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GHOST CAT OF ARIMA (1953)


Eiga (Ghost Story Films) produced in Japan since the Silent Era, virtually untapped by the West, and one of its many sub-genres is the Ghost Cat or Monster Cat. Many of these tales are variations and retellings of a handful of stories, such as The Ghost Cat of Saga, first brought to the screen in THE NIGHT CHERRY BLOSSOMS OF SAGA (1910), based on the 1853 Kabuki play by Joko Segawa III (1806-1881), The Story of the Cat Monster of Fair Saga (Hana Saga Nekomata Zoshi). The story was inspired by the urban


legend that the apparitions of two adulterous lovers, executed in 1590 by the order of Lord Naoshige Nabeshima (1538-1618), had appeared to the local residents. Segawa took the historical backdrop of Nabeshima’s conquest of the Ryuzoji Clan’s territories, including Saga Castle, and wove in a supernatural yarn of vengeance. Segawa’s tale begins with Lord Nabeshima playing a game of Go with Matahichiro Ryuzoji at Saga Castle. When his opponent wins, Nabeshima goes mad and kills the young samurai. Devastated by the murderer’s false account, in which Matahichiro lost and attacked Nabeshima, the young samurai’s mother cannot bear yet another humiliation to her family’s honor, and so she cuts her own throat. Bleeding to death, her favorite cat, Tama, licks up her mistress’ blood—thus ingesting her rage—and the supernaturally charged feline sets upon a path of revenge. Many of the over 100 Kaibyo films produced in the last century (not including television adaptations) are based on this story, or from unrelated Kaidan tales of retribution from beyond the grave. There are several types of these creatures, including the Bakeneko and


the Nekotama, but the most common featured in films are the Kaibyo. So, what are these Kaibyo exactly? In Japanese folklore, cats already seem to possess some supernatural presence, and act as a conduit for the furious spirits of those done wrong (women more often than not). Sometimes, they appear as an ordinary feline—which can change into monstrous proportions to attack their victims. Generally, they infiltrate the family of their victims, mimicking the physical resemblance of the matriarch (upon whom they feed), and pick off every member of the house (even those completely innocent of the crimes), while savoring the perpetrator for last. The creatures are generally revealed when they manifest feline characteristics, including


facial features such as ears, fangs, paws, and tails. Only when the truth of the crime is exposed and the villain killed (by the creature or someone avenging the victims’ honor) do the spirits of those done wrong leave the feline host to rest in peace. Every monster needs a pretty face, much


like Simone Simon in Jacques Tourneur’s CAT PEOPLE (1942), but there were two notable and prolific actresses who, during points in their careers, became well known—and much-beloved above all others—for specializing in portraying these monstrous Werecats on the silver screen. The first was Sumiko Suzuki (1904-


1985) who started her acting career in 1921, and in 1930, went to appear on


This kitty still has her claws in 1954’s GHOST CAT OF THE OKAZAKI UPHEAVAL.


FAMOUS MONSTERS OF FILMLAND • JAN/FEB 2012 29


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