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 a cat island shrine and stationmaster cats to bobtail cats and red kitties, these places celebrate cats in all their forms. Here is Part 4.
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
Miyagi
Miyori Shrine
Out of Japan’s many ‘cat islands’ — where cats make up the majority of an island’s inhabitants — Tashirojima (off the coast of Ishinomaki City) may be among the most well-known.
This tiny island in Sendai Bay is home to around 140 cats and just under 50 residents, most of whom work in the fishing industry. In a previous era when the residents of Tashirojima used to raise silkworms, cats were also valued for their mouse-catching abilities. Perhaps unsurprisingly, the cats are also perceived to bring good luck, particularly when it comes to large hauls of fish. Some stories say that the fishers would also predict the weather and estimate their chances of success based on how the cats were behaving that day.
Miyori Shrine — better known as Cat Shrine — is a tiny hokora roughly located between the island’s two villages. According to a local story, the fishers were collecting rocks for fixed-net fishing, but a stray rock fell and killed one of the cats. The islanders supposedly buried the cat — naming it Nengoro — and built a shrine in its honour. Either way, visitors have left many beckoning cat figurines to the shrine along with other offerings.
Cat Mound (Nekozuka Kofun)
It is an unfortunate reality that some places are far less interesting to visit in person than the stories associated with them. The Nekozuka Kofun (‘Cat Mound’) on the grounds of Shōrin Shrine is one such place.
According to the story, there was once a couple who lived in the area, and had a cat that the wife doted on. One day, the cat was behaving peculiarly — incessantly following the wife around, seemingly trying to prevent her from using the washroom. The husband lost his temper and lopped the poor cat’s head off with his sword. The cat’s head somehow flew up to the ceiling, where it bit down on a large serpent lurking there. It became clear that the cat had been trying to protect its mistress, and with much regret, the family buried the cat and built a mound over its grave.
This one made the list for having a shrine built on the rear part of the tumulus itself, but there are dozens such ‘cat mounds’ throughout Japan, most of them little more than weathered stone markers and fragments of half-forgotten tales. Perhaps you’ll stumble across one on your travels.
Nagano
Hōzōji Temple
Located in the mountains of Ogawamura, Hōzōji Temple is thought to be the Shinshu area’s only cat temple. The tale associated with its origins as a cat temple is somewhat convoluted, but essentially falls under the category of ‘neko no ongaeshi’ or ‘cats repaying kindnesses’ stories. (For more examples, see the stories of Shonen-ji in Kyoto and Minokoshi Nekosha Shrine in Kochi.)
Like most legends, the details vary by the telling. Here is one version.
There was once a priest of Hōzōji Temple, who one day noticed that his robes were always on a heap on the floor when he woke up. This was strange, because he took great care to hang them up every night. He suspected that it might have been the temple cat’s doing, and he was proven right.
That night, the cat quietly pulled the robes down, and padded out to the garden. The priest had snuck ahead and positioned himself in the branches of a pine tree to see what was going on. Birds, deer, rabbits, all manner of animals had gathered in the garden! The cat donned the robes and began to preach to the animals, and the priest realised it was the very same sermon that he would give to the parishioners every day. The cat spoke through the night, and just as it reached the peak of its sermon, dawn broke, and all the animals dispersed and returned to the forest.
The following day, the priest said casually to the cat, “that was a pretty good sermon last night.” Realising that it had been caught out, the cat suddenly leapt at the priest.
To which the priest responded, “my dear cat, you may have preached a pretty sermon, but it’s still too early for you to replace me. If you want to make a name for yourself, it’s better you die doing something good for the temple. Look at you now, trying to bite me to death and replace me. You have a long way to go! Foolish cat.” With that, the cat was chastened, and crept out of the temple, never to be seen again.
The years passed, and one day, the matriarch of a certain prominent family in Senmi Village nearby passed away from old age, and a local temple was asked to conduct the funeral. As this family had a certain status in the area, the funeral was to be a significant affair for all and sundry. But just as the priests were about to conduct the final rites, the sky suddenly became overcast. Demons descended from the dark clouds, picking up the coffin and dropping it onto the ground again, all in all causing so much disruption that the funeral simply could not continue.
The family were most troubled by the state of affairs; the matriarch could not be left unburied forever. After consulting and conferring amongst themselves, they decided to approach the priest of Hōzōji Temple for assistance. Much to everyone’s joy and relief, the funeral was completed without incident under the priest of Hōzōji. The grateful family (and the villagers of Senmi) decided to become parishioners at Hōzōji Temple.
As the family and the villagers arrived at the temple to pay their respects to the priest, something flew in above their heads, as fast as an arrow, landing in the temple’s main hall. Much to everyone’s surprise, it was the corpse of the cat. The priest eventually surmised that the cat had caused the commotion at the first funeral in order to shift the family and villagers’ allegiance to Hōzōji Temple, ensuring that the temple had a large congregation of parishioners.
Other versions of this story have no demons; it’s only stormy weather and fierce wind and rain that prevents the funeral from going ahead as scheduled with the other temple, making the priest of Hōzōji your classic ‘hare otoko’ (sun-bringer). Frankly, it seems a bit grim that in these stories the cat has to die in order to do any good for the temple, but so it goes.
Nagasaki
Omagari Neko Shrine
Bobtail cats are known as ‘omagari neko’ (bent-tail cats) or ‘kagi neko’ (key cats) for the curved shape of their tails — these tails can be hook-shaped, curved, or simply end in a stubby bun. Some Japanese people believe that their tails act like hooks that gather good fortune, so bobtail cats are generally considered symbols of luck, prosperity, and happiness.
These cats first arrived in Japan via Dejima, having served as rat-catchers on the Dutch East India Company ships. While they eventually spread across the country, Nagasaki was and is the home of bobtail cats — they make up around 80% of Nagasaki City’s local cat population. Cat specialists speculate that this concentration of bobtails is likely the result of genetic mutations that developed during Japan’s several century-long period of isolation.
So beloved are bobtail cats in Nagasaki that in April 2019 the Nagasaki Cat Society opened the Omagari Cat Shrine, which has the distinction of being Japan’s smallest indoor cat shrine. All offerings received here are donated in full to support rescue cats across Japan, and it stays in operation through the sales of lucky amulets and cat-themed goods. If you can’t make it to Nagasaki, they have an online shop. We love a cat shrine dedicated to animal welfare.
Niigata
Nambu Shrine
Niigata Prefecture was a major rice and silk-producing region. Where there are silkworms and rice, there are rats; and where there are rats, one needs cats. This probably goes some way towards explaining the prevalence of cat-related folklore in this part of Japan.
One shrine associated with cats is Nambu Shrine (also spelled Nanbu Shrine) in the mountains outside Nagaoka City. While its nickname is ‘Nekomata Gongen,’ the shrine isn’t really related to the two-tailed cat yōkai described in most Japanese folklore about monstrous cats. Cats were generally valued in this area for their role in sericulture, and it seems that they were conflated with nekomata for purposes of worship.
On the shrine precincts is the ‘Nitta Neko,’ a charming stone statue of a cat erected by the Iwamatsu family in 1920. (The Iwamatsu family were descendants of the Nitta clan of the former Echigo province.) Niigata-based sources (e.g. Nagaoka City’s tourism board) point to Amanokagutsuchi-no-mikoto as the deity of sericulture at Nambu Shrine; however, it is unclear whether this particular deity was also worshipped at other sericulture shrines.
Hakkaisanson Shrine
Cats are natural rat repellents. But if you need extra spiritual help to keep the mice away from rice in Niigata, Hakkaisanson Shrine in Minami-Uonuma City will sell you a cat-themed paper talisman to ward off those pesky rodents.
These days, cats don’t play a huge role in farms any more thanks to improved rice-storing methods. The shrine still does good business selling these cat talismans year-round, though, probably because cat-themed merchandise is perennially popular and worshippers have been asking for them in recent years.
Located on the 1,778 metre-tall Mount Hakkai for which it is named, Hakkaisanson Shrine continues to carry out various seasonal traditions associated with shugendo mountain worship, most notably its large fire-walking festival on 20 October.
Oita
Fukura Tenmangu Shrine
There are many shrines all over Japan dedicated to Sugawara-no-Michizane, the deity of learning, but only one that also enshrines an economics expert.
Fukura Tenmangu Shrine in Usuki City has a fairly complex history, having begun life as a Buddhist temple back in 1600. When Michizane was enshrined there as a deity by the Inaba clan, the temple then operated as both Shinto shrine and Buddhist temple for many generations (changing its name several times in the process) until the policy of shinbutsu bunri (separation of Buddhism and Shintoism) introduced during Meiji Restoration forced it to become Tenma Shrine in 1868. In the early Showa period (1926-1989), the shrine changed its name to Fukura Tenmangu Shrine.
Shōrei Akaneko Shrine is by contrast a relatively recent addition to the precincts. It was established in the early 2000s, enshrining the late philanthropist and shrine patron Оtsuka Kōbei. ‘Akaneko’ (‘red cat’) was a nickname for a group of wealthy, up-and-coming merchants in the town of Hirasōzu, Usuki, around the end of the Edo period. ‘Akaneko’ is apparently Edo-period slang for an arsonist, and in this context, it is thought to have implied that the merchants' avaricious business practices ruined everyone, in the same way that fire devours all, leaving nothing.
Оtsuka was one of the members of this group of ‘red cats.’ While ‘red cat’ was initially used in a derogatory sense, head priest Ojima Shōsaku (雄嶋正作) looked into Otsuka’s background, and realised that he had greatly contributed to Usuki’s development. This led to him establishing the Red Cat Shrine on the premises. Besides the Usuki Red Cat Festival held on 29 April, visitors can, of course, purchase red cat-themed ema and merchandise.
Okayama
Tama Shrine
Those who love cats and Japan will almost certainly have heard of the Wakayama Electric Railway Kishigawa Line and Tama, the original calico cat railway station master at Kishi Station. Tama-chan passed away in 2015 after many years of dedicated service, and a shrine was built next to the station in her honour.
Perhaps less well-known is the fact that Wakayama Electric Railway was originally a subsidiary of Okayama Electric Tramway. So while Tama Shrine proper is in Wakayama Prefecture, there’s a branch of Tama Shrine located a few minutes walk from Okayama Station on the 10th floor of Hare Cross Tower. Ema (votive plaques) and fortune slips can be purchased at Mori no Marche on the first floor.
Tama-chan was succeeded by several calico cats, namely Ni-tama and Yon-tama (Second Tama and Fourth Tama, respectively). Sun-tama-tama, the third candidate, never made it to Wakayama: the Okayama Public Relations representative who had been taking care of her refused to give the cat up. As of 2025, Sun-tama-tama appears to be active at her stationmaster duties, if somewhat-recent Twitter posts are anything to go by.
Written by Florentyna Leow