Nabeshima Bakeneko

The Nabeshima Bakeneko is an Edo-period ghost-cat tale set in the Saga Domain of Hizen Province (modern Saga Prefecture). After the lord Nabeshima Mitsushige killed his retainer Ryuzoji Matashichiro, the bereaved mother's cat licked her blood and became a nekomata that haunted the castle by night, killing concubines and ladies-in-waiting. The vassal Chibu Honemon (or Komori Hanzaemon) subdued the cat and restored peace. The story spread through kodan storytelling and the kabuki play Hanano Saga Nekomata Zoshi (1853), and is recorded in the International Research Center for Japanese Studies Yokai Folklore Database. Saga sites such as Kagamiyama Inari and Shurinji are remembered as related places.