From written records it seems certain that the domestic cat first arrived in Japan from China or Korea at least one thousand years ago. The Japanese Bobtail breed has certainly existed in Japan for many centuries; it is featured in many ancient prints and paintings.
The Japanese Bobtail is a rare and ancient breed, found in Japan and across most of Southeast Asia. The breed has been depicted in works of art that we know to be centuries old. The cat is much-cherished in its native land; many myths and legends (as well as historical stories) surround the breed. One of the more famous surrounds the maneki-neko, the beckoning cat, which is a stylized rendition of a Bobtail seated with one paw raised. Considered to be a good-luck charm, a maneki-neko statue is often found in store fronts. Look around the next Japanese restaurant you visit ~~ you'll likely spot one.
Many Japanese workplaces display the statue to welcome their customers and to bring success in their work. The statue can also be depicted in woodblock prints and silk-screens as well as paintings. The walls of Tokyo's Gotokuji Temple, constructed in 1697, are adorned with paintings of bobtail cats, and two longhair bobtails are featured in a 15th-century painting that hangs in the Freer Gallery of Art, in the Smithsonian Institute in Washington, DC.
Although the JBT has been in North America for only three decades or so, it is one of the oldest cat breeds with a history as rich with legends and folklore as its mother country. Bobtailed, tricolored cats can be found in Japanese woodcuttings and silkscreen paintings dating from the 1600s. These tricolored cats are called “mi-ke” (mee-kay), meaning “three fur” in Japanese.
The Japanese Bobtail has long been an integral part of Japanese culture and fine art. Maneki Nekos were particularly popular in the Edo period (1603-1867). Chi Kanoliu (1874), Toyokuni (1786-1864), not to mention the most famous Japanese artist of all, Hiroshige, all used the Bobtail in their work. Shosan and Hiromi, early in this century, produced exquisite woodblock prints that included Bobtails. Earlier examples undoubtedly exist but aren't currently known.
Woodcuts and paintings of cats similar to the Japanese Bobtail suggest that the bobtail cat arrived in Japan around the 6th century. Although, some breed historians believe that the Japanese Bobtail arrived in the country around the 10th century, during the reign of Emperor Ichijo, who was the owner of five Japanese Bobtails.
At this time, Emperor Ichijo decreed that cats were forbidden to work. Unfortunately, Japan's silk industry began to suffer. Since there were no cats to hunt, mice began to destroy the silkworms and cocoons. Silk manufactures placed statues of cats around the cocoons to frighten the mice. When this failed, the Emperor ordered all cats out to hunt. The Japanese bobtail became a street cat and was known as the ‘Kazoku Neko’ or family cat. Today, many Japanese Bobtail cats still run free, in the streets of Japan!
In Tokyo, there is a temple called the Goutokuji, which is dedicated to cats. It is believed that the temple is protected by Maneki-Neko, a folklore cat. The legend of Maneki-neko can be traced back to when the Goutokuji was a Buddhist monastery.
Maneki Neko, which means beckoning cat, is the incarnation of the Goddess of Mercy. The statue of Maneki Neko is depicted as a mi-ke Japanese Bobtail. The altar in the Goutokuji is surrounded by Maneki Neko statues. The monastery was low on money and food but the monks at the temple always made sure their cat named Tama, a mi-ke or tri-colored Japanese Bobtail, always had food.
One day Lord Naotaka Ii was passing by the monastery, when he noticed Tama sitting at the front gate beckoning to him. Naotaka followed Tama into the temple, just as a bolt of lightening struck the place where he had been standing. The cat saved the Lord’s life and in return the Lord rescued the monastery from poverty. The monastery was then renamed Goutokuji.
Since Tama had saved his life, Lord Naotaka took the temple as his family’s own, which brought the temple prosperity. A representation of Maneki Neko, one paw raised, appears on the facade of the Gotokuji Temple near Tokyo, which was built in 1697. Today, figurines of Maneki-Neko can be purchased in Japanese stores and many businesses display them to insure success. These small statues clearly show the tricolored pattern and the bobbed tail of the JBT.
There is a myth in Japan about why the Japanese Bobtail lost its tail. The myth states that a cat was warming itself too close to a fire, and set its tail on fire. It then ran through the town, burning many buildings to the ground. As punishment, the Emperor decreed that all cats should have their tails cut off.
The Bobtail's appearance in fine art notwithstanding, the breed derives from street and farm cats, cats who worked to protect silk (worms), rice and other crops from vermin. Exactly when or where the mutation that created the bobbed tail occurred is probably lost forever. Mention should be made that bobbed-tailed cats are seen in most of the Orient, indicating that the event probably happened in pre-historic times.
The Bobtail exhibits a high level of intelligence. Their street smart personality comes through in today's cats. Cleverness in escaping or getting food on the street is evident in the show cat in their being able to charm a judge into just the right ribbon colors!