Kaibyou – Supernatural Cats of Japan

If they live long enough, their tails split, they stand on their hind legs, and they start to dance. Bakeneko, nekomata, kasha, and even the ubiquitous “lucky cat” called the Maneki Neko—come learn some of the secrets of these magic cats from Zack Davisson, yokai scholar and author of Kaibyo: The Supernatural Cats of Japan.

About Zack Davisson

Zack Davisson is an award-winning writer, translator, and lecturer. He is on faculty at NYU in the Translation and Interpretations department and active in his fields.  He has won multiple Eisner awards and the Bram Stoker award. Respected in both academic and popular culture circles, Davisson played a significant role in making Japanese folklore, entertainment, and literature accessible to English-speaking audiences.

He is a regular lecturer at universities, museums, and cultural institutes, as well as appearing on podcasts, on documentaries, and as a guest at comic and anime conventions.

Current projects include ULTIMATE X-MEN for Marvel Comics, CAT + CRAZY for Dark Horse, and THE ART OF SHIGERU MIZUKI for Drawn and Quarterly. 

Davisson has worked with National Geographic and the Smithsonian, and has been featured on NPR, the BBC, and The New York Times. His original works have been translated into multiple languages.