Introduction
Cats have been an integral part of Japanese culture for centuries. They are everywhere in Japan’s rich body of folklore: venerated as deities, decried as pests, feared as vengeful spirits, kept as mice catchers, and adored as pets. What better way to celebrate these wonderful felines than by worshipping them at a shrine or temple?
Prior to researching the subject, my initial impressions were that there wouldn’t be many shrines and temples dedicated to these felines. While there are relatively few in the final accounting — compared to thousands of existing Shinto shrines and Buddhist temples — I was pleasantly surprised to find that there were in fact a few dozen such institutions scattered throughout Japan, particularly in areas that practiced sericulture.
This six-part series introduces all the cat shrines and temples across Japan, excluding those already covered in the Tokyo list. From cat-themed art to mysterious black beckoning cat statues, these places celebrate cats in all their forms. Here is Part 3.
Part 1 A–F: Akita to Fukushima
Part 2 G–K: Gunma to Kagoshima
Part 3 K: Kanagawa to Kyoto
Part 4 M–O: Miyagi to Okayama
Part 5 O–T: Osaka to Tokushima
Part 6 T–Y: Tokushima to Yamaguchi
Kanagawa
Inuneko Shrine
On the grounds of Zama Shrine in Zama City is Inuneko Shrine, a small shrine dedicated to cats, dogs, and all pets. (Zama is such a great name for a place.) It was established in 2012 as an extension of sorts to the original shrine standing next to it — Silkworm Shrine, a small stone hokora dedicated to sericulture, and the protection of livestock from plague and disease. A stone statue of a dog stands on the right side of the approach to the shrine; on the left is one of a cat. Visitors can stroke their heads to aid in their wishes coming true.
Zama Shrine is thought to have been founded around 550 around a sacred springwater source. Visitors may take some of this water home if they bring their own bottle. It’s located on a hill behind a military base. You’ll have to climb 77 steps to get to the shrine; adjacent to it is Zama Park, from which you can take in the view of Mt. Oyama and the Tanzawa mountain range.
Happily for pet owners, visitors may bring their furry companions to the shrine — significant since pets aren’t allowed at many shrines. Zama Shrine is open to the public at all hours, and you’ll sometimes see people walking their dogs through the grounds. Some pet owners will even dress their cats and dogs in kimono and pay a visit to the shrine on special events like Shichi-Go-San or for the first shrine visit of the year.
Kochi
Minokoshi Nekosha Shrine
Japan is home to thousands of hokora (miniature shrine buildings) located seemingly at random on roadsides and between houses, cared for by local residents. Minokoshi Nekosha Shrine is one such hokora — a simple, unassuming wooden structure with a torii gate, but nevertheless one with a delightful tale attached to it.
There was once a large ginger cat at a temple in the village of Nanokawa, a cat much loved and well-cared for by the priest. Now, this cat was fond of making mischief, and night after night, it would steal the priest’s robes and dance around in them with its friends, pretending to be him. The priest eventually caught the ginger cat and sent it away from the temple; the cat found its way to the village of Minokoshi in Susaki to live out the rest of its days.
One day, the large ginger cat appeared to the priest in a dream, declaring that it would do something useful for the temple to repay past kindness. Not long afterwards, the temple was tasked with carrying out a funeral for one of the members of the local Fukao clan. When the time came to carry the casket, it would not budge; no one could lift it, and there was much uproar and hand-wringing. But the priest began to pray, and suddenly, they found that the casket could be moved after all. This incident brought a great deal of positive publicity to the temple, or so it was said.
If extant literature is to be believed, praying at Minokoshi Nekosha Shrine will cure asthma, help with brain disease, and alleviate illnesses of a feminine nature. Worshippers are meant to donate a maneki-neko (beckoning cat) figurine to the shrine if their prayers have been fulfilled.
Kumamoto
Hogi Hogi Shrine
Who among us has not daydreamed about winning the lottery? Hogi Hogi Shrine is the place to pray for good fortune in the lotto — especially if you subscribe to its somewhat fantastical origin story.
In 2004, there was a man operating an excavator while working on the construction of a heliport. He had hit a large rock, which he attempted to demolish, but the excavator simply shut down in response. No amount of repair or troubleshooting would get the excavator to work. That night, the rock spoke to him in a dream, asking why the man was trying to destroy it. The man said that he was simply trying to do his job — to earn money to live. In response, the rock directed him to buy a lottery ticket, and should he strike it big, use some of the winnings to build a shrine to this rock.
The man was (rightly) skeptical, but bought a lottery ticket anyway, and won a large sum of money — enough to warrant doing as the rock in his dream had asked. On hearing the story, one of his friends decided to pray to the sacred rock, and subsequently struck gold in the lottery. Word of the rock spread. Today, Hogi Hogi Shrine continues to be popular with people hoping to get lucky in the lottery.
In the shrine is the Kujineko Daimyōjin, or the ‘Great Shining Lottery Cat Deity.’ The construction of this statue was funded by a worshipper who adopted a cat born on the shrine grounds and subsequently saw great success in his business. Kujineko-sama, as the smiling maneki-neko statue is called, was officially consecrated on 28 November 2018, an auspicious ‘Day of Heavenly Forgiveness.’ It has its paws raised to mimic the hands of a clock reading 9 o’clock — a pun on the homophones for ‘lottery’ and ‘9 o’clock.’ (Yes, you can purchase small versions of Kujineko-sama at the shrine shop.)
Kanji note: The shrine’s name is 宝来宝来 which would normally be read “hōrai-hōrai,” but in this case, the official reading is “hogi-hogi.”
Neko Daimyōjin
In a quiet suburb of Arao City is a bus stop by the name of Nekomiya, or ‘Cat Palace.’ This shrine is a simple wooden pavilion-like structure with benches next to the offertory box. Exactly when the shrine was built is unclear — there are competing, contradictory records — but the oft-repeated origin story of Neko Daimyōjin is that of Senaga Chōja. As with all apocryphal stories, this is best taken with a pinch of salt.
Long ago, there was a certain merchant named Senaga Chōja who made his fortune trading with Chinese ships that docked at the coves near Arao. This merchant had a strong and mighty cat, unbested in any fight with dog or cat in the area.
One day, the owner of a Chinese ship was drinking with Chōja, and learned of his cat. This shipowner had a dog, whose fierceness and strength he believed to be unrivalled, so he suggested a wager with Chōja — they would pit their animals against each other, and the winner would take the other’s treasure.
Chōja immediately agreed. The fight took place, and the cat won by killing the dog, but not without cost. A few days later, the cat died from wounds sustained during the fight. Chōja grieved for his cat, and built Nekomiya to comfort its spirit. The shipowner kept his word and gave Chōja a golden tea-kettle, which was later offered as a gift to the Ojiro family, who ruled Arao at the time.
Every 10 January, the shrine caretakers (the Matsuo family) hold the Neko Daimyōjin festival (colloquially known as Nekoja-san), during which they issue paper talismans offering the following benefits: protection against rats, household disasters, and bad luck; increased financial fortune; good health; safe birth; safe travels. In other words, pretty much everything.
Shōzen-in Temple
Shōzen-in in the mountains of Mizukami is a Shingon Buddhist temple, with two charming cat statues replacing the usual guardian dogs at its entrance. However, the tranquil grounds belie its gruesome origins.
Another temple called Fumon-ji once occupied the site on which Shōzen-in now stands. On 16 March 1582, its abbot, Seiyo Hōin, was killed by a member of the Sagara clan for a crime he did not commit, and the temple was burned to the ground. Hōin’s mother, Kugetsu Zennyo, cursed the clan and swore to avenge his death.
The details vary in the telling. Some sources say that his grief-stricken mother fasted at Ichifusa Shrine for 37 days and 37 nights (or 21), and some say she simply went there. Either way, she brought her cat Tamatare along. At the shrine, she sliced her finger open and smeared blood all over the statue of a kami, and had her cat lick her blood from the open wound. She then committed suicide by flinging both herself and cat into a pool.
It seems that her soul merged with that of the cat, transforming into a vengeful feline spirit that haunted the Sagara clan day and night, even leading to the death of the 19th head of the family, Sagara Tadafusa. To appease the cat spirit and break the curse, Sagara Yorifusa — who succeeded Tadafusa as clan leader — built Shōzen-in in 1625, and every year on 16 March, the clan members were required to visit both the temple and Ichifusa Shrine to pray for the souls of the deceased.
A number of cat-themed statues and ornaments dot the grounds, including one depicting Tamatare. Of note is the image of a cat carved into the Kannon Hall’s shumidan, an elevated altar made of fine wood. The Kannon Hall has been designated as a National Important Cultural Property.
Kyoto
Dannō Hōrin-ji Temple
A hop and a skip away from Sanjo Bridge in Kyoto CIty is the unassuming Dannō Hōrin-ji, a Pure Land Buddhist temple that claims to be the oldest temple in Japan to depict the black maneki-neko. If you’ve read about the competing origin stories of maneki-neko, you’ll know to take this claim with a pinch of salt — but they did specify black beckoning cats, so maybe they’re in the clear.
Founded around 750 AD, Dannō Hōrin-ji is dedicated to Shuyajin — Vasanta-vayanti in Sanskrit — a minor protective deity believed to guard the night, as well as ward against fires and theft. According to the temple website, Taichū Shōnin, the founder of this temple, received a mystical revelation from Shuyajin, recognising the deity as their first manifestation in Japan.
Black cats, whose eyes gleam in the dark, have supposedly acted as the messengers for this deity for a long time. The exact dates are unknown, but the temple claims that black maneki-neko statuettes have been made and inscribed with Shuyajin’s name for parishioners since around the middle of the Edo period.
Pay a visit on the first Saturday of December for the Lucky Cat Ōmiya-kami Grand Festival, during which the priests will unveil a hibutsu — a Buddhist icon normally concealed from the public — of Shuyajin for view. No photographs are allowed, which only improves the whole event. The shrine’s maneki-neko gallery, which displays dozens of beckoning cats from the head priest’s private collection as well as donated figurines from all over Japan, is well worth visiting.
Kotohira Shrine
A pair of stone guardian lion-dogs known as komainu can often be found at the entrances of shrines and temples in Japan. One typically has an open mouth and the other a closed mouth, forming the syllables “a” and “un” to symbolically represent the beginning and end of all things.
At Kotohira (or Konpira) Shrine in Kyotango City, the guardian dogs are replaced with a pair of komaneko — guardian cats — carved in the fashion of komainu with a similar pair of open-closed mouths. The shrine claims that they are the only shrine in Japan with such komaneko. These cats are located in front of Kishima Shrine, which is one of Konpira’s seven sub-shrines.
Kyotango was (and is) famous for the production of Tango chirimen, a type of plain-woven textured silk crepe. Cats were highly valued for their role in protecting silkworms from mice and rats, and as such, chirimen traders commissioned the building of Kishima Shrine in 1830 to venerate the patron deity of sericulture. One can infer that the komaneko represent the feelings of gratitude and appreciation from the thread merchants and silkworm farmers.
However, it seems that the guardian cat statues were not originally installed as a pair. According to the inscription on the pedestal, the creator of the statue with its mouth open — depicting a parent-and-child pair — was one Hasegawa Matsusuke, a well-known stonemason in the Tango region at the time. The creator of the statue with its mouth closed is unknown, and was donated in 1846, 14 years after the first was dedicated to the shrine, suggesting that the second cat guardian was carved in a similar style to make a pair of komaneko.
Every year, the shrine hosts the lively Mineyama Komaneko Festival, which includes events and activities such as a handicraft market, Tango chirimen displays, ‘cat yoga’ and ‘cat flower craft workshops,’ exhibitions by local creatives, and more. In 2024, there were limited-edition lucky amulets available for purchase. Expect similar going forward.
Shonen-ji Temple
Shonen-ji wasn’t the first cat temple in Japan, but they were the first to snag the nekodera.net domain, ensuring them a spot on the first page of search engine results in perpetuity. (Nekodera.com is available for eye-watering sums of money.)
Located in the heart of downtown Kyoto, this Pure Land Buddhist temple was established in 1606 by Matsudaira Nobutsuna, a feudal lord of the early Edo period. Over time, the temple lost the regular patronage of the Matsudaira family and gradually fell into poverty and disrepair.
According to legend, Shonen-ji’s connection with cats began with the third abbot of Shonen-ji. At this time, he had resorted to begging for alms to sustain himself and the temple, but he could not bring himself to abandon his cat.
On the night of the harvest moon, the monk returned to the temple, and was startled to see a beautiful woman clad in a flowing dress, her elegant form bathed in moonlight as she danced with a fan. Then, he saw a feline shadow reflected on the screens of the main hall, and realised that she was in fact his cat in disguise. He flew into a rage, and drove his cat out of the temple with the words, “this is no time to be dancing around, when I have been suffering so!”
A few nights later, the cat appeared in the monk’s dreams, and told him that if he were to treat tomorrow’s visiting samurai with respect, the temple would flourish once again. Sure enough, a member of the Matsudaira clan paid a visit the next day, as one of the women in the clan had expressed her wishes to be buried at this temple on her death. This was the start of Shonen-ji’s revival, and since then, the temple has consistently carried out memorial services for animals.
Eagle-eyed readers may have noticed the similarities to the story behind Minokoshi Nekosha Shrine in Kochi. ‘Neko no Ongaeshi’ (loosely translated, ‘cats repaying kindnesses’) is a common theme in many classic folk stories across Japan; the same theme can occasionally be seen with other animals, as in the well known tale of the Crane Wife.
There is an old pine tree in the precincts of Shonen-ji, said to have been planted by one of the monks in memory of his beloved cat. Its wide branches stretch 20 metres long, running parallel to the ground, and appears to resemble a cat lying down, giving rise to the nickname ‘neko matsu’ or ‘cat pine tree.’
Nyan-Nyan-ji Temple
Nyan Nyan-ji isn’t technically a temple in that it’s not affiliated with a particular religion, but makes the list regardless, since it is arguably an artistic and spiritual haven for cat lovers. Literally translating to ‘Meow Meow Temple,’ this is a ‘temple-style art museum’ set in a converted century-old Japanese folk house in the outskirts of Kyoto City, created and run by the Kaya family.
All of the family members are involved in art, whether at a professional or personal level. The majority of paintings, murals, and sculptures displayed inside are by Miyano Kaya, who has been painting cats since he was a child. His mother, Junko, had collected cat-themed artwork for many years; his father, Toru, works as a painter for shrines and temples. On top of this, they’ve always had pet cats. Nyan Nyan-ji seems to be an obvious outcome of their combined efforts.
While their website stresses that this ‘is not a facility with many cats,’ there’s usually at least one cat priest who makes an appearance once a month. Visitors have been known to offer their cats to serve as priests for the day — the cats are rewarded with treats and meals — but they’ll usually go home with the owners at the end of the day. It also wouldn’t be an art museum without a museum shop: this one is filled with all kinds of cat-themed tchotchkes that will have you emptying your wallet faster than you can meow.
Written by Florentyna Leow