In Japanese anime works, we always find the presence of cats. For example, "Ban" in "Natsume's Friend's Account", Kiki's black cat, "Gibb" in "Mary and the Witch's Flower", "The Little Man Who Borrowed Things", Totoro, Cat Baron in "Listening sideways", "Cat's Reward" and so on. So, where did cats come from?
<h1> originate:</h1>
In the early days of Japan, there were no cats, and it is said that cats were brought back to Japan by an envoy who sent the Tang Dynasty in China, so the people who could raise cats during that period were nobles.
It was not until the Edo period that cats began to appear in the homes of ordinary people.
Cats have made a great contribution in Japan, as a country dominated by rice, once had rat infestations and people were not happy. Later, the Japanese began to keep cats at home, and the rat infestation was eliminated. It can be seen that japanese people love cats for a reason.
<h1> develop:</h1>
Cats are also served as gods in Japan.
In Japanese, there is a saying called "each god and Buddha", which means that each shrine and temple can worship the gods they believe in. However, the cat is enshrined in different shrines, and it can be said that it has an extraordinary status in the divine world.
One of the reasons why Japanese people love cats is that they all believe that cats have mysterious powers, and many Japanese people have a kind of obsession with cats.
1. "Mary and the Witch's Flower"
Cats are spiritual, they are agile and cold.
"Gibb" is a powerful "demon", it will turn black for a while and then turn blue, the ancient books record that the black cat is a town house, to ward off evil spirits, to attract wealth, implying an auspicious meaning. Instead, it is the definition of the medieval black cat in Europe, when the black cat was identified as the witch's pet, or the embodiment of the witch, which originated from the medieval European Renaissance, people believed that the witch had her own pet, a elf who served the witch, and they could appear in various images: such as cats, crows, owls, etc.
2. "Kiki's Delivery Service"
In anime, cats are given the ability to speak.
Kiki's black cat is a talking cat. It grew up with Kiki, accompanied each other, and is the spiritual darling of the witches.
3. "The Ever-Changing Tanuki Cat"
Directed by Takada Hoshi, it can be seen as a fun "Japanese Tanuki Culture Propaganda Film".
It mainly tells the story of the tanuki family rebelling against humans due to the drastic decline in the number of tanuki in the Tama area near Tokyo due to uncontrolled urban expansion.
In the following figure, you can see that the cat is in the middle position (C position), which shows the high status of the cat in Japan.
In the eyes of the people of the island country, the tanuki cat is a mysterious animal, and the random change of form is a major feature of them.
Although the city was expanding, they discovered tanuki and created them artificial landscapes to keep them alive.
There is a scene in the play where when the older cat is no longer able to do so, the "god" with golden light comes to take him away.
Therefore, in Japanese culture, they still believe in gods, often engage in various sacrifices, and there are shrines dedicated to cats, and yokai will imitate and transform into human beings and hold temple fairs.
As early as the Nara period, about 1400 years ago, there are records of tanuki cats transforming into human form in Japan.
4. "The Cat's Reward"
"The Cat's Reward" can be said to be a novel of "Side Ear Listening", and the protagonist is the mysterious and handsome cat baron in "Side Ear Listening" and the fat, mysterious white cat.
The heroine, Koharu, is an ordinary middle school student.
Kind, she saved the life of a cat from under the wheel, and the cat stood up and bowed to her and said that he would repay her.
The Cat Prince (Crescent Moon)
Xiao Bai, who was once rescued.
After Koharu's affairs are known to Elvis Presley, he enters the cat kingdom and asks her to marry the cat prince (crescent).
Koharu went to the cat office for help.
Cat Baron
He is a strong swordsman and has a calm gentlemanly personality.
In the office hangs a portrait of The Female Cat Lois in "Listening in the Ear", the female cat who is paired with the cat baron.
Finally, escape from the cat kingdom with their help.
What a fantastic adventure!!!
<h1>festival</h1>
The cat is one of the countless yokai in Japanese folklore, and one of the legendary cats' abilities is that they can walk on two legs, which makes this yokai a good choice for cosplay.
Every year on February 22nd, Japan's "Cat Day" is for commemorative cats and cosplay!
Cats are really popular in Japan, and they are everywhere.