The Temple of a Thousand Cats

On a stormy night, as he was coming back from hawking, a daimyô took shelter under a tree, in front of an old temple. The sky was heavy with clouds, the air thick with the smell of a storm brewing, the growl of the heavens growing in the distance. As the thrumming of the rain began stronger, the daimyo noticed a small white figure near the entrance of the temple. A cat?! How was this possible? After all, it was common knowledge that cats detested water, wasn’t it? But more intriguing was the way the cat was swinging his paw up and down, as if beckoning the daimyô to come closer. Bewildered by this unusual behavior, he decided to get closer and find out what this was all about. He just saw a flash, and it was as if the ground was shaken by all the demons of hell under his feet. As soon as he had passed the threshold of the temple, a lightening had struck the tree where he was hunkered down, setting it ablaze with flames leaping towards the sky. Stunned by the thunder boom, he staggered towards his savior, the white cat. He understood then. This was no mere alley cat, and this was no mere coincidence. “Praise be Kannon, the merciful”, he whispered, still in shock. He saw the hand of the divine behind the paw of this cat, and vowed to become a patron of this sacred sanctuary. This is how the story goes and that is believed to be the origin of the now famous “manekineko”, the beckoning cat –and in this beautiful temple not far from the most crowded places of Tôkyô’s center, you will find a peaceful place adorned with exquisite flowers and trees where to stroll amongst hundreds upon hundreds of manekineko statuettes, watching over you.