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Sanriku Fukkō NP, Miyagi
Claim this place to tell your story your way.
Island legend says a rock being broken for fishing-net weights struck and killed a cat. The fishing operation’s leader buried it carefully; the small shrine became a place to pray for cats’ safety and plentiful catches.
On Tashirojima, cats protected silkworm cocoons from mice on land; at sea, fishermen watched their behavior for clues to weather and catches. The island once had 7 large fixed-net fishing groups.
In April 2009, Cat Shrine was selected for Japan’s “Island Treasures 100,” a national collection honoring island scenes that show local life and livelihoods worth carrying forward.
