Neko-Tsuki (猫つき, 猫憑き, or 猫憑 Neko-Tsuki, Cat Possession) is a cat yōkai.
Appearance[]
Neko-Tsuki is a purple-skinned woman with long hair and sharp eyebrows. She wears a purple uchikake with spotted sleeves, an orange haori, and red hakabama. She holds a fan with a paw-print design.
History[]
Video Games[]
- Neko-Tsuki appears in GeGeGe no Kitarō: Yōkai Yokochō as a B-Rank customer yōkai and the local boss yōkai representing the Ehime Prefecture.
Legend[]
Illustration of Neko-Tsuki
Neko-Tsuki is a type of tsukimono (spirit possession) that can be found in certain places in Japan. It takes the form of the possession from the onryō of a dead cat.
In Uma District, Iyo Province (modern-day Ehime Prefecture), it is said that if you hurt or killed a cat, its spirit would haunt you, so most people avoided this action. This belief came about from the story of a man named Yahachi who was the owner of a wealthy farm. One day, for whatever reason, he killed his pet cat. After that, Yahachi became mentally unstable, and all of his possessions were taken away by others. "I'm possessed by a cat, I'm possessed by a cat", Yahachi muttered, wandering aimlessly, and so after this incident, the local residents warned each other "If you kill a cat, you'll end up like Yahachi".
In Iwate Prefecture, there is a practice that can sense if someone is under Neko-Tsuki called Neko Okuri (猫送り, Sending-off a cat). It involves writing the character "neko" in white on a board about 1 shaku (about 30 cm) wide and 2 shaku (about 6 cm) long and setting it up at a crossroads. Anyone who is nearby and is under Neko-Tsuki is said to noticeably avoid going near this board.
In Ōshima District, Yamaguchi, if you pass by a dead cat, you run the risk of being possessed by a variant of the Inugami known as the Nekogami (猫神, Cat God). As a result, most people avoid going their, but if they do, they chant "Don't infect me Nekogami, we're not your parent or child".
In Higashimatsuura District, Saga Prefecture, it is said that the souls of dead cats possess dead bodies, so in order to prevent this, when a person dies, a custom is practiced that involves placing a pillow the body is resting on facing north, and placing a broom on the body's futon, and placing a knife next to the pillow. This custom seems to also be related to the Mōryō and cat-like Kasha.
Trivia[]
- Shigeru Mizuki's manga version of the Neko-Mata is more in line with Neko-Tsuki.