A piece of Japanese earthenware was discovered with a stamp from a cat who lived long, long ago.
The plate was found during excavations of the Yuzuki Castle, which was destroyed in 1585. It was presumably kept within palace while it was still standing (now, it’s a historic site).
You know what that means? This royal family loved felines.
湯築城跡
Yuzuki Castle (Ehime Pref) pic.twitter.com/nV0Ci2b7uf— JCastle (@JCastleinfo) February 26, 2016
Writer Casey Baseel of Rocket News 24 explains that the plate was probably supposed to be plain, until a cat stepped into the soft pottery as it was drying. But because the piece was found whole (and not broken), it wasn’t tossed out after the kitty’s misstep. In fact, the artifact seems to have been very well cared for. Whether the paw print was accidentally overlooked by the craftsman, or he thought it was charming, it seems that the plate’s eventual recipient was a cat lover.
湯築城跡で出土した、ネコに踏まれてしまった土師器の破片。「ああああ、ちょっ、おまっ」っていう当時の人の声が聞こえてきそう。 pic.twitter.com/4zIqk1hp2s — Rei(Pero) (@R_Perokun) May 8, 2016
Based on the inference that this centuries-old pottery was supposed to be plain, this ancient paw print is proof of something that we’ve known forever: from the dawn of time, cats have done as they’ve pleased!
…See?
@R_Perokun
これを思い出しました。古今東西よくあることのようですね。
中世の本にネコの足跡、ネットで話題に | ナショナルジオグラフィック日本版サイト https://t.co/OkUiuEZ690 pic.twitter.com/NQf7jX6UQ1— truck-cat (@truckcat1) May 9, 2016
(h/t: Rocker News 24)
