happened to that animal's tale, et cetera. Now, a legend that I've seen mentioned in multiple texts is that the original bobtail cat lost its tail when it caught fire, causing it to run about and catch a whole town on fire, resulting in an imperial decree cats should not have tales because they are fire hazards. This is obviously not true, but it does illustrate there's a lot of room for just so stories here. You know, some sort of story that is obviously fictional and legendary, but it is is providing some sort of an origin story for something in nature that is not completely understood. Yeah. So, yeah, there's plenty of room for translationaire foreign misinterpretation, and more. I mean, of course, on the other hand, we have to acknowledge that cosmetic utilation of dogs and cats is nothing new and can be found in various cultures. With cats, there's the example of decline, which had been widespread in the US and Canada in prior decades and generally entails more than the removal of the clock self, but like the end of the digit on each claw finger. And then tail docking and ear cropping was widespread and has now banded many countries with dogs. I mentioned all of this just for added context and the consideration of potential historic tail docking. But again, there seems plenty of evidence to consider a mutation the primary cause here.

Okay, so question marks about the extent to which tail docking was a real historical practice. But one thing we know for sure is that there are lots of stories of monster cats with weird tales.

Okay, so question marks about the extent to which tail docking was a real historical practice. But one thing we know for sure is that there are lots of stories of monster cats with weird tales.

That's right, yes, And so the first one we're going to talk about here is the nikomata. These are cats that are said to have lived for a hundred years. And what happens when you live to be one hundred years and you're a cat according to these traditions and superstitions, Well you get a second tale. The first tale splits in half, and now there are two tails, and other changes occur as well. Suddenly this cat has a craving for human flesh. They grow to to be the size of a large dog or a wolf. They may walk on two legs, and thus at this point they are no longer a domestic cat, a cat of the natural world. They have become a feline yokai. According to Davidson, the fourteenth century work Essays and Idleness tells the story of a man who thinks himself pursued through the night by a nikomata, but it turns out to be his own dog. The creature was written about during the Edo period, this is the golden age of yokai lore, but Davison stresses that the roots of the Nikomata go back centuries earlier. So, according to Davison, some versions of the Nikomata may date back to Chinese traditions in the short lived Sai dynasty five eighty one through six eighteen CE, and then written about in Japan at least by the Kamakura period that's eleven eighty five through thirteen thirty three. But the accounts were not really of a supernatural cat yet, but rather of a large tiger or lion like predatory animal that lived in the mountains. You know. The situation was like, don't you know, be careful if you go off into the wilderness because that is where the nikomata lives. Attacks of this creature were apparently reported as just fact. This was not something legendary. It was just something that might happen to you if you were unlucky in the wilderness. Oh.

That's right, yes, And so the first one we're going to talk about here is the nikomata. These are cats that are said to have lived for a hundred years. And what happens when you live to be one hundred years and you're a cat according to these traditions and superstitions, Well you get a second tale. The first tale splits in half, and now there are two tails, and other changes occur as well. Suddenly this cat has a craving for human flesh. They grow to to be the size of a large dog or a wolf. They may walk on two legs, and thus at this point they are no longer a domestic cat, a cat of the natural world. They have become a feline yokai. According to Davidson, the fourteenth century work Essays and Idleness tells the story of a man who thinks himself pursued through the night by a nikomata, but it turns out to be his own dog. The creature was written about during the Edo period, this is the golden age of yokai lore, but Davison stresses that the roots of the Nikomata go back centuries earlier. So, according to Davison, some versions of the Nikomata may date back to Chinese traditions in the short lived Sai dynasty five eighty one through six eighteen CE, and then written about in Japan at least by the Kamakura period that's eleven eighty five through thirteen thirty three. But the accounts were not really of a supernatural cat yet, but rather of a large tiger or lion like predatory animal that lived in the mountains. You know. The situation was like, don't you know, be careful if you go off into the wilderness because that is where the nikomata lives. Attacks of this creature were apparently reported as just fact. This was not something legendary. It was just something that might happen to you if you were unlucky in the wilderness. Oh.

It reminds me of the dad taking his kid to see aliens, saying, no, he needs to see this because he needs to know things like this can happen in the world.

It reminds me of the dad taking his kid to see aliens, saying, no, he needs to see this because he needs to know things like this can happen in the world.

Yeah, yeah, Now. Davison writes that there are different speculations about what this could all be about. There's at least one idea that it could be evidence of a surviving, perhaps prehistoric variety of yemen eco or leopard cat, so you know, essentially like some sort of at the time surviving a large predatory cat. There Also, he also brings up the idea that well, tigers were brought in as curiosities during this time, perhaps one escaped and was living in the forest and had attacked people. I mean, it's easily one of those situations where if you just have one tiger attack occur like this, it's enough to leave an imprint in folklore. And then another idea that's perhaps more compelling is that these could be sort of enhanced accounts of rabid animal attacks. So rabies could essentially be what is it.

Yeah, yeah, Now. Davison writes that there are different speculations about what this could all be about. There's at least one idea that it could be evidence of a surviving, perhaps prehistoric variety of yemen eco or leopard cat, so you know, essentially like some sort of at the time surviving a large predatory cat. There Also, he also brings up the idea that well, tigers were brought in as curiosities during this time, perhaps one escaped and was living in the forest and had attacked people. I mean, it's easily one of those situations where if you just have one tiger attack occur like this, it's enough to leave an imprint in folklore. And then another idea that's perhaps more compelling is that these could be sort of enhanced accounts of rabid animal attacks. So rabies could essentially be what is it.

The heart of these stories that would make sense.

The heart of these stories that would make sense.

Yeah, So anyway, we have these stories from the wilderness of some sort of large nicomata cat, and then during the Edo period we see this legend intensified. So Davison writes that the cats get larger, they get more fierce in the stories, but then they're transformed into into not a distinct species, but is a power upgrade to just the common domestic cat. Again, it gets old enough, the tail splits, and now you have a different creature on your hands, and its appetites, its desires, it's cunning are something entirely new.

Yeah, So anyway, we have these stories from the wilderness of some sort of large nicomata cat, and then during the Edo period we see this legend intensified. So Davison writes that the cats get larger, they get more fierce in the stories, but then they're transformed into into not a distinct species, but is a power upgrade to just the common domestic cat. Again, it gets old enough, the tail splits, and now you have a different creature on your hands, and its appetites, its desires, it's cunning are something entirely new.

At that point, this touches on something interesting because I'm I got interested in the idea of the nekomada being a thing that is created when a cat reaches a sufficient age. And so here I want to turn to notes from a book that I've referred to on the podcast before called The Book of Yokai by an Indiana University folklore scholar named Michael Dylan Foster. And there was a section of the book that I thought was really interesting because it was originally looking at it just because it had a glancing mention of yokai stories about cats, but actually it got to a broader theme about the significance of the number one hundred in Japanese spooky storytelling. So the book is talking about a historical tradition known as the hayaku monogatari, which is a Japanese tradition of gatherings where people would come together to trade stories of the weird and uncanny in the hopes of actually inducing a supernatural experience through the storytelling.

At that point, this touches on something interesting because I'm I got interested in the idea of the nekomada being a thing that is created when a cat reaches a sufficient age. And so here I want to turn to notes from a book that I've referred to on the podcast before called The Book of Yokai by an Indiana University folklore scholar named Michael Dylan Foster. And there was a section of the book that I thought was really interesting because it was originally looking at it just because it had a glancing mention of yokai stories about cats, but actually it got to a broader theme about the significance of the number one hundred in Japanese spooky storytelling. So the book is talking about a historical tradition known as the hayaku monogatari, which is a Japanese tradition of gatherings where people would come together to trade stories of the weird and uncanny in the hopes of actually inducing a supernatural experience through the storytelling.

Oh that's wise.

Oh that's wise.

I agree. I think, yeah, that's a great plan. I would love to go to one of these.

I agree. I think, yeah, that's a great plan. I would love to go to one of these.

Yeah.

Yeah.

So it works like this. People would gather by night in a room or maybe in like a he says, in like a semi public place, a room, a gathering place, a temple, maybe in a place lit by candles or lanterns, and the people gathered would take turns recounting tales of ghosts or yokai. And after each story was finished, I think the stories would be fairly short. After each story was over, one of the lanterns or candles would be snuffed out until you keep getting fewer and fewer lights. And then after the final tale ends and the final flame is extinguished, that would leave their room completely dark, at which point the people in attendance might get to see a real yokai in the darkness.

So it works like this. People would gather by night in a room or maybe in like a he says, in like a semi public place, a room, a gathering place, a temple, maybe in a place lit by candles or lanterns, and the people gathered would take turns recounting tales of ghosts or yokai. And after each story was finished, I think the stories would be fairly short. After each story was over, one of the lanterns or candles would be snuffed out until you keep getting fewer and fewer lights. And then after the final tale ends and the final flame is extinguished, that would leave their room completely dark, at which point the people in attendance might get to see a real yokai in the darkness.

Ooh, I like it. I mean, and again, this is wise, because if you want to prime yourself for having a supernatural encounter, there's no better way than to lower the lights and start recounting strange tales.

Ooh, I like it. I mean, and again, this is wise, because if you want to prime yourself for having a supernatural encounter, there's no better way than to lower the lights and start recounting strange tales.

If you build it, they will come.

If you build it, they will come.

Yeah.

Yeah.

So the book quotes a late seventeenth century Buddhist priest and author named Assai Rioi, who writes quote it is said that when you collect and tell one hundred stories of scary or strange things that have been passed down since long ago, some scary or strange is certain to occur, so tell one hundred stories about it. Make it happen for real.

So the book quotes a late seventeenth century Buddhist priest and author named Assai Rioi, who writes quote it is said that when you collect and tell one hundred stories of scary or strange things that have been passed down since long ago, some scary or strange is certain to occur, so tell one hundred stories about it. Make it happen for real.

Oh I like this, and Foster.

Oh I like this, and Foster.

Says this was probably not always understood as a literal threshold of exactly one hundred stories, even though that is literally what Hayaku monogatari means. But in practice it probably just means a lot of stories. And you can tell this because some of the Hayaku monogatari collections have fewer than one hundred stories in them, so you know, this probably doesn't actually need to be literally one hundred. On the other hand, he relates this to other Japanese tales of the magical and uncanny, in which the number one hundred has special properties. For example, a subject that we have done an episode about on stuff to blow your mind before the sukumogami, which are these inanimate household objects, you know, hammers, dinnerwares, brooms, objects from the house that transform into magical, animate sentient beings when they turn The Age of one hundred.

Says this was probably not always understood as a literal threshold of exactly one hundred stories, even though that is literally what Hayaku monogatari means. But in practice it probably just means a lot of stories. And you can tell this because some of the Hayaku monogatari collections have fewer than one hundred stories in them, so you know, this probably doesn't actually need to be literally one hundred. On the other hand, he relates this to other Japanese tales of the magical and uncanny, in which the number one hundred has special properties. For example, a subject that we have done an episode about on stuff to blow your mind before the sukumogami, which are these inanimate household objects, you know, hammers, dinnerwares, brooms, objects from the house that transform into magical, animate sentient beings when they turn The Age of one hundred.

I remember this, yeh seeing up with like a parade of bewitched old.

I remember this, yeh seeing up with like a parade of bewitched old.

Things exactly, And I remember we talked about one famous story where I think they all get converted to a specific branch of Buddhism at the end.

Things exactly, And I remember we talked about one famous story where I think they all get converted to a specific branch of Buddhism at the end.

Oh yes, yes.

Oh yes, yes.

But as another example of the transformative power of the number one hundred in some Japanese stories, Foster writes that it was sometimes said that an ordinary animal that had reached the age of one hundred would undergo a magical metamorphosis and become a yokai. And these animals could include foxes, could include tanuki, and yes, also cats. And so coming back to your comment earlier, Rob, that cats that reach a sufficient age could transform into some type of altered cat or supernatural cat yokai like a nekomata. You apparently have to watch out for those ninety nine year old cats. They are just biding their time until the birthday and then they have the power.

But as another example of the transformative power of the number one hundred in some Japanese stories, Foster writes that it was sometimes said that an ordinary animal that had reached the age of one hundred would undergo a magical metamorphosis and become a yokai. And these animals could include foxes, could include tanuki, and yes, also cats. And so coming back to your comment earlier, Rob, that cats that reach a sufficient age could transform into some type of altered cat or supernatural cat yokai like a nekomata. You apparently have to watch out for those ninety nine year old cats. They are just biding their time until the birthday and then they have the power.

That's right, that's right up until ninety nine decent, you know, probably household cat, but one hundred years old. Watch out now, they're a menace. Now.

That's right, that's right up until ninety nine decent, you know, probably household cat, but one hundred years old. Watch out now, they're a menace. Now.

I think there are also stories where cats reach a certain age and become transformed or dangerous in some way, and the number is not exactly one hundred. But I do think it's interesting that there is a recurring theme about the number one hundred across these different stories. You know, for some reason, this is the number after which things get weird. Now, I just want to mention what Foster says directly about the nekomata as a yokai type. He says that many written accounts of nekomata describe them as monstrously large cats living in the wilderness, in mountains and forests, but sometimes also found in human settlements. But the idea of locating the mountain the mountains and forests that kind of goes along with what you were saying about, the idea that these could go back to stories of like a wild animal that is occupying a place and is dangerous.

I think there are also stories where cats reach a certain age and become transformed or dangerous in some way, and the number is not exactly one hundred. But I do think it's interesting that there is a recurring theme about the number one hundred across these different stories. You know, for some reason, this is the number after which things get weird. Now, I just want to mention what Foster says directly about the nekomata as a yokai type. He says that many written accounts of nekomata describe them as monstrously large cats living in the wilderness, in mountains and forests, but sometimes also found in human settlements. But the idea of locating the mountain the mountains and forests that kind of goes along with what you were saying about, the idea that these could go back to stories of like a wild animal that is occupying a place and is dangerous.

That's right. And I should also mention that Davidson a belief stresses that the sort of rural version of the nkamata as this wild large mountain cat that isn't necessarily connected to domestic cats that still remained a folk belief out in the wilds or on the borders of the wild. But then you get this new version of the nkomata that is more urban and based more on the domestic house cat.

That's right. And I should also mention that Davidson a belief stresses that the sort of rural version of the nkamata as this wild large mountain cat that isn't necessarily connected to domestic cats that still remained a folk belief out in the wilds or on the borders of the wild. But then you get this new version of the nkomata that is more urban and based more on the domestic house cat.

This might actually be going back to the same source referenced in the book you were talking about, but at least Foster talks about an early story of the nakamata appearing in the literature from twelve thirty three, and it is described in this source as a creature with the eyes of a cat but the body of a huge dog. And I think that that's a striking combination that kind of sets the mind racing, not only because it has this classic recipe of monster creation, which is combining different attributes of different animals, you know, using sort of the the mixing and matching power of the human mind to kind of, you know, potato head up different different predator features. But I think it's interesting that you're taking the eyes of a cat and the body of a dog, so the physical power of a big dog, and as scary as cats can be sometimes if you're talking about domestic animals, it's you know, you can understand why you might be more physically intimidated by a big dog than by a house cat, but without the dog's sweet and subservient nature, you instead bring in the eyes. And of course with the eyes, we equate eyes to minds. And so if you're putting the mind of a cat in the body of a big, powerful dog, it's like the uncontrollable and a moral will to power of a cat in the body of a dog that could really harm you. Yes, yes, And as you mentioned, Robin, these early stories, and in this one, the nekomata eats seven or eight people in a single night.

This might actually be going back to the same source referenced in the book you were talking about, but at least Foster talks about an early story of the nakamata appearing in the literature from twelve thirty three, and it is described in this source as a creature with the eyes of a cat but the body of a huge dog. And I think that that's a striking combination that kind of sets the mind racing, not only because it has this classic recipe of monster creation, which is combining different attributes of different animals, you know, using sort of the the mixing and matching power of the human mind to kind of, you know, potato head up different different predator features. But I think it's interesting that you're taking the eyes of a cat and the body of a dog, so the physical power of a big dog, and as scary as cats can be sometimes if you're talking about domestic animals, it's you know, you can understand why you might be more physically intimidated by a big dog than by a house cat, but without the dog's sweet and subservient nature, you instead bring in the eyes. And of course with the eyes, we equate eyes to minds. And so if you're putting the mind of a cat in the body of a big, powerful dog, it's like the uncontrollable and a moral will to power of a cat in the body of a dog that could really harm you. Yes, yes, And as you mentioned, Robin, these early stories, and in this one, the nekomata eats seven or eight people in a single night.

That's too many. You know that that nikomata is just going to barf up most of those people, and then someone's gonna have to clean it up.

That's too many. You know that that nikomata is just going to barf up most of those people, and then someone's gonna have to clean it up.

He's gonna barf up six of those people in your shoes.

He's gonna barf up six of those people in your shoes.

Right, and then it's going to look at me like, hey, I'm still hungry. I don't know why I'm hungry. I need help.

Right, and then it's going to look at me like, hey, I'm still hungry. I don't know why I'm hungry. I need help.

And then finally, I just wanted to quote from part of a paragraph Foster has here because he's writing about a Japanese source that has illustrations of nekomata. So Foster writes, quote, Toriyama Sekian illustrates a nekamata in his first catalog. It stands on two legs on the outer veranda of a house with a small towel on its head. Another cat, presumably not a yokai, sits on the ground below it, while a third seems to be looking out from inside the house. Although Sekian does not explain anything here, the nekamata is portrayed as betwixt and between the human and natural worlds. It is wild, but wears a towel on its head, stands on two legs like a person, and is perched literally on the outer edge of a human habitation, with one cat outside, possibly feral, behind it, and another inside, possibly domestic, in front of it.

And then finally, I just wanted to quote from part of a paragraph Foster has here because he's writing about a Japanese source that has illustrations of nekomata. So Foster writes, quote, Toriyama Sekian illustrates a nekamata in his first catalog. It stands on two legs on the outer veranda of a house with a small towel on its head. Another cat, presumably not a yokai, sits on the ground below it, while a third seems to be looking out from inside the house. Although Sekian does not explain anything here, the nekamata is portrayed as betwixt and between the human and natural worlds. It is wild, but wears a towel on its head, stands on two legs like a person, and is perched literally on the outer edge of a human habitation, with one cat outside, possibly feral, behind it, and another inside, possibly domestic, in front of it.

Yeah, that's a good point. I mean again, like all of these these examples are looking at you know, they're touching on the superstition and the you know, the mythic and folkloric world, but they're also commenting on like a lot of time spent with cats trying to figure them out, you know, how they're they're domesticated, but they're still wild, like they are suspended between worlds.

Yeah, that's a good point. I mean again, like all of these these examples are looking at you know, they're touching on the superstition and the you know, the mythic and folkloric world, but they're also commenting on like a lot of time spent with cats trying to figure them out, you know, how they're they're domesticated, but they're still wild, like they are suspended between worlds.

I think that's exactly right. I don't know the mind of the illustrator here, but this seems like it could be providing some rather nuanced analysis. But with this kind of drawing, like commenting on the nature of the cat as a pet or as a domestic animal, that it's only partly part of our world. And also, I like the implied threat of the nearness of the known, normal, mundane cats to this monstrous cat that you know what I mean, like kind of like placing them beside one another is almost like, you know, watch out for the nature of the cat.

I think that's exactly right. I don't know the mind of the illustrator here, but this seems like it could be providing some rather nuanced analysis. But with this kind of drawing, like commenting on the nature of the cat as a pet or as a domestic animal, that it's only partly part of our world. And also, I like the implied threat of the nearness of the known, normal, mundane cats to this monstrous cat that you know what I mean, like kind of like placing them beside one another is almost like, you know, watch out for the nature of the cat.

You think, you know, yeah, because the just normal housecat knows that they are a nikamata out there and just doesn't care. It's like, yeah, this is just how it is now, I do. Really, I'm glad you brought up the towel on the head because that is important when considering the next example we're going to talk about here, and that is the back and echo the shape shifting cat. So in this case you get even more advanced age numerous tales, and it grants them the ability to change their form and interfere directly in human affairs. So not just scratches, you know, not just messing up furniture, attacking feet and so forth, not just merely eating people after you turn into a giant cat, a giant monster cat, but actually taking on a human form and directly interfering in the human world, sometimes helping humans, sometimes hunting them for sport. Again, they're just like the domestic cat in spirit. They're completely immoral. They may be helpful, they may be sweet. It depends on what they want now Davison and discussing the becan Nico writes that they were said to, in their cat form, dance on their hind legs and wear towels on their heads. This account, he says, apparently spawned from a story about a soy sauce merchant who kept finding his towels in disarray and then hid one night to see what was happening. What's happening to my towels at night, and what was happening while cats were coming in wearing the towels on their head and dancing around on their hind legs, you know, And he was horrified. I don't remember, perhaps eaten at the end. But apparently this is a magical trope in Japanese folklore, an animal puts something on its head, like with the tanuki. The tanuki will put leaves on its head and this helps activate magical powers. He also adds here that some traditions describe bacanniko's as humans who can turn into cats and toms. Sometimes the story is that if a cat drinks the blood of a murder victim, they will transform into a bacca niko, taking the shape of the victim in order to seek vengeance.

You think, you know, yeah, because the just normal housecat knows that they are a nikamata out there and just doesn't care. It's like, yeah, this is just how it is now, I do. Really, I'm glad you brought up the towel on the head because that is important when considering the next example we're going to talk about here, and that is the back and echo the shape shifting cat. So in this case you get even more advanced age numerous tales, and it grants them the ability to change their form and interfere directly in human affairs. So not just scratches, you know, not just messing up furniture, attacking feet and so forth, not just merely eating people after you turn into a giant cat, a giant monster cat, but actually taking on a human form and directly interfering in the human world, sometimes helping humans, sometimes hunting them for sport. Again, they're just like the domestic cat in spirit. They're completely immoral. They may be helpful, they may be sweet. It depends on what they want now Davison and discussing the becan Nico writes that they were said to, in their cat form, dance on their hind legs and wear towels on their heads. This account, he says, apparently spawned from a story about a soy sauce merchant who kept finding his towels in disarray and then hid one night to see what was happening. What's happening to my towels at night, and what was happening while cats were coming in wearing the towels on their head and dancing around on their hind legs, you know, And he was horrified. I don't remember, perhaps eaten at the end. But apparently this is a magical trope in Japanese folklore, an animal puts something on its head, like with the tanuki. The tanuki will put leaves on its head and this helps activate magical powers. He also adds here that some traditions describe bacanniko's as humans who can turn into cats and toms. Sometimes the story is that if a cat drinks the blood of a murder victim, they will transform into a bacca niko, taking the shape of the victim in order to seek vengeance.

Oh yeah, this appears to be a major plot point in a movie I was looking at because Foster mentions it in his right up on the Bakan Echo. But there is a movie from nineteen sixty nine directed by Tanaka Tokuzo called The Haunted Castle, and it has exactly this plot. I think there is an evil landlord and woman who is wronged by this evil landlord and she ends up I believe, killing herself or somehow and letting a cat drink her bloo blood, and this transforms the cat into a into a creature, a monster of vengeance that goes and attacks the man who is oppressing her.

Oh yeah, this appears to be a major plot point in a movie I was looking at because Foster mentions it in his right up on the Bakan Echo. But there is a movie from nineteen sixty nine directed by Tanaka Tokuzo called The Haunted Castle, and it has exactly this plot. I think there is an evil landlord and woman who is wronged by this evil landlord and she ends up I believe, killing herself or somehow and letting a cat drink her bloo blood, and this transforms the cat into a into a creature, a monster of vengeance that goes and attacks the man who is oppressing her.

Nice nice. I was looking. I noticed there's a nineteen sixty eight film called Becky Nko a Vengeful Spirit, which looks like it maybe has a similar plot and will come. You know, there's there's an interesting area where we're already touching on here, this connection between living domestic cats and deceased human beings. Essentially, we're getting into the realm of post mortem predation, in which an animal in this case a cat, a pet animal will drink the blood or consume some of the flesh of someone who has died. If someone in the house has died, even a you know, an owner who loved that animal in life. Well, still your pet is an animal, and they may have a little to eat. It's just how it goes. It's a known fact, a known reality of having pets. But it also up leading to various supernatural interpretations, this connection between in this case the cat and the dead. So again, more on that later, but in terms of just sort of like a general possible origin story for this idea of cats taking on human form, Davidson shares shares this idea. Okay, you have oil lamps at the time that are being used to illuminate homes in the dark. Fish oil is used in these lamps. Cats want some of that fish oil, and so they will stand on their hind legs and try to access the fish oil in the lamps, which in turn casts strange shadows on the wall. And this you can combine, this can combine this with other sort of uncanny aspects of the cat. You know, their vocalizations that certainly can sometimes sound almost human, almost like a baby or something, or like they're trying to intone something, as well as just all the other you know, very suspect things that cats are doing on just a regular daily basis. I mean, just generally speaking, I will say that you know, when you see, just anecdotally, when you see a cat standing on its hind legs, yeah, which they can do. They can't rear up if they want to, if they need to see over something, et cetera. It is a little weird because suddenly they're bipedal. Suddenly they are. It's like they're taking on a different form. And cats can move their bodies in so many different ways that yeah, they like we've discussed in the show before, they can almost seem fluid. They can it can feel like they are changing their shape in a way that is not tethered to some skeletal or muscular form, or at least not one like we're used to considering with a human being or even like a dog.

Nice nice. I was looking. I noticed there's a nineteen sixty eight film called Becky Nko a Vengeful Spirit, which looks like it maybe has a similar plot and will come. You know, there's there's an interesting area where we're already touching on here, this connection between living domestic cats and deceased human beings. Essentially, we're getting into the realm of post mortem predation, in which an animal in this case a cat, a pet animal will drink the blood or consume some of the flesh of someone who has died. If someone in the house has died, even a you know, an owner who loved that animal in life. Well, still your pet is an animal, and they may have a little to eat. It's just how it goes. It's a known fact, a known reality of having pets. But it also up leading to various supernatural interpretations, this connection between in this case the cat and the dead. So again, more on that later, but in terms of just sort of like a general possible origin story for this idea of cats taking on human form, Davidson shares shares this idea. Okay, you have oil lamps at the time that are being used to illuminate homes in the dark. Fish oil is used in these lamps. Cats want some of that fish oil, and so they will stand on their hind legs and try to access the fish oil in the lamps, which in turn casts strange shadows on the wall. And this you can combine, this can combine this with other sort of uncanny aspects of the cat. You know, their vocalizations that certainly can sometimes sound almost human, almost like a baby or something, or like they're trying to intone something, as well as just all the other you know, very suspect things that cats are doing on just a regular daily basis. I mean, just generally speaking, I will say that you know, when you see, just anecdotally, when you see a cat standing on its hind legs, yeah, which they can do. They can't rear up if they want to, if they need to see over something, et cetera. It is a little weird because suddenly they're bipedal. Suddenly they are. It's like they're taking on a different form. And cats can move their bodies in so many different ways that yeah, they like we've discussed in the show before, they can almost seem fluid. They can it can feel like they are changing their shape in a way that is not tethered to some skeletal or muscular form, or at least not one like we're used to considering with a human being or even like a dog.

Now, regarding bipedal imagery of monster cats from Japan, I hate to bring the Internet into this, but I found what struck me as a substantial meme incursion onto my processing of antique Japanese. All right, there's a picture that is up on the wiki for this creature. For the Buckan echo comes from an eighteenth century imachi or picture scroll by the Japanese painter and poet Yosa Busan. This painting is called the Bacan Echo of the Sasakibara family, and it depicts a monster cat in a bizarre bipedal posture with four legs spread out kind of like shrugging arms like what do you want from me? Of course, a towel on the cat's head, sort of a napkin hanging off the back of the cat's head behind the ears, and a facial expression that is equal parts menace and goof sole. And as soon as I saw it, I thought, oh my god, it's the cat from the woman yelling at cat meme, just a chaotic, confused goblin spirit in the most fundamentally feline way possible.

Now, regarding bipedal imagery of monster cats from Japan, I hate to bring the Internet into this, but I found what struck me as a substantial meme incursion onto my processing of antique Japanese. All right, there's a picture that is up on the wiki for this creature. For the Buckan echo comes from an eighteenth century imachi or picture scroll by the Japanese painter and poet Yosa Busan. This painting is called the Bacan Echo of the Sasakibara family, and it depicts a monster cat in a bizarre bipedal posture with four legs spread out kind of like shrugging arms like what do you want from me? Of course, a towel on the cat's head, sort of a napkin hanging off the back of the cat's head behind the ears, and a facial expression that is equal parts menace and goof sole. And as soon as I saw it, I thought, oh my god, it's the cat from the woman yelling at cat meme, just a chaotic, confused goblin spirit in the most fundamentally feline way possible.

No, this is solid, yes, And in fact, after you mentioned this, I was like, I wonder, I wonder if anyone has transformed this, given the popularity of that meme, And sure enough I found somebody on Etsy who has created like a like a traditional looking Japanese two panel image, all of the encounter where you have where you have the there's the there're the two women, one is yelling, and then there is the cat seated at a table behind this plate with some vegetables on it. And you know, I think it is almost impossible to consider many of these classic Japanese cat illustrations without comparing them to cat memes, in large part because the images are so good at capturing the essence of the cat. Yeah, I mean that the memes do. I mean, one of the reasons that meme has has has resonated so strongly is that, yeah, I mean that the cat part of it feels very on brand. And you see this in some of the older illustrations of cats in Japan as well. There's a great nineteenth century illustration of cats in various positions by Utagawa Kunayoshi, and this one is worth looking up because it features I found, mostly naturalistic depictions of cats, and they're like, you know, at least a few dozen of these, but then there are also some unnatural or even supernatural ones as well, Like if you look around closely at this Joe included it for you. You'll see one one cat with a towel on its head with kind of like zombie arms up. There are some other cats that are doing things of that nature. And then also cats just doing normal cat things.

No, this is solid, yes, And in fact, after you mentioned this, I was like, I wonder, I wonder if anyone has transformed this, given the popularity of that meme, And sure enough I found somebody on Etsy who has created like a like a traditional looking Japanese two panel image, all of the encounter where you have where you have the there's the there're the two women, one is yelling, and then there is the cat seated at a table behind this plate with some vegetables on it. And you know, I think it is almost impossible to consider many of these classic Japanese cat illustrations without comparing them to cat memes, in large part because the images are so good at capturing the essence of the cat. Yeah, I mean that the memes do. I mean, one of the reasons that meme has has has resonated so strongly is that, yeah, I mean that the cat part of it feels very on brand. And you see this in some of the older illustrations of cats in Japan as well. There's a great nineteenth century illustration of cats in various positions by Utagawa Kunayoshi, and this one is worth looking up because it features I found, mostly naturalistic depictions of cats, and they're like, you know, at least a few dozen of these, but then there are also some unnatural or even supernatural ones as well, Like if you look around closely at this Joe included it for you. You'll see one one cat with a towel on its head with kind of like zombie arms up. There are some other cats that are doing things of that nature. And then also cats just doing normal cat things.

Yep, just like snoozing in a basket, sleeping, chewing on a dead squid. Is that what I'm looking at?

Yep, just like snoozing in a basket, sleeping, chewing on a dead squid. Is that what I'm looking at?

Yeah, dragging a big dead squid. That one, Like, the squid is so big there, it makes me me wonder. But yeah, and then other you just see cats interacting with each other. And of course cats as a loaf with their their legs tucked in underneath them, curled up in a circle, you know, all the various forms of the cat that we're accustomed to. You know, we're novel then, just as their novel. Now, all right, I have one more area concerning the back of EKO. I want to touch on here though, just in the event that you're listening with small children, maybe maybe skip this part and come back later, just just because it is maybe a little more mature in themes compared to what we've discussed so far. So fair warning. Okay, now that you've had a chance to leave, I want to just add a word here about back and Niko prostitutes. So during the this is this is covered in Davison. During the Edo period, kiboshi or yellow books spring up as a kind of he describes as kind of like a penny dreadful literary genre of the day. You know, this is literature that is just appealing to to very base interests. And they included these guide books to the pleasure districts. In these guide books included mentions of actual places, actual people, but also in human entities one might encounter, namely back in eco prostitutes. They would otherwise just look like a normal human prostitute, but their shadow would eventually give them away as a shape shifting cat. Coming back to perhaps to that idea of the strange cat reaching up towards the lamplight. Now a major inspiration for this idea, he writes, was an Edo period tale of such a being working in a particular district, and it's soon caught on in written. In visual storytelling, and eventually you have various embellishments that are made either for telling a good story or for creating a compelling image. One of these is that there may be discarded fish around the bedroom, or even a discarded human arm because again, it is not a human being. It is a cat monster that is consuming human victims. Now, initially this is just a tale of horror, you know, kind of a watch out for the monsters in disguise out there in the shadowy world at night. But Davison rise that it eventually becomes this kind of fun visual fad. There's an eighteenth century illustration that he shares in the book of a samurai walking hand in hand with one of these back in Niko. But it has a cat's head. It just looks like it's like a full furry in this illustration, and they're just kind of like, okay, we're out in the open with this. Now I have a relationship with a catwoman, and it's a okay. He also writes that this idea was even eventually embraced by women working in the pleasure district, so accentuating their names or and or keeping a cat in order to play up the idea that they might be something other than human.