Shiga: Pictures of Cats Mourning Buddha’s Death Created at Temple; Cats Are Not Usually Depicted in Such Images

The Yomiuri Shimbun

11:51 JST, April 19, 2025

NAGAHAMA, Shiga — A temple in Nagahama, Shiga Prefecture, has created pictures featuring cats mourning the death of Buddha that have visitors purring with delight.

Cats are normally not depicted in images of people and animals lamenting Buddha’s passing, with theories for this including their fondness for preying on mice, which are believed to be messengers of Buddha.

Each March, Shanain Temple holds a ceremony to remember Buddha’s passing and a picture, which was created in the early Edo period (1603-1867), is displayed during this event, but cats do not appear in the image.

The wife of the temple’s head priest is a cat lover and felt sad about the absence of felines from the pictures. In 2022, she created a red ink stamp for visitors featuring a cat that started living on the temple grounds. Since then, feline fanciers nationwide have flocked to the temple.

Two pictures have been created, including one in which 12 cats cry while sitting behind Buddha after his death. The A5-size pictures cost ¥1,000.

Cats have occasionally appeared in other pictures depicting Buddha’s death. A picture at Kannonji temple in Moriyama, Shiga Prefecture, shows a cat next to a disciple of Buddha.

“The cat has a red collar and probably belonged to Buddha,” the temple’s head priest said. “This conveys the feelings people at that time had for cats.”