Nekomata & Bakeneko: The True Meaning Behind Japan's Shape-Shifting Cat Yokai Legends
2026-04-28
Prologue | Just How Long Has That Cat Been Around?
One evening during the Edo period in Japan, a merchant returned home to witness a bizarre sight. His cat, alone in the kitchen, was standing on its hind legs with a hand towel draped over its head, performing a dance.
The merchant let out a cry of shock. Startled, the cat dropped back onto all fours and let out a simple, innocent meow as if nothing had happened.
That very night, the merchant turned the cat out of his house. He couldn't stop thinking about his grandmother's constant warning: that cats who live too long eventually turn into yōkai. In Japan, cats have long been viewed through a lens of mixed awe and fear.
They were seen as cute, gentle companions, yet also as mysterious beings that might reveal a hidden nature at any moment. At the heart of this belief are two specific yōkai: the Nekomata, known for its split tail, and the Bakeneko, the cat that can change its shape.
Chapter 1 | The Conditions for a Cat to Become a Yōkai
In Japanese folk belief, there is a specific condition for an animal to transform into a yōkai: time. A fox that lives for a hundred years becomes a Kitsune. An old raccoon dog becomes a Tanuki, a trickster capable of bewitching humans. For cats, it was generally believed that living for more than thirteen years, or meeting certain other conditions, would grant them the spiritual power to transform.
This belief is rooted in the concept of Mononoke. The Japanese believed that as years accumulate, a spirit eventually dwells within objects and living things alike. When that spirit grows strong enough, it manifests supernatural powers. It is the same logic that suggests an old broom can become a monster or an ancient umbrella can come to life.
But why was this belief so strongly projected onto cats in particular? There are several reasons.
First, the eyes. A cat’s pupils, which narrow into vertical slits, glow in the dark and thin out during the day. To the ancient Japanese, these eyes felt fundamentally different from human eyes—as if they were capable of seeing through the veil of reality.
Second, their nocturnal nature. Cats, moving freely through the night while humans slept, seemed like creatures connected to a world unknown to man.
Third, static electricity. Stroking a cat’s fur in the dark produced crackling sparks. In an age before the concept of electricity was understood, this led to the belief that cats could manipulate fire. Combined, these traits made it impossible for the Japanese to view cats as just ordinary animals.
Chapter 2 | Nekomata — The One with the Split Tail
The name Nekomata is linguistically revealing. Neko means cat, and mata can mean again, also, or bifurcated. Literally, it translates to something like the split cat.
The oldest records of the Nekomata date back to the Kamakura period (1185–1333). In the diary of Fujiwara no Sadaie, written in 1233 and titled Meigetsuki, the following entry appears:
"A beast called a Nekomata lives near Mount Koya. Its eyes are like a cat's, but its body is as large as a dog's, and it preys on humans at night."
In these early records, the Nekomata was described more as a mountain-dwelling predator. It wasn't a transformed house cat, but rather a giant wild feline that had lived long enough in the mountains to become a yōkai.
However, as time passed, the story shifted. By the Edo period, the Nekomata was firmly established as a household cat that transformed after reaching a great age. The physical symbol of this change was the tail splitting into two.
The characteristics of a Nekomata are as follows:
Appearance: The tail is split into two. The eyes may glow red, and they are often depicted as being much larger than a normal cat.
Abilities: They were said to manipulate fire and summon lightning. They also reportedly possessed the ability to control and reanimate the corpses of the dead. It was believed that when a corpse stood up and danced near a grave, it was the work of a Nekomata.
Behavior: They gain the ability to understand and speak human languages. They also begin to walk upright on two legs like humans.
Because of this, a custom emerged in Edo-period Japan of docking cats' tails. The belief was that if the tail was kept short, it could never grow long enough to split, thus preventing the cat from becoming a Nekomata.
Some suggest that this custom is why the Japanese Bobtail is so prevalent in Japan today. Interestingly, there is even a theory that the Maneki-neko (the beckoning lucky cat) often has a short tail to signify it is a safe, auspicious cat that has not turned into a yōkai.
Chapter 3 | Bakeneko — The Cat That Became Human
The name Bakeneko is even more direct. Bake means to change or transform, and Neko means cat. Essentially, it is a shapeshifting cat. While the Nekomata legend focuses on the splitting of the tail, the core of the Bakeneko legend is total transformation.
These are beings that wear human clothes, speak human tongues, and live human lives—only to revert to cats if their true identity is discovered. If you think of the Ghibli film The Cat Returns, the concept becomes easier to grasp.
The most famous Bakeneko stories spread through Kabuki theater. During the peak of Edo-period ghost story culture, tales featuring Bakeneko exploded in popularity.
The typical structure of a Bakeneko story goes like this:
An old cat lived in a certain house. The family cherished and cared for it. One day, the cat suddenly vanished. Soon after, strange things began to happen in the household. A mysterious woman appeared every night. Someone in the family fell ill with an unknown disease. When a warrior, suspicious of the woman, attempted to reveal her identity, she would transform back into a cat.
What is fascinating is that the Bakeneko is not necessarily a malicious entity. There are generally two types of Bakeneko stories:
The Vengeful Bakeneko: These are stories of cats that were mistreated or wrongfully killed by their owners. They return as yōkai to seek revenge. It was believed that if an owner killed a cat to make room for a new one, that grudge would give birth to a Bakeneko. This type serves as a heavy warning to humans: do not mistreat those you have lived with for a long time.
The Guardian Bakeneko: Conversely, there are stories where a cat that was loved and well-cared for gains spiritual power to become a protective deity for the household. These cats warn their owners of impending disasters or drive away evil spirits that have crept into the home.
Ultimately, whether a Bakeneko became a protector or an avenger depended entirely on how the human treated the cat.
Chapter 4 | Real Incidents — Yōkai Cats in the Records
These stories didn't just remain as fairy tales because there are actual recorded incidents.
Edo-period collections of ghost stories, such as Konjaku Monogatari and Hyakumonogatari, contain dozens of accounts related to Bakeneko. Most were written in the format of "an actual event that happened at a certain person's house in a certain village," showing that people at the time believed them to be real occurrences.
Particularly famous is the Bakeneko disturbance of the Saga Domain in Hizen Province. This legend involves Nabeshima Mitsushige, the second lord of the Saga Domain. A loyal subject was wrongfully killed, and the cat he kept turned into a Bakeneko to torment the lord.
This story, later titled The Nabeshima Bakeneko Disturbance, was adapted into Kabuki and Kōdan (storytelling performances), becoming one of the greatest hits of the Edo period.
There is a reason this story was so special. It wasn't just a horror tale; it projected the public's resistance against the injustice of those in power. A narrative where a cat takes revenge on behalf of a person who died unfairly provided a sense of catharsis for the Japanese people.
Chapter 5 | Ambivalence — Between Fear and Awe
The most interesting point in the Nekomata and Bakeneko legends is that these beings are not portrayed as simple villains. There is an important sentiment that flows through Japanese yōkai culture as a whole.
It is the perspective that a yōkai is not an evil to be exterminated, but a neighbor to coexist with. This is the result of animism—the belief that spirits dwell in all things—combined with Buddhist ideas of karma.
The same applied to the Nekomata and Bakeneko. In cases where they caused harm, it was almost always because a human had done wrong first—by mistreating or killing an old pet. On the other hand, in homes where cats were sincerely cherished and loved, they returned as guardian spirits.
This was not mere superstition, but a philosophy of life that the Japanese have held for a long time.
"A spirit dwells in that which has been with you for a long time. If you treat it carelessly, it will surely return to you."
The sentiment of Mono no aware (the pathos of things) and the Tsukumogami belief (the recognition of spirits in old objects) find their place here. The Nekomata and Bakeneko stood right in the center of those ideals.
Chapter 6 | Bakeneko and Nekomata in Modern Culture
These two yōkai did not disappear as relics of the past. Instead, they have survived in even more diverse forms within modern Japanese culture.
In manga and anime, Nekomata and Bakeneko appear countless times. The two-tailed cat yōkai in Naruto (a massive chakra entity) was inspired by the Nekomata. Characters in the popular Touhou Project and numerous other works dealing with yōkai cats continue this tradition.
In gaming, it is analyzed that Pokémon like Meowth and Persian, and especially creatures like Gohni, were directly influenced by the Bakeneko and Nekomata legends.
Traces also remain in everyday modern life. When looking at an old cat, some still feel a slight sense of caution, thinking, "That cat must have lived a long time." The superstition that pulling a cat's tail will cause good fortune to flee is also a remnant of these beliefs. Furthermore, cat shrines found across Japan show that the ancient awe for the Bakeneko and sacred cats remains alive today.
Epilogue | The Eyes of an Old Cat
Tonight, if a cat you have lived with for a long time suddenly stares at you intently, how will you feel? If that gaze feels somehow different than usual, as if it is seeing right through you. The people of old Japan would have said:
Perhaps that cat is no longer just a cat. But there is no need for fear. If you have truly cherished that cat, it will now become the most reliable guardian of your home.
"An old cat becomes a yōkai. But a loved cat becomes a guardian deity.“
