The Symbolism of the Cat in Aoneko by Hagiwara Sakutarō

Abstract

This article discusses the role of cats in the poetry of Hagiwara Sakutarō. It first touches on the fact that cats became a literary topic in Wagahai wa neko de aru by Natsume Sōseki, followed by an analysis of the second-most-famous cat in Japanese literature, appearing in two poetry collections of Hagiwara Sakutarō, Tsuki ni hoeru (Howling at the Moon, 1917) and Aoneko (The Blue Cat, 1923). I argue that Hagiwara uses cats to convey the emotions of a man affected by prostration and weakness, living alone in utter solitude. The cat symbolizes a world of illusion and suffering. Although it is not possible to closely define the meaning of Hagiwara’s “blue cat”, as this was a concept born within the passive ennui and the feeling of a man who is disillusioned and solitary.