A nekomata is a Japanese mythological creature, believed to metamorphose from domesticated cats. It was believed that after a cat reached ten years of age, its tail would slowly split into two tails, and along the way would develop magic powers, primarily those of necromancy and shamanism. By gesturing with its tails or with its forepaws (as it walked upright), nekomata were said to animate and control the dead.[1] Nekomata in the wild were also said to feed on the corpses as carrion, as well. A legendary creature is a mythical or fantastic creature (often known as fabulous creatures in historical literature). ... Metamorphosis has several meanings: Look up Metamorphosis in Wiktionary, the free dictionary For metamorphosis as it applies to animals (biology) see Metamorphosis (biology) In geology, metamorphosis refers to the changes undergone by metamorphic rock due to geological processes. ... Domesticated animals, plants, and other organisms are those whose collective behavior, life cycle, or physiology has been altered as a result of their breeding and living conditions being under human control for multiple generations. ... CATS The Musical is a musical composed by Andrew Lloyd Webber (ALW) in 1981 based on Old Possums Book of Practical Cats by T. S. Eliot. ... Magic/magick and sorcery are the influencing of events, objects, people and physical phenomena by mystical or paranormal means. ... Necromancy (Greek νεκρομαντία, nekromantía) is a form of divination in which the practitioner seeks to summon the spirits of the dead, called operative spirits or spirits of divination, in order to gain knowledge of future events from them. ... A shaman doctor of Kyzyl. ... Titan arum For other uses, see Carrion (disambiguation). ...

Though nekomata were normally assumed to behave with the same aloof manner as normal cats, they were known to hold grudges (especially older, mistreated cats, which tended to be more powerful than the average nekomata). To gain revenge, these nekomata usually controlled the tormentors' dead relatives, haunting them until the nekomata was appeased with food, apologies and attention.

Lastly, some Japanese folk tales said that nekomata could shapeshift and become human in appearance; however, unlike the more common nekomusume, nekomata women tended to look older, display bad habits in public and always had an air of dread around them, which if around people for an extended period could cause disease and pestilence. [2] Folklore is the ethnographic concept of the tales, legends, or superstitions current among a particular ethnic population, a part of the oral history of a particular culture. ... Shapeshifting, transformation or transmogrification refers to a change in the form or shape of a person. ... A catgirl wearing sailor fuku A catgirl is a woman or girl with cat ears and a cat tail, but an otherwise human body; they are found semi-commonly in anime and manga either as a form of cosplay or actual body parts, as well as in a few video...

In Fiction

• One prominent example of the nekomata in recent fiction is Kirara (the pronunciation may vary between "kirara" or "kilala", since the Japanese language doesn't distinguish between the sounds l and r), the pet of Sango in the manga and anime series InuYasha; however, it should be noted that Kirara does not exhibit the traditional traits of the nekomata except for her two tails.
• Another example is the Pokémon, Espeon.
• Also, the Digimon, Bastemon, seems to be based on a Nekomata
• The character Catbus (Nekobasu) from My Neighbor Totoro is likely a nekomata that transformed himself into a bus using his shape-shifting skills. However, CatBus is incredibly kind to children.
• A good example is Matamune from the anime/manga Shaman King.
• Nekomata appears in the PS2 game Disgaea; a monster which looks mostly human with catlike features.
• The PS2 RPG Shin Megami Tensei: Nocturne features nekomata as enemies and acquirable characters.
• The PS1 RPG Series Persona (video game), which is also a spin-off of the Shin Megami Tensei Series, the Nekomata appears as an enemy but also appears as a "Rumormonger" in the Kuzunoha Rumor Office.
• The manga/anime series Naruto has introduced a character named Yugito, who contains the Two-Tailed Demon Cat, which is a nekomata.
• In the manga/anime series Hyper Police Natsuki Sasahara is half human and half Nekomata.
• The PC first-person shooter Battlefield 2142 includes a vehicle called the Type 32 Nekomata.
• The Danmaku Scrolling shooter Perfect Cherry Blossom Stage 2 boss is Chen, a Nekomata.
• A nekomata appears in an episode of the anime Kamichu!.
• In Gokusen anime the rival gang is known as the Neko Mata Group and their leader closely resembles a nekomata.
• Nekomata is the name of the PAC hovering tank in Battlefield 2142

Kirara (雲母, pronounced as Kilala in the English dubbed anime) is a character in the manga and anime series InuYasha. ... Sango (珊瑚, coral) is a character in the manga and anime series InuYasha. ... 2nd English edition of InuYasha Vol. ... The main cast of the anime Cowboy Bebop (1998) (L to R: Spike Spiegel, Jet Black, Ed Tivrusky, Faye Valentine, and Ein the dog) Anime ) (IPA pronunciation: in Japanese, but typically or in English) is an abbreviation of the word animation. Outside Japan, the term most popularly refers to animation... InuYasha ), full title InuYasha, A Feudal era Fairy Tale ), is a Japanese shōnen adventure romantic comedy manga created by Rumiko Takahashi . ... The official Pokémon logo. ... Espeon (エーフィ Ēfi in Japanese, Psiana in German, and Mentali in French) is a fictional species of the Pokémon franchise. ... The official logo for seasons 1 and 2 of the English dub anime and products released at that time. ... Bastemon is an Mega Level Beast Digimon called the Goddess of Cats. Through her tricky nature, she literally pulls the opponents strings via her jewelery and the pupils on her hands. ... Catbus, or Nekobasu with Satsuki The Catbus (or Nekobasu) is one of the two most recognizable characters in the Studio Ghibli film My Neighbor Totoro (Tonari no Totoro), directed by Hayao Miyazaki. ... My Neighbor Totoro ), or My Neighbour Totoro on UK DVD box titles, is a 1988 film written and directed by Hayao Miyazaki and produced by Studio Ghibli. ... Matamune Matamune is a character in the Shaman King manga. ... Shaman King (シャーマンキング Shāman Kingu) is both an anime series and a manga series by Hiroyuki Takei. ... The Persona series of console role-playing games is a set of three games for the PlayStation home console from the game developer Atlus. ... Naruto romanized as NARUTO in Japan) is a manga by Masashi Kishimoto with an anime TV series adaptation. ... The demon fox, most powerful of the tailed beasts. ... Hyper Police is the name of a manga and anime series created by Minoru Tachikawa under the psuedonym MEE. Although theoretically about the competition of rival private police companies in an Earth where humanity is in danger of extinction, in actuality it focuses more on the lives of the main... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... Battlefield 2142 (abbreviated BF2142) is a first-person shooter using a modified engine of Battlefield 2 set in the 22nd century, during a new ice age. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... Scrolling shooters are a type of video game, a subgenre of shoot em up . ... An example of bullet hell in Perfect Cherry Blossom. ... Kamichu! ), also known as Teenage Goddess, is a Japanese manga and television anime series strongly influenced by the Shinto religion, that follows the adventures of Hitotsubashi Yurie (一橋ゆりえ) (surname firstname) and friends. ... Battlefield 2142 (abbreviated BF2142) is a first-person shooter using a modified engine of Battlefield 2 set in the 22nd century, during a new ice age. ...

External links

• Nekomata entry at The Obakemono Project
• Monogatari.org - Otoyo, a story involving a nekomata