Tashirojima, the Japanese island of cats

By Tashirojima it is a small island located north of Japan, more specifically in the city of By Ishinomaki, the prefecture of Miyagi.

It is known as “The Island of Cats“The Cat Island or The Cat Islandthese are their main residents.With a population of no more than 100 inhabitants 83% older than 65 yearsit is an aged population.

How is it possible to live on an island a average of 6 cats per inhabitantthis amount increases?The answer is based on historical, economic and cultural reasons.

Historically, the main economic activity of Tashirojima was the fishingThe.At the end of the Edo period (principles of the 17th century to the middle of the 19th century), sericicultures are introduced (the art of the creation of silk gusanes for the achievement of this textile).This produced a pest of mousepredators of this type of insects, which put the fishing boats in danger.To palliate this problem, the fishermen introduced cats into the town and began to engraving them.They considered that cats had the ability to predict storms which put the fishing activity at risk.

The migration of the population to urban areas and the fact that cats came from an ancient domestic lineage, facilitated their settlement on the island, having a friendly coexistence with humans, their caregivers.

In addition, japanese culture considers cats as amulets of good luckThe.Example of this is the traditional Maneki Neko (招き猫), Japanese sculpture that simulates a felin's caricaturization and that would bring fortune to his owner.

In the end, Tashirojima has become a place of tourism it is for lovers of cats to choose Japan as a vacation destination.