Cats. Modern Japan loves them in all shapes and sizes. But they weren¡¯t always so cuddly.
Kaibyo: The Supernatural Cats of Japan, by Zack Davisson.
120 pages
CHIN MUSIC PRESS, Nonfiction.
From translator and folklore scholar Zack Davisson, ¡°Kaibyo: The Supernatural Cats of Japan¡± is a spooky read perfect for curling up with alongside a cat of your own. In this delightful primer, Davisson introduces an array of feline beasties responsible for terrorizing (and in some cases, seducing) people throughout the centuries.
Translated as ¡°strange cats,¡± many of the °ì²¹¾±²ú²â¨ featured weren¡¯t born supernatural, but began as regular cats who eventually transformed after living extremely long lives. The corpse-eating kasha wasn¡¯t even a cat; as its kanji reading suggests, it was initially a flaming cart.
The shapeshifting bakeneko and omnipresent maneki neko may be pop culture staples, but ¡°Kaibyo¡± gives us impactful glimpses into how deeply rooted in legend and the allure of supernatural these figures are. Like the perpetual reincarnations of Grimm¡¯s fairy tales, °ì²¹¾±²ú²â¨ stories continue to endure.
It¡¯s undoubtedly scholarly, but Davisson¡¯s writing is refreshingly genuine, surprisingly comparable to an engaging coffee shop conversation.
The book design is just as lovely. Carla Girard, who also worked with Davisson on ¡°Yurei: The Japanese Ghost,¡± has crafted a handsome travel-size bestiary fit for the monsters that roam its pages.
¡°Kaibyo¡± ends far too quickly, but thankfully there¡¯s more to come. This is just the beginning of Davisson¡¯s new series about Japan¡¯s otherworldly animals.
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