Bakeneko

animal_ally earth Japanese single tradition · 4

A shapeshifting cat spirit that is different from the nekomata. It does not have two tails and is marginally less malevolent than the nekomata.

↻ synthesized from 4 sources

When

Relationships

cognate of
Nekomata

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Sources

Source passages

“A shapeshifting cat spirit, different from the nekomata in that it doesn't have two tails and is marginally less malevolent.”

#4992 · extracted by anthropic/claude-sonnet-4.5

“Bakeneko and Nekomata (cat)”

#5280 · extracted by google/gemini-2.0-flash-001

“In this story, the bakeneko took the shape of Nabeshima Katsushige's wife and sought Katsushige's life, but his retainer, Chibu Honuemon, slew it. However, after that the Chibu family was unable to produce a male heir because of the cat's curse. It is said that the bakeneko was deified at the shrine of Shūrinji”

#5821 · extracted by google/gemini-2.0-flash-001

“Far darker and more malevolent than most bakeneko, the nekomata is said to have powers of necromancy and, upon raising the dead, will control them with ritualistic dances, gesturing with paw and tail.”

#7889 · extracted by google/gemini-2.0-flash-001