Twitter Thread: A 9th Century Teenage Emperor Bragging About His Cat

It is a known fact that every cat owner is obsessed with their cat. Don't attempt to deny it. This is a safe space. We are not judging you. If you are a cat owner who does not think that their cat is the best cat, the cutest cat, the most purrfect cat, are you really a cat owner at all? No cat owner will judge you here - because we're all the same and have always been. All throughout history, cats destroy our things, and we love them for it.

And we really mean cats are loved by everyone all throughout history - as proven by this diary entry of a teenage emperor from the 9th century who is sitting there and bragging about his cat. "I am convinced it is superior to all other cats," he writes, and we feel that in the very depths of our soul. 

Author image for Mariel Ruvinsky Mariel Ruvinsky
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  • 01
    Font - Shaenon K. Garrity @shaenongarrity ... Replying to @NeolithicSheep Here's the teenage emperor of Japan in the 9th century bragging about his cat, the first recorded instance of cats in Japan. On March 11, 889 CE, 17-year-old Emperor Uda wrote: "On the 6th Day of the 2nd Month of the First Year of the Kampo era. Taking a moment of my free time, I wish to express my joy of the cat. It arrived by boat as a gift to the late Emperor, received from the hands of Minamoto no Kuwashi. The color of
    via @shaenongarrity

    No wonder cats became such a huge thing in art in Japan. We swear, they have some kind of mystical powers. Making emperors in Japan write whole diary entries complimenting them, making the Egyptians worship them, domesticating themselves by just walking into our homes, expecting love and getting it from us - cats are amazing, and no one can tell us otherwise. 

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  • 02
    Font - On March 11, 889 CE, 17-year-old Emperor Uda wrote: "On the 6th Day of the 2nd Month of the First Year of the Kampo era. Taking a moment of my free time, I wish to express my joy of the cat. It arrived by boat as a gift to the late Emperor, received from the hands of Minamoto no Kuwashi. The color of the fur is peerless. None could find the words to describe it, although one said it was reminiscent of the deepest ink. It has an air about it, similar to Kanno. Its length is 5 sun, and its
    via @shaenongarrity

    And it's really just the icing on the cake that he is talking about a black cat here. "Its color allows it to disappear at night," might be one of our favorite sentences from this entry, though there are many contenders. Yes, teenage emperor, you give our black voids the love that they deserve. 

  • 03
    Font - Kobal2 @KobalDeux Replying to @shaenongarrity and @NeolithicSheep "I am convinced it is superior to all other cats" - yes, honey, that's called owning a cat. 5:54 AM - Sep 4, 2021 - Twitter Web App 34 Retweets 1,590 Likes
    via @KobalDeux
  • 04
    Font - Skull Bearer @SkullBearer Replying to @shaenongarrity and @NeolithicSheep 12th Century Chinese poem +-AABANA# - A Rainstorm on the Fourth Day of Eleventh Month (1) 陆游(1192) by Lu You (1192) AGI a Wind sweeps the world and rain darkens the village, PU# Rumbles roll off the mountains like ocean waves churning. 溪柴火软蛮毡暖, The furnace is soothing and the rug is warm, 我与狸奴不出门。 Me and my cat are not leaving the house. 7:35 AM - Sep 4, 2021 - Twitter Web App 439 Retweets 14 Quote Tweets 2,374 Like
    via @SkullBearer
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  • 05
    Font - Raymond R Price (Sasquatch Citizen Movement) ... @darthbob88 Replying to @SkullBearer @shaenongarrity and @NeolithicSheep More from/about that poet: Xiran Jay Zhao @XiranJayZhao - Aug 28, 2020 decided to do a separate thread for this so here we go: how Song dynasty poet Lu You poem-liveblogged his descent from cat owner to cat slave 800 years ago The year is 1183. Down On His Luck scholar-official Lu You gets a cat because rats keep munching on his books. 1/? Show this thread 《赠猫1》 Poem F
    via @darthbob88
  • 06
    Font - Xiran Jay Zhao @XiranJayzhao ... decided to do a separate thread for this so here we go: how Song dynasty poet Lu You poem-liveblogged his descent from cat owner to cat slave 800 years ago The year is 1183. Down On His Luck scholar-official Lu You gets a cat because rats keep munching on his books. 1/? 《赠猫1》 Poem For My Cat 1 by Lu You (1183, age 58) 陆游1183 (58岁) EEME, Igot a little kitty with a bag of salt R a ae To protect the countless books in my study 惭愧家贫策勋薄, It's just a shame my fa
    via @XiranJayzhao
  • 07
    Book - gerardbyrne ... @gerardbyrne Replying to @shaenongarrity @moorehn and @NeolithicSheep Ninth century Irish monk writing poem about Pangur Bán, his cat. Translate Tweet Omln M ngl Achia des Benedneriffes S. Paul 5:24 PM Sep 6, 2021 · Twitter for iPhone
    via @gerardbyrne
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  • 08
    Font - Mrs. Detective Pikajew, Esq. @clapifyoulikeme ... This is how all cat owners sound Shaenon K. Garrity @shaenongarrity - Sep 4 Replying to @NeolithicSheep Here's the teenage emperor of Japan in the 9th century bragging about his cat, the first recorded instance of cats in Japan. On March 11, 889 CE, 17-year-old Emperor Uda wrote: "On the 6th Day of the 2nd Month of the First Year of the Kampo era. Taking a moment of my free time, I wish to express my joy of the cat. It arrived by boat as a
    via @clapifyoulikeme
  • 09
    Font - Mrs. Detective Pikajew, Esq. @clapifyoulikeme ... Replying to @clapifyoulikeme Found another translation of the cat diary entry web.archive.org/web/2012033023. color, but this cat is dark black like a crow, and very much resembles t dog "Blackie." My cat is a foot and a half in length and about six inches in height curis up he is very small, looking like a black millet berry, but when h out he is long, resembling a drawn bow. The pupils of his eyes sparkle, (2) Uda Tennö Gyoki: gannen [89
    via @clapifyoulikeme
  • 10
    Font - (2) Uda Tennō Gyoki: Entry for Kampyō gannen [899] / 2/ 6: For the Love of a Cat Now that I have a few spare moments I shall write a description of my cat. This black cat of mine had previously been given to the former emperor [Kōko] by Minamoto no Suguru, the Junior Assistant Governor-General of Dazaifu, upon his return to the capital after completing his term of office. The emperor loved the color of the cat's fur, which is truly beyond compare. Other cats are a light black
    via @clapifyoulikeme
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  • 11
    Font - color, but this cat is dark black like a crow, and very much resembles the Chinese dog “Blackie." 15) My cat is a foot and a half in length and about six inches in height. When he curls up he is very small, looking like a black millet berry, but when he stretches out he is long, resembling a drawn bow. The pupils of his eyes sparkle, dazzlingly bright like shiny needles flashing with light, while the points of his ears stick straight up, unwaveringly, looking like the bowl of a spoon. Whe
    via @clapifyoulikeme
  • 12
    Cat - trap barack obama @linobanksie Replying to @clapifyoulikeme if you dont think your cat is the best cat on the planet youre not a cat owner
    via @linobanksie

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