A must-visit for cat lovers!! Japan’s “Cat Temple” is home to 600 felines

Text and photos byHappy Cloud

Japan is truly a place you can visit over and over again!! Even unfamiliar spots hold plenty of little surprises waiting to be discovered by travelers; after visiting many temples in Japan, I heard for the first time about one temple that’s nicknamed the “Cat Temple”

Hahaha, that’s pretty straightforward; but does it really live up to its name?? In Unzen City, Nagasaki Prefecture, the Unrin-in Temple is known as the “Cat Temple”—so how many cats are there actually?

Upon arriving in this small rural town, you can see a large wooden carved cat right at the entrance of Unrin-in

Going up the stairs, you’ll also spot two large white maneki-neko (lucky cats) and a smaller cat in the middle

Hahaha, there are cats right from the entrance—wonder what the temple itself is like??

Continuing further up, the ema (votive plaques) under the eaves caught everyone’s eye, ah!! All of these ema are of cats!!

And each one looks different, with names and wishes written on the back too!!

Wow!! This is so interesting, and you can even see a wooden cat on a pillar holding a straw sandal—it’s incredibly lifelike!!

Unfortunately, the weather wasn’t on our side today, it’s raining!!

So we couldn’t fully enjoy strolling through the garden, and missed some of the hidden cats there

Walking further ahead, the abbot and his wife were already waiting for us; once inside, they asked us to change into slippers

Hahaha, these cat-paw slippers are just too adorable, and perfect for this chilly season!!

The first thing we saw upon entering were the “see no evil, hear no evil, speak no evil” cats—so cute and clever!!

There are so many cats inside the house—wooden carvings, ceramic ones... etc. It’s said there are over 600 of them!! Wow!! This truly lives up to being called the Cat Temple!! The abbot said they also keep four cats, one of which is 21 or 23 years old—I forgot which—and that’s like a senior citizen among cats. Maybe because of the damp and cold rainy day, they were hiding away, and we didn’t have the chance to meet them today, such a pity!!

When we asked the abbot why he has so many cat collectibles, he said: it’s all due to a chance encounter where he received many cat-related items left behind by someone’s deceased family members, and later he started collecting more... and before he knew it, the collection just kept growing and growing

If you’re a cat lover, you absolutely cannot miss this Cat Temple; there are many corners in the house with incredibly lifelike wooden cat carvings, and even cats that take the form of deities, familiar mounts turned into cats, and cats sitting beside you listening to sutras

Ah!! This is just too adorable—if you’re feeling unwell, just rub that spot, and even the consecrated statues are cats, which feels quite magical, and the big lock around its neck is a “fish,” how fun!!

At the temple, everything from ema, omamori (protective charms), omikuji (fortune slips).. etc. are cat-themed, even the goshuin (sacred seal stamps) are too, hahaha, it really feels amazing!!

There are also cat-themed safety collars for beloved pets, and many related good-luck items

There are even cat talismans, said to help bring lost cats back home—if your kitty goes missing, you can pray for their return here, wow!! This is truly a must-visit for cat lovers, so many delightful surprises await you here!!

There are also some cat-themed pottery works, said to be made by local artists—many of them are so cute, you’d want to take them all home!!

The abbot and his wife treated us to tea and sweets; then we started writing on the cat ema—we could freely create on the blank cat faces, and on the back, we named the cat, wrote our wishes, and our names

Hahaha, suddenly drawing a cat felt so hard, the abbot’s wife even let us look at a few samples: there were maneki-neko, Doraemon, and Yo-kai Watch..... etc., everyone’s drawn cats were all so unique!!

Coincidentally, just before we arrived, some friends from Taiwan had also visited, and they left their own cat ema—hahaha, every cat is unique, and everyone’s style is distinct too!!

The temple’s legends can be found in the amulets published by the abbot—wow!! There are even Traditional Chinese versions!! He said: a friend helped translate them into Chinese, hoping we could all understand; since he doesn’t know Chinese, he isn’t sure if the conveyed stories differ, but the content inside should be similar to what’s available online, and it tells the legend of this place

It turns out, this place has long been deeply connected with cats—Unrin-in Temple was a branch temple of Tenju-in (now defunct), and is said to be related to “Mouri Terumoto,” one of Toyotomi Hideyoshi’s Five Elders; he served as the commander-in-chief of the Western Army in the Battle of Sekigahara, which decided the fate of the nation, but unfortunately suffered defeat; the Mouri clan had hedged their bets, with Terumoto’s uncle, Kikkawa Hiroie, secretly aiding the Eastern Army’s Tokugawa Ieyasu, and later pleading for leniency, so the Mouri clan was not completely destroyed, but their base and stipend were reduced from 1.2 million koku in Hiroshima Castle to 370,000 koku in ? Castle, Nagato Province

As a result, Mori Terumoto became the first feudal lord of the Chōshū Domain and established a castle town there. When his retainer Nagai Motohara died by seppuku in mourning for his lord, he was buried alongside him in Tenjuin Temple. Nagai Motohara had kept a cat that he adored dearly. Surprisingly, the cat lingered around its master’s grave at Tenjuin for forty-nine days before biting off its own tongue and dying. After the cat’s death, the sound of meowing could be heard around the temple every night, earning it the nickname “Cat Town.” Moved by the cat’s loyalty, monks held a memorial service for it, and the meowing finally ceased—presumably, the cat had attained enlightenment to be reunited with its master.

The sorrowful legend seems far removed from the present-day Unrin-in Temple. Numerous cats roam both inside and outside the temple grounds, bringing a playful and lively atmosphere. In the last room inside the building lies a large wooden carving of a reclining cat. Today, I happened to meet the daughter of the temple’s head priest, who hugged and kissed the cat as if it were a familiar playmate—as though all these cats were her dear friends.

There’s also a cat altar further back—how adorable!! Wow!! This place really feels like something out of an anime, yet it’s real and right here in our world!!

The maneki-neko (lucky cat) nearby is so cute!! And the two wooden cat headpieces on the opposite side are both adorable and fun. The head priest demonstrated how to wear them so we could take photos.

Hahaha, the large and small headpieces are actually quite heavy, but luckily the thoughtful head priest padded the insides with something cushion-like. Wearing the headpiece and seeing everyone through the eyes of a cat felt pretty interesting.

It’s the first time I’ve found visiting a temple so much fun—there are so many cats, you just can’t stop taking pictures. So Yun just decided to enjoy the view with her eyes instead!!

The head priest said this is a rural area that’s not easy to reach, so he kindly made a transportation map complete with schedules. Wow!! I’m truly impressed, and he also hopes everyone will come visit him and the cats.

It’s a pity that it rained today, so there wasn’t much chance to explore outside. But there are still quite a few cats hiding outdoors, and even some cat paws sticking out from under the eaves—so cute!!

Coming here, whether you’re on your own or with friends, you’ll find yourselves constantly saying “wow,” because you’ll stumble upon cats in so many unexpected corners. What a fun place!!

Unrin-in Temple in ? City, where cats outnumber people, is definitely a must-visit for cat lovers. Next time you’re in Yamaguchi Prefecture, don’t miss it, friends!!

Unrin-in Temple (Cat Temple)
Fan Page:https://www.facebook.com/neco.dera/
Address: 2489 Kamikibeue, ? City, Yamaguchi
How to get there: For those using public transport, you can take a train from Shin-Osaka to “Shin-Yamaguchi Station,” then board the JR Yamaguchi Line to the nearest station, “Namasu” (about 5 km away). From there, take a taxi or walk for about 30 minutes to reach the temple.
Since there are no stations within a three-kilometer radius, it is recommended to drive here for greater convenience.
Phone: 08388-6-0307
*Please make a phone reservation in advance or check the Facebook page for opening status.
The head priest mentioned that he sometimes goes out for Buddhist services, during which the temple may be closed!!

*For more information, please visit-->Happy Yun’s Travel Blog Fan Page