The existence of Yokai stems from animisme, the belief that spirits dwell in everything - from living things to inanimate objects; animism is also the basis of Shintoism, Japan’s oldest religion.

In Makidani, Yamasaki, Shisō District, Harima Province (now within Shisō, Hyōgo Prefecture), a tale was passed down about a person in Karakawa who was a bakeneko. The same kind of tale was also found in Taniguchi, Fukusaki village, Jinsai District, of the same province, where it is said that in Kongōjō-ji, a bakeneko who troubled a villager was killed by someone from the temple. This bakeneko was protected from arrows and bullets by a chagama 's lid and an iron pot. These, like the legend of Susanoo's extermination of Yamata no Orochi, have a commonality in that the local old families of the area played a role. [5] Many other animals appear as yōkai in old tales and display similar attributes: the deep tenacity of snakes, the ability of foxes ( kitsune) to shapeshift into women, and the brutality of bake-danuki in eating humans depicted in the Kachi-kachi Yama folktale from the Edo period. However, cats figure in a great number of tales and superstitions because they live with humans yet retain their wild essence and air of mystery. [5]

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In Japan cats are often associated with death, and this particular spirit is often blamed. Far darker and more malevolent than most bakeneko, the nekomata is said to have powers of necromancy, and upon raising the dead, will control them with ritualistic dances, gesturing with paw and tail. These yōkai are associated with strange fires and other inexplicable occurrences. The older and more abused a cat is prior to its transformation, the more power the nekomata is said to have. To gain revenge against those who wronged it, the spirit may haunt humans with visitations from their deceased relatives. Some tales state that these demons, like bakeneko, assume human appearances, usually appearing as older women, behaving badly in public, and bringing gloom and malevolence wherever they travel. Due to these beliefs, sometimes kittens' tails were cut off based on the assumption that if the tails could not fork, the cats could not become nekomata. The bakeneko is one scary monster, but it has an even more evil form: the Nekomata. If you see a cat with two tails, run the other way, because this is the Nekomata, a yokai that has the ability to throw fireballs and devour human flesh on top of haunting households! 12. Kasa-obake Macalanda, Dana (28 October 2017). " 'Kaibyo: The Supernatural Cats of Japan': Traditionally spooky felines". The Japan Times . Retrieved 13 July 2021. During the Edo period (1603–1867), tales about bakeneko began to appear in essays and kaidan collections in various areas. Tales of cats transforming into humans and talking can be seen in publications like the Tōen Shosetsu ( 説), [19] the Mimibukuro ( 嚢), [26] [27] the Shin Chomonjū ( 集), [28] and the Seiban Kaidan Jikki ( 記). [29] Similarly, tales of dancing cats can be seen in the Kasshi Yawa ( 話), [30] and the Owari Ryōiki ( 記). [31] In the fourth volume of "Mimibukuro", it is stated that any cat anywhere that lives for ten years would begin to speak as a human, [32] and that cats born from the union of a fox and a cat would begin speaking even before ten years had passed. [33] According to tales of cats that transform, aged cats would very often shapeshift into old women. [4] The Edo period was the golden age for kaidan about bakeneko, and with shibai like the "Nabeshima Bakeneko Disturbance" being performed, these became even more famous. [25] The Japanese Kitsune spirit has been the inspiration of many pop culture characters and references, in part because of its ability to shape-shift into stunning women!

A Bakeneko prostitute eating while the surprised client looks on. (1775) Torii Kiyonaga ( Public Domain )The film is no longer showing in cinemas but we look forward to its release on alternate platforms. Visit the link below for the film’s trailer. Because of this, he is often depicted as the ‘Master of All Yokai’ in modern retellings of Japanese folklore. 18. Zashiki-Warashi As a manga translator, Davisson was nominated for the 2014 Japanese-US Friendship Commission Translation Prize for his translation of the multiple Eisner Award-winning SHOWA: A HISTORY OF JAPAN. Other acclaimed translations include Satoshi Kon’s OPUS and THE ART OF SATOSHI KON, Mamoru Oshii’s SERAPHIM: 266613336 WINGS, Leiji Matsumoto’s QUEEN EMERALDAS, Kazuhiro Fujita’s THE GHOST AND THE LADY, Go Nagai’s CUTIE HONEY, and Gou Tanabe’s Eisner Award-nominated HP LOVECRAFT’S THE HOUND AND OTHER TALES. Yokai monsters are legendary across Japan, and each yokai possesses an origin story that is every bit unique and exciting to learn. Their history is intertwined with Japanese culture, and so learning about them is also learning more about how Japan has shaped up to be the way it is in modern times.