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About

The story goes back to the Edo Period and takes place in the Hagi Castle. Terumoto Mori was a famous samurai who built Hagi-han. One of his men named Motofusa Nagai had been very loyal to him. It is said that Motofusa Nagai had a lovely kitten. However, soon after Terumoto Mori passed away, Motofusa Nagai, the owner of the lovely kitten, also followed him into the grave. The little kitten wouldn’t leave Motofusa Nagai’s tomb and had waited in front of the tomb for 49 days. Later, to meet its owner, the kitten committed suicide by biting its tongue and then died. The local monks held a grand ceremony of condolence for the kitten. Up to now, this story about the loyal kitten continues in the Unrinji Buddhist Temple.

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4.0

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Zimminaroundtheworld

Okinawa Prefecture, Japan1,970 contributions

All Things Cats - Temple Worth Visiting

Aug 2020

My wife and I love cats, so when we were in the Hagi area and heard of this temple we had to stop! It was pretty easy to find and there is parking. The temple itself is not huge, but fully decorated with all things cats! The stairs are lined with cute wooden cats and there are cat decorations everywhere, truly fascinating. Unfortunately, we were unable to go inside because of the virus, so we hope to come again when it is open and we did not see any real cats, it was in the afternoon so they were probably sleeping. We will definitely come back again at some point but I feel this is a unique temple and well worth a visit.

Written 21 August 2020

This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Yoshishige S

Thank you for coming to the Cat Temple deep in the mountains of Hagi City, we are sorry that COVID-19 has prevented us from showing you the inside of the building. We hope to see our cats when you come again.(ΦωΦ)

Written 22 August 2020

This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.

tabigasuki08

Iwakuni, Japan826 contributions

Adorable Cat Temple!!

Mar 2018 • Friends

If you like cats and you’re going to the Hagi area, this place needs to be on your list! The people who work here were super nice and I just loved all of the cat figures everywhere. It’s a small temple, but it is one of the cutest temples I have ever been too.
Be sure to take you Shuincho (temple stamp book)! The Goshuin here is cute!

Written 24 March 2018

This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Yoshishige S

I'm thankful for high evaluation and the word you're praising. I make an effort so that it may be proved that your value isn't a mistake. When coming to HAGI, please drop in again. I'm waiting. Thank you very much.(ΦωΦ)

Written 25 March 2018

This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.