One night when I was staying over in a friend's guest house in Kyushu, I was awakened by a shrill sound and opened my eyes to see a gigantic white cat sitting in the open window before vanishing. I knew, without being told, that I had seen one of those ghost cats that haunt Japanese folk tales.
I wrote my version of an old tale I heard on this trip about a loyal rooster who sacrificed his life to save his master from a fierce ghost cat, who was masquerading as a helpless white kitten. There is a statue of the little red cock in the village square to honor his brave deed. This book was illustrated by the well known Japanese artist Fuku Akino, who also illustrated The Dwarf Pine Tree.
It was just about midnight, when Gembei was sleeping soundly, that the kitten changed himself back into his monstrous shape as a ghost cat. His eyes gleamed like two flaming coals, and his pointed teeth flashed like a row of snake swords as he moved closer and closer to Gembei. But just as he was about to spring, the red cock jumped forward bravely, crowing: “Ko-ke-ko-ko! Ko-ke-ko-ko! The cat is going to kill Gembei!”
Gembei leapt up at the sound of his cock’s familiar” Ko-ke-ko-ko!”, thinking it was dawn, but the white ghost cat immediately changed itself back into a tiny white kitten and fell down on his cushion as if asleep.