What does a black cat mean to the Japanese?

Black Cat In Japan, black cats have been regarded as lucky cats for a long time, symbolizing good luck.

In Japan before the Meiji Restoration, black cats, as "lucky cats", symbolized evil spirits, luck and commercial prosperity because of night vision and other reasons, and black lucky cats also had a beautiful moral, that is, to drive away evil spirits and disasters.

In modern Japan, black cats are regarded as a symbol of bad luck. During the Meiji Restoration, most foreign western countries thought black cats were unlucky, so at that time, for Japanese who were completely westernized, they gradually thought black cats were unlucky.

In most countries in the western world, especially those countries where Japan is open-minded to learn, black cats are often described as the embodiment of demons, so the superstition that "black cats are unlucky" is widely circulated in Japan. Black cats whose colors and impressions are demonized are often taken by witches.

The culture introduced into Japan from the west contains superstitions that only belong to westerners, so the superstition that "black cats are unfortunate" has spread. This custom is deeply rooted in Japan and has caused misunderstanding.

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Ancient people, especially Asians, thought that black cats could ward off evil spirits and keep monsters away, which was a symbol of good luck.

Japan is no exception. In ancient Japan, from wealthy families to the royal family, almost everyone had the habit of keeping black cats or putting black cat ornaments. For example, hang a black cat-shaped summer wind chime at the door. There will even be some wealthy Japanese classes who will not hesitate to use gold to make cats as decoration for their houses. After the renovation, they must be painted black.

When cats were introduced to Japan, Tang Wenhua of China was highly respected in Japan. Japanese aristocrats regard raising cats as a symbol of rich life and admire "Tang affairs". Cats are also called "Tang Cats" in Japan, and they are still used in some areas of Hongkong and Taiwan Province. There is no definite breed of Tang cat, and its coat color is different. Most of them are short-haired native cats born by hybridization, and the cat most respected by the royal family belongs to the black cat.