FolktaleWeek- Awakening
Nekomata Yokai
Nekomata Yokai
Cats, both domestic and wild, play an important role in yokai folklore. The Nekomata is the late form of the ordinary cat.
It is said that when a cat reaches a certain age, its tail splits and it begins to behave dangerously and suspiciously.
The older and more abused a cat is before the transformation, the more powerful the Nekomata will be.
To gain revenge against those who wronged it, the spirit may haunt humans. It is famous for the power of raising the dead. He control them with ritualistic dances, gesturing with paw and tail. 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.
Nekomata are often described as unusually large cats living in mountains and forests, but also seen in cities and towns.
Be sure to know the whole yokai family!
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