Tadayoshi Motomi weaves a "Neko Chigura" cat bed at his home in Miyoshi, Tokushima Prefecture, on Dec. 18, 2021. (Mainichi/Naoki Inoue)

       MIYOSHI, Tokushima -- An 83-year-old man in western Japan has been handcrafting cat beds made of rice straw for about 25 years.

       Tadayoshi Motomi, a resident of Miyoshi, Tokushima Prefecture, originally started his self-taught crafting of "Neko Chigura" cat beds as a hobby, but gradually became captivated by it and began to grow his own rice, the source of the straw, using as few pesticides as possible. He now sells his products by order, and they are very popular among cat lovers.

       Making Neko Chigura cat beds is a folk craft originally created in Niigata and Nagano prefectures. They are shaped like igloo "kamakura" snow huts and have a side opening for the animal to enter and exit. Motomi's wife, Sumako, 81, who happened to read about the beds in a newspaper, suggested that he make them as a hobby at home. So, he ordered an actual one from Nagano and studied how to make it by looking at it, and also devised his own tools for weaving.

       Initially, Motomi only gave them out to his acquaintances, but they were so well received as "cats would always go inside them," that he started selling them about three or four years ago and orders began pouring in. The products are also sold at Kazurabashi Yumebutai, a tourist facility near the famous Iya-no-Kazurabashi bridge in the same city, and since they were introduced on the internet, there have been inquiries from overseas as well. He makes as many as about 20 beds a year.

       Motomi lives in the middle of a mountain range that stands next to the Yoshino River, where Oboke Gorge, one of Tokushima Prefecture's most scenic spots, is located. He grows straw in the terraced rice paddies around his house. Motomi only uses naturally derived pesticides once, in consideration of the cats' safety, and all weeding is done by hand. The harvested ears of rice are left to dry naturally in the sun for about 40 days, and he patiently weaves the straw one by one, paying close attention to the shape of the entrance.

       "Making them is fun. I used to be able to craft one in three and a half days, but now that I'm older, it takes me about a week," Motomi said with a smile.

       His hometown is one of the most popular tourist spots in the prefecture, but the population is rapidly declining. The area where he lives used to have more than 40 households, but it now numbers about a third of that.

       Motomi began promoting his hobby of making cat beds in part because he wanted to "liven up the depopulating area as much as possible."

       "I am encouraged by the joy of the people who buy them. I want to continue making them as long as I'm healthy," he said.

       To order a Neko Chigura cat bed, visit the website Kagejoya at http://kagejoya.com/ or call 0883-84-1527 (in Japanese). Three sizes are generally available, with prices ranging from 24,000 yen (about $210) for the large with a diameter of about 40 centimeters to 18,000 yen (about $157) for the small with a 30-cm diameter, but he can also accept requests for other sizes.

       (Japanese original by Naoki Inoue, Tokushima Bureau)

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