I think cats, timekeeping and Japan combine perfectly. Last time we visited, I was writing regularly for the watch industry. In Kagoshima, way down south in the land that gave us Hello Kitty, we stumbled on the sublime Neko Shrine in a peaceful corner of the historic Sengan-en gardens.

What we learned there about Ninja timekeeping resonated with my work. Though the story could have inspired a client article, it didn’t. Instead, telling Kagoshima’s tale of feline timekeeping – ‘neko no medokei’ – has had to wait until now.

Seven cats visit Korea

Stepping off the Shinkansen, you can’t miss Kagoshima’s headline attraction – the still-active conical volcano in the bay to the east. Seeing Sakurajima alone makes it worth venturing beyond more obvious regional attractions such as Hiroshima or Kumamoto; it was our Kagoshima priority. That done, we ventured into the city’s northern suburbs.

At the Neko Shrine we discovered how, in the seventeenth-century, Yoshihiro, Lord Shimadzu, took seven cats to Korea with his expeditionary army. The animals were there for a special reason – not just for company or rat control. As an interpretative board explained, Yoshihiro’s cats were silent Ninja ‘alarm clocks’, centuries before we got modern timepieces.

Specialised Ninja tech

Back then, telling time by looking at dilating cats’ eyes during the day was specialised Ninja tech – with origins centuries earlier in China. In Ninja lore it’s summed up thus: ‘Round at six, like an egg at eight and four, like a persimmon seed at ten and two, and a needle at midday.’ Seemingly, it helped Yoshihiro’s army fight on time. On our trip, however,

I found it easier to use the watch I’d worn back to its homeland. As well as being more accurate than a cat, Citizen’s Eco-Drive GMT was easier to strap to your wrist!

A final resting place

Was this ingenious timekeeping fact or myth? Whatever our modern opinion, cats’ eyes do dilate in proportion to surrounding light. Besides, history declares that the Ninja technique worked for Yoshihiro. So much so that, in 1692, he enshrined two cats that survived the mission at Sengan-en. It’s a stunning location overlooking Kagoshima’s volcano, a fitting final resting place where thousands pray for their pets’ health and longevity – and clockmakers thank the ‘time cats’.

Whether you believe or not, Yoshihiro’s timekeepers make a great story. They are also another good reason to include Kagoshima in your Japan itinerary – especially if, like so many Japanese, you adore cats.