Ancient Vessel with a Cat Pawprint Set to Become Cultural Property

A piece of ancient Sueki vessel (high-fired stoneware) excavated from a Kofun-period site in Himeji, Hyogo Prefecture, is set to be designated as a Municipal Important Tangible Cultural Property.

The vessel features distinct indentations that, based on their size and shape, are believed to be cat footprints. While cats do not appear in Japan's written records until the early Heian period (794–1185), this discovery suggests they were already living alongside humans centuries earlier during the Kofun period (c 300-538).

Discovery and Characteristics

The pottery is a burial dynamic excavated from Mino Tumulus No 6, part of a cluster of mounds in the city's Shigo district believed to have been constructed during the late Kofun period (late 6th to mid-7th century).

Type: A vessel called a tsukimi, likely used for food offerings.
Dimensions: 15.2 cm (6 in) in maximum diameter and 4 cm (1.6 in) in height.
Markings: The footprints are on the interior surface, likely made while the clay was still drying before being fired.

Scientific Analysis

The footprints were discovered during surveys conducted between 2005 and 2008 by the Himeji City's board of education and Ritsumeikan University's Faculty of Letters.

Following an analysis, Ritsumeikan University concluded there is a "high probability they belong to a cat." This conclusion was based on the fan-shaped arrangement of four toe pads and the absence of claw marks, as cats retract their claws while walking.

*The marks are highly likely to be a cat footprint, as indicated by the four toe pads arranged in a fan shape.*

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Historical Significance

According to the city's cultural properties division, the earliest written mention of a cat in Japan is found in the Nihon Ryoiki, a collection of Buddhist legends from the early Heian period, which recounts an event from the year 705.

"For the footprints to remain, the clay couldn't be too soft. They were likely made just before the vessel was placed in the kiln," the division stated. "It paints a vivid picture of a cat wandering past craftsmen as they prepared to fire their wares in the workshop."

Official Recognition

In February, the Himeji City's council for the protection of cultural properties recommended that the artifacts from Tumulus No 6, including this Sueki pottery, be designated as Municipal Important Tangible Cultural Properties. Following a review by the Board of Education, the designation is expected to become official soon.