Urinji, Japanese unique cat temple

News24xx.com - The town of Hagi in Yamaguchi Prefecture, Japan, has a number of tourism sites. Two of the most popular are Tokoji and Daishoin Temples. But there is one less famous temple in Hagi that is often overlooked by tourists.

If you visit Hagi, you may want to visit Orenji Temple, located 30 minutes away from the town’s center. Its name means “clouded forest temple”, but it is known more by local people as a cat temple.

When you arrive, you will see carved wooden cat statues at the gate of Orenji Temple. There is also a large sign which says “A world which throws out its cats is a world that will perish.” In total, there more than 600 cat statues in the temple ground and the main hall.

Legend says that several centuries ago, a prominent samurai who lived in that area died, leaving his pet cat in distraught after its master’s death. The cat say by the samurai’s grave for 49 days until it bit down on its own tongue ad followed its master into the afterlife. After that, local people often heard the sound of cat’s wailing in the middle of the night, to the point that the monks had to perform a service to placate the animal’s soul until the wailing stopped.

Despite the sad story, the atmosphere of the temple itself is light-hearted. You will find many cute cat statues and even cat-themed wish boards for sale.

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