is the common name for

Buddhist Buddhism, also known as Buddhadharma and Dharmavinaya, is an Indian religion and List of philosophies, philosophical tradition based on Pre-sectarian Buddhism, teachings attributed to the Buddha, a wandering teacher who lived in the 6th or ...

temples in

Japan Japan is an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean off the northeast coast of the Asia, Asian mainland, it is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan and extends from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea ...

that have strong ties to

cats The cat (''Felis catus''), also referred to as the domestic cat or house cat, is a small domesticated carnivorous mammal. It is the only domesticated species of the family Felidae. Advances in archaeology and genetics have shown that the ...

. Many such places are dedicated to the veneration of cats due to the belief they were either saved or cursed by cats in the past.

Main "Neko-dera"

Shōnen-ji in

Kamigyō-ku, Kyoto is one of the eleven wards in the city of Kyoto, in Kyoto Prefecture, Japan. The ward was a district of residences for the royalty, aristocrats, and upper classes in the old capital of Japanー Heian-ky ō. Located in the center of the present-d ...

is commonly known as Neko-dera. According to legend, the third abbot of the temple had a cat who one day disguised itself as a beautiful princess and began to dance despite the financial hardships the abbot faced. After being chased out of the temple, she appeared to him in a dream, informing him that she had successfully persuaded the once-distanced Matsudaira family to financially support the temple again. This led to the reestablishment of the temple, an act of repayment for her past behavior. Today, the temple holds memorial services for animals, including cats. Shōzen-in in

Mizukami, Kumamoto 290px, Ichifusayama from Mizukami Kumamoto is a village located in Kuma District, Kumamoto Prefecture, Japan. , the village had an estimated population of 1,946 in 839 households, and a population density of 10 persons per km2. The total area ...

retains a legend which states that its founding was due to the Sagara family being cursed by a vengeful cat spirit, leading to the sudden death of the 19th head of the family, Sagara Tadafusa. Daikeizan Gōtoku-ji is said to be the birthplace of the

maneki-neko The ''maneki-neko'' (招き猫, ) is a common Japanese figurine which is often believed to bring good luck to the owner. In modern times, they are usually made of ceramic or plastic. The figurine depicts a cat, traditionally a calico Japanese Bo ...

. According to legend,

Ii Naotaka was a Japanese ''daimyō'' of the early Edo period who served under the Tokugawa shogunate. He was the son of the famous Tokugawa general Ii Naomasa. His childhood name was Bennosuke (弁之介). Naotaka served in the Siege of Osaka in his bro ...

, the

daimyō were powerful Japanese magnates, feudal lords who, from the 10th century to the early Meiji era, Meiji period in the middle 19th century, ruled most of Japan from their vast hereditary land holdings. They were subordinate to the shogun and no ...

of the

Hikone Domain was a '' fudai'' feudal domain under the Tokugawa shogunate of Edo period Japan. It was located in eastern Ōmi Province, in the Kansai region of central Honshu. The domain was centered at Hikone Castle, located in what is now the city of H ...

was beckoned to the temple gate by a cat, narrowly escaping a thunderstorm. This story is also the origin of the mascot

Hikonyan is a mascot created by the city government of Hikone, Japan. He was created in 2007 to mark the 400th anniversary of the founding of Hikone Castle. The character design is derived from a legend concerning '' maneki-neko'' and Ii Naotaka, the 3 ...

. Jishō-in in

Shinjuku , officially called Shinjuku City, is a special ward of Tokyo, Japan. It is a major commercial and administrative center, housing the northern half of the busiest railway station in the world ( Shinjuku Station) as well as the Tokyo Metropol ...

has enshrined a

hibutsu are Japanese Buddhist icons or statues concealed from public view. ''Hibutsu'' are generally located within Buddhist temples in shrines called . They are unavailable for viewing or worship except for certain religious ceremonies. It is possible i ...

image called ''Neko-Jizō'' (猫地蔵), a cat-like image of

Kṣitigarbha Kṣitigarbha (, , Wylie: ''sa yi snying po'') is a bodhisattva primarily revered in East Asian Buddhism and usually depicted as a Buddhist monk. His name may be translated as "Earth Treasury", "Earth Store", "Earth Matrix", or "Earth Womb". ...

displayed publicly during

Setsubun is the day before the beginning of spring in the old calendar in Japan. The name literally means 'seasonal division', referring to the day just before the first day of spring in the traditional calendar, known as ; though previously refer ...

. The origins of this image is based on the legend of

Ōta Dōkan , also known as Ōta Sukenaga (太田資長), was a Japanese samurai lord, poet and Buddhist monk. He took the tonsure as a Buddhist priest in 1478, and he also adopted the Buddhist name, Dōkan, by which he is known today.Time Out Magazine, Lt ...

coming out victorious after the Battle of Ekoda and Numabukurohara with the help of a cat. Gotanjō-ji in

Echizen, Fukui is a Cities of Japan, city located in Fukui Prefecture, Japan. , the city had an estimated population of 83,078 in 20,341 households and a population density of 360 persons per km². The total area of the city was . The modern city of Echiz ...

serves as a shelter for sick and abandoned cats.

References

{{Buddhist temples in Japan Buddhist temples in Japan Felines in religion Cats in Buddhism

Main "Neko-dera"

See also

References