The word neko, of course, means “cat,” although it...

10th February 2012

Quote reblogged from zombi zombi with 6 notes

The word neko, of course, means “cat,” although it can also revealingly mean “sleeping young.” The common Japanese word jizo can be a cat statue or it can be a stone statue of a monk with a shaved head, usually holding gems in his left hand and a staff in his right. Most of these statues are considered to be the Buddhist guardian deity for children, as well as the divine guardians of travelers and of pregnant women.

Still, the overwhelming role of these little cats was infinitely positive. Through the presence and blessing of these divine bobtails, the Japanese believed, and believe today, that they can partake of—what exactly shall we call it?—the magic, the spirit, the aura of the stone jizos. But these stone symbols are more than the guardian deities of children; they are animals who, not unlike the lore and beliefs about the Egyptian god cats, come to our world and show great acts of valor. In their beings, they not only embody such acts but they inspire humans to ever greater ones. They actively encourage good conduct and are believed to have power beyond common sense, but they are also looked upon as carriers of the supreme feudal Japanese samurai values of loyalty, noble self-sacrifice, and unswerving devotion to duty.

— When Cats Reigned Like Kings: On the Trail of the Sacred Cats, by Georgie Anne Geyer (via kuroneko893)

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