本稿は日本の葬祭における猫の俗信について考察したものである。日本では死が發生すると、まず猫の接近を防ぐために死者を武裝した。その際、刀, 剃刀、鋏み、短刀,　包丁, 槍のような金物が利用し、場合によっては屛風, 網, 箒, 鏡, 目籠, 筬, 柄杓のような非金物も使われた。また猫は特定の所に監禁し、首を吊して脅かされた。それにも接觸されると猫の魂が乘り移されると信じた。そうすると猫の魂が死者に移り死者が惡靈になって甦り人タに害を與える。これを防ぐ方法は箒、便所をかき混ぜる棒、棍棒、數珠や扇子などを使って制壓する。特に猫が死體から排除された理由は一つ目は猫が死の匂いに敏感で、その匂いの所に近づく本能があり、二つ目は魔性が强く、それが人に乘り移りやすい屬性を持っている。そして三つ目は動物の中で文化(人間)のなかに入っていながらも自然(野性)的な性格を持っているからである。

This study investigated folk beliefs about cats in funeral and ancestral rites in Japan. When death occurs in Japan, they armed cadaver to prevent cats from getting closer. The tools used at that time were sharp metals as knife, scissor, dagger, kitchen knife, and spear, and not-sharp tools included folding screen, net, broom, mirror, bamboo basket, reed, and large bowl. At the same time, they kept cats from getting close and confined them at a specific place or threatened them by hanging. Nonetheless, if they make contact, a cat’s soul got transferred into a dead person’s soul. First, when a cat’s soul goes into a cadaver, the body comes to life and becomes a ghost and when a cadaver’s soul goes into a cat, the cat changes into a wicked monster cat. These transformed ghost and wicked monster cats harass people. The way to prevent this was suppressing them by force using broom, poop stick, club, beads, and fan. First, the reason why cats were excluded from death was they had a nose for death and had instinct to approach where the smell was. Secondly, they were very devilish and the devilishness was prone to spread to people. Thirdly, it was because they were in culture(human) the most among animals but had natural(animal) character.