Abstract

★From the Heian Period to the Meiji Era: Discover the World of Japanese Poetry Featuring Cats, a Delightful Read for Cat Lovers and Fans of Classical Literature
★Were Cats in Waka Poetry Treated Like the “Nostrils” in Shojo Manga?! A Fresh, Page-Turning Take on Cats in Classical Japanese Literature

Cats are adorable, and the love of cats has been passed down from the Heian period to the present day. Yet even aristocrats who adored cats were once discouraged from writing about them in waka poetry.

What sparked the birth of cat-themed waka? The answer lies in the avant-garde spirit of a celebrated literary work and a poet from the samurai class! Why did cats become a recurring subject in renga linked verse? In the Edo period, what inspired the emergence of cats in love, and where can we find famous haiku and poems portraying cats as fish-loving, lazy, and sometimes wistfully melancholic creatures?

Finally, as Japan embraced modernization during the Meiji era, cats revealed an even more mysterious and captivating side.Tracing a thousand years of Neko Uta (cat poetry), this book opens up a fascinating new perspective on the history of Japanese poetry.

Author’s Information

Born in 1980 in Kochi Prefecture, Japan, he is an Associate Professor at Kobe Gakuin University. His specialty is Japanese literature, particularly waka poetry from the Kamakura and Nanbokucho periods.