近年，隨著新工作室的搬遷，繼續實踐九年多前成立黑池這家店時的想法：通過「物」來表達日本與香港之間的文化連結及歷史脈絡。過程中，從朋友口中提及領養「唐貓」，出於好奇而開始查閱相關書籍。對於「唐貓」的既有印象，猜想是漢人或唐人居住地區所飼養的本土貓，還是當中另有故事？
在查看中國和日本不同時期的書籍時，從平安中期辭書《和名類聚抄》* 找到關於「唐貓」這個詞與日文中的「猫（ねこ）」有關聯。當中記載貓的名稱為「禰古万」或「禰古末（ネコマ）」。當時日本貴族自遣唐使時期起便開始飼養貓，這些貓隨著從中國引入的佛經及貿易商品而來，當時貓對應的漢字為「狸」。由於日本人認為貓是狸屬，此後不同時期的家貓也被稱為「狸奴」。
《說文解字》中提到「無貓有貍」，這裡的「貍」指的就是《詩經》裡的貓，即「豸」。古音中的「豸」和「貍」本是一物，後世人以「貍貓」連稱指野貓。而日本的「狸」字注音多以「禰古」對應，是對貓叫聲的擬聲，讀音與現代日語中貓的叫聲相似。
現代貓的擬聲多以「にゃーにゃー（NyaNya）」為主，但古時則略有不同，叫聲寫成「ねうねう（NeuNeu）」，隨後改稱貓為「ねうねこ（neuneko）」（加入「こ」促音，有小孩和親近一點的意味），再縮短為「ねこ（neko）」，這是身邊年輕日本朋友熟悉的說法之一。
從中文的另一角度來看，「貓」字的出現可以追溯到由埃及、經印度傳入中國的家貓，然後再引入日本。在《詩經》中提到的貓，所指的並不是家貓，而是一種淺毛虎，即後來的「山貓」，屬於猛獸。因此文獻中提到的「虥貓」、「虥苗」便是用來描述外表像細小老虎與貓的混合體。雖然這些說法眾說紛紜、久無定論，但可以推測「貓」字旁的「豸」字是與猛獸相關的，因猛獸的特徵包括張開大口、聳耳曲身和拖著長尾。從「豸」字的演變中，我們可以看到貓、豹、豺、貔、貂等多屬猛獸的特徵。
當時貓也被稱為「唐物・貍」，最終演變為「唐貍」、「唐貓」。在日本，飼養貓被視為貴族、生活富貴的標誌，皇室與貴族更偏愛黑與白貓。現在香港仍然使用「唐貓」這舊稱，意指混種的本地短毛貓。
經過一番研究後，黑池與日本的近正先生策劃了一個小型展覽，旨在表達不同「貓」的名稱及說法來源，並加入了犯困樣子的木雕貓和自己雕刻的閉眼木雕貓。日本中世時期，有說法認為貓被稱為「よく寝る子（yoku neruko）」、「寝子」，意指甜睡的小孩。在日本生活時，我陪朋友的小孩去保育園時，也看到一句日文「よく寝る子は育つ」，意思是「睡得好的小孩會長大」。而平安時期的「禰古末（nekoma）」，是根據日文發音「寝（ne）」與「好む（konomu）」組合，形成「ね」「こま」，意即「喜愛睡眠的小野獸」。
透過製作木雕貓表達事物的緣起，製作上反而相對輕鬆。一般我們會先繪製簡單的木雕貓草圖，然後與近正先生慢慢修改至最終版本。木材選用日本樟木（楠木）或赤樟製作；樟木屬於廣葉樹中的散孔硬木，具有濃郁的樟腦香味、木紋美觀及細密、不易出現裂紋，因此常用於製作佛像、木雕、家具及古民宅中的柱或橫樑等。日常生活中，較常接觸到樟木出產的副產品也有樟腦和賽璐珞。
另外，還有一些有趣的說法，懂日文的人可以了解並讀出其發音：
經常被問古道具店與夜冷店的分別是什麼，這次我們以木雕貓作例子來說明「物」背後的「唐貓」故事、文字演變的歷史和木材工藝。當「物」沒了故事，只是一件「死物」，在任何地方購買也沒有分別，也沒有任何趣味可言。若然能在購買作品前向賣方了解其歷史文化，這樣物品除了功能外，才能變得更有意義。
*日本平安時期《和名類聚抄》編纂於西元931至938年
** 高麗王朝建於西元918至1392年
Following the relocation of our new studio, we have continued to pursue the vision that inspired us when we founded Douguya Hatcharea over nine years ago: to reflect the cultural connections and historical narratives between Japan and Hong Kong through objects. In this journey, friends mentioned adopting a Tang Cat (in Chinese: 唐貓) which piqued my curiosity and led me to delve into related literature. Initially, I assumed that Tang Cat referred to local cats raised in areas inhabited by Han or Tang people. But was there more to this story?
While exploring books from various historical periods in China and Japan, I encountered the term Tang Cat in Wamyo Ruijusho* which links it to neko (in Japanese: ねこ), the Japanese word for cat. The text lists the name of the cat as nekoma (in Japanese: ネコマ). Japanese aristocrats began keeping cats during the Tang dynasty, when these animals were introduced along with Buddhist scriptures and trade goods from China. At that time, the corresponding Chinese character for cat was 狸. The Japanese believed that cats belonged to the raccoon family, leading to the domestic cats of later periods also being referred to as 狸奴.
The dictionary Shuo Wen Jie Zi (in Chinese: 說文解字, which means “an explication of written characters”) mentions “without cats, there are raccoons”(in Chinese: 無貓有貍). Here, “raccoon”(in Chinese: 貍) refers to the cat described in Shi Jing (in Chinese: 詩經, referring to “classic of poetry”) which signifies a small tiger-like creature. In ancient pronunciations, 豸 and 狸 were used interchangeably. Over time, people began referring to wild cats as “raccoon cats.” In Japan, the character of 狸 for raccoon is often pronounced as neko which mimics the sound of a cat’s call, similar to the modern Japanese onomatopoeia.
In modern Japan, cats are typically represented by the sound nya-nya (in Japanese: にゃーにゃー), while in ancient times, their sounds were transcribed as neu-neu (in Japanese: ねうねう). This later evolved into neu-neko (in Japanese:ねうねこ), adding the suffix ko (in Japanese: こ) to indicate a sense of affection, before being further shortened to neko (in Japanese: ねこ), a term that many young Japanese are familiar with today.
Looking from the perspective of Chinese, the character for cat, 貓, can be traced back to domestic cats introduced from Egypt through India before arriving in China and then Japan. The cats mentioned in Shi Jing were not domestic cats but rather a type of short-haired tiger, later known as wildcat (in Chinese: 山貓), a member of the felid family. This leads to descriptions of 虥貓 and 虥苗, depicting creatures that resemble a blend of small tigers and cats. Although these interpretations vary and have long been debated, it can be inferred that the character 豸 is associated with wild beasts, characterized by features such as open mouths, pointed ears, and long tails.
At that time, cats were also referred to as Tang Objects, which eventually evolved into Tang Raccoon and Tang Cat. In Japan, keeping cats was seen as a symbol of nobility and wealth, with the royal family and aristocrats particularly favoring black and white cats. Today in Hong Kong, the term Tang Cat is still in use to refer to local mixed-breed short-haired cats.
After conducting some research, Douguya Hatcharea collaborated with Mr. Chikuma from Japan to curate a small exhibition. This exhibition explores the origins of various names and terms for cats, featuring wooden sculptures of drowsy cats and my own carved representations of cats with closed eyes. During Japan’s medieval period, cats were often referred to as yoku neruko (in Japanese: よく寝る子) or neko (in Japanese: 寝子) meaning “sleeping child.” While living in Japan, I accompanied a friend’s child to preschool and came across the phrase “children who sleep well will grow” (in Japanese: よく寝る子は育つ). The Heian period term nekoma (in Japanese: 禰古末) combines the words ne (in Japanese: 寝, meaning “sleep”) and konomu (in Japanese: 好む, meaning “to like”), resulting in nekoma, which translates to “a small wild beast that loves to sleep.”
Creating wooden sculptures of cats allows us to delve into the origins of these ideas, making the process quite intuitive. We usually begin by sketching simple designs for the wooden cats, gradually refining them with Mr. Chikuma until we achieve the final version. We select wood from Japanese camphor or red camphor, prized for its rich aroma, beautiful grain, and durability against cracking. This wood is commonly used to craft Buddhist statues, carvings, furniture, and traditional architecture. In our daily lives, we often encounter by-products from camphor wood, such as camphor oil and celluloid.
Additionally, there are terms that those familiar with Japanese can understand and pronounce:
We are often asked about the difference between antique shops and thrift stores, and this time we have chosen to use wooden cats, as objects, as an example to illustrate our point. These wooden cats tell the stories of Tang Cat, the historical evolution of language, and the craftsmanship of woodworking. When an object loses its story, it becomes a “dead object”—indistinguishable and devoid of interest, no matter where it is bought. However, if buyers invest the time to understand an object’s cultural history before making a purchase, that piece can transcend its functional purpose and gain deeper significance.
* The Wamyo Ruijusho, a Heian period dictionary, was compiled between 931 and 938 AD.
** The Goryeo dynasty was established in 918 and lasted until 1392 AD.
