A-Yokai-A-Day: The Nekomata That Changed into Itō Genroku’s Wife

The yokai in tonight’s story is a fan favorite: the two-tailed version of a bakeneko, known as a nekomata. In a way it’s almost a touching story, about a pet who loves its master so much that it would do the unthinkable. On the other hand, it’s equally horrifying. Why make up such a lie? What were the cat’s long-term plans? Was the cat behind the wife’s death in the first place? Knowing that this was a nekomata, all sorts of nefarious answers pop into mind… In any case, go hug your pets!

The Nekomata That Changed into Itō Genroku’s Wife

In Shinobu, Oshū, there was a man around 20 years old named Itō Genroku. He was a skillful man with a kind heart, and people came from all over to ask him to become their son-in-law.

He heard that a certain person in the same province had a beautiful daughter, so he invited her to come and be his wife. But while they fell deeply for each other, the new wife caught a slight cold and ended up dying. Genroku was deeply grieved; he shut himself away in his home and never left, spending all of his time pining for his wife.

One day, a friend of his named Takeuchi Hyōe came to give his sympathy for Genroku’s pain. He entered Genroku’s room, they talked for a while, and then he left; but something troubled him about Genroku’s condition, so he secretly reached out to Genroku’s parents and said, “There’s something strange about Genroku’s condition, so please check in on him every night.”

That night, Genroku’s parents creeped close to Genroku’s bedroom and listened. In the early hours of the morning, after everyone had gone to bed, they heard an unknown woman’s voice speaking affectionately to him. Genroku’s parents were astonished, and when morning came they called Hyōe and told him about the intimate conversation they heard.

“I thought so…” said Hyōe. They summoned Genroku to his parents’ room and spent the night drinking and merrymaking, while Hyōe went to Genroku’s bedroom and waited. Sure enough, in the early hours of the morning after everyone had gone to sleep, a woman’s voice came out of nowhere and said affectionately, “I’m here.”

Hyōe hid underneath the blankets. The woman said, “Why don’t you speak to me tonight? Are you angry because I am late? I arrived late because I ran into some trouble.” She begged him for forgiveness and pulled back the covers to climb into bed. Hyōe looked up and saw that her mouth was split open from ear to ear and she had horns sprouting from her head, but her black penciled-on eyebrows, red and white makeup, and styled up bangs looked exactly like Genroku’s wife.

Hyōe said, “I’ve got you!” He seized her and stabbed her with both of his swords. Their fight was so chaotic that the noise made people light lanterns and come to see. In the lantern light, Hyōe was able to overpower her, and he stabbed her over and over. Upon closer inspection, it was Genroku’s pet cat of many years.

When Hyōe told what happened to Genroku, Genroku was astonished and grateful. He explained, “Seven days after my wife died, she appeared to me and said, ‘I was resurrected by Lord Enma, under instruction that for one hundred days we must tell nobody about this. During that time, I will visit you in secret. You must not let anybody know about this!’ Until now, I kept everything under wraps. So, it turns out she was a nekomata… Thanks to you, Hyōe, my life was saved.”

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