Ninja Nyanyamaru

Ninja Nyanyamaru Japanese Name: 忍者にゃにゃまる Literal Translation: Valuable Meow Meow Ninja Released: January 2002 Original Japanese: WWW Ninja Nyanyanmaru is right now visiting! The villains target the national treasure of the country of Cat Powdera, and one cat ninja rises up to fight them. It is interesting to become acquainted with the fun and cute group and the Nyanyamaru world embraces life and appears! You can fully enjoy with your friends! 忍者にゃにゃまるただいま参上！マタタビ国の国宝をねらう悪党と戦うべく、一匹のネコ忍者が立ち上がった。 楽しくかわいい仲間たちと、知れば知るほどおもしろい、にゃにゃまるワールドがにぎにぎしくおめみえ！お友達とあそべるアイテムもいっぱいだよ。 Characters Nyanyamaru Valuable Meow Meowb He is a ninja who works hard for the peace for the country of Cat Powder. His strong point is teasing cats.c マタタビ国の人々の平和のためにがんばっている忍者。とくいな術は、忍法ねこじゃらし。 Maitake Dancing Mushroomd She is Nyanyamaru's younger sister and she is a female ninja who just became of age. にゃにゃまるの妹で一人前になったばかりのくの一。普段はだんご屋でバイトしている。 Kikurake Wood Ear Mushroome He is Nyanyamaru's training partner. They are close friends but also rivals. His strong point is using his flute in a special way. にゃにゃまるの修行仲間。親友で、ライバルでもある。笛をつかった特殊な術が得意。 Nekodaiira Matsutake Cat Peace Pine Mushroomf He is the feudal lord of the country of Cat Powder. His favorite phrase is "Nyappare." マタタビ国の殿様。「ニャッパレ」が口ぐぜ。人はいいがだまされやすい。 Namekohime Butterscotch Mushroom Princessg She is the princess of the country of Cat Powder. She has a fan-girl personality, and is a fan of cool Kikurage. マタタビ国のお姫さま。ミーハーな性格で、クールなきくらげのファン。 Shinachiku Chinese Bambooh He is the black ninja of the Han-nyanya clani. He targets the country of Cat Powder's national treasure, the Gold Nyachihoko1. はんにゃにゃ一族の黒忍者。マタタビ国の国宝「黄金のにゃちほこ」をねらっている。 Manekingu・Cat Karakuri Meka Maneki Neko2 King・Cat Mechanical Puppetj He is Nyanyamaru's powerful mechanical supporter. にゃにゃまるの強力な助っ人メカ。 Kokueigoninjyuu Dark Shadow 5-man Team They are the subordinates of Shinachiku, and they are always 5 men. シナチクの手下、いつも五人いっしょ。 Images

These ninja cats seem to have a mushroom theme going on! Each one is named for a mushroom! Shown in the picture on the left, the ninja Nyanyamaru is defending the Gold Nyachihoko, a pun on shachihoko (see below). Japanese Culture 1. Shachihoko (しゃちほこ) is an animal in Japanese folklore with the head of a tiger and the body of a carp. It was believed that this animal could cause the rain to fall, and as such, temples and castles were often adorned with roof ornaments (shibi) crafted in the form of a shachihoko, in order to protect them from fire. The statues can be made of gold. Here it is a pun with "nya" at the beginning of the word! Wikipedia: Shachihoko 2. Maneki-neko (招き猫, literally "Beckoning Cat"; also known as Welcoming Cat, Lucky Cat, Money Cat, or Fortune Cat) is a common Japanese figurine (lucky charm, talisman), usually made of ceramic, which is believed to bring good luck to the owner. The figurine depicts a cat (traditionally a calico Japanese Bobtail) beckoning with an upright paw, and is usually displayed—many times at the entrance—in shops, restaurants, pachinko parlors, and other businesses. Some of the sculptures are electric or battery-powered and have a slow-moving paw beckoning. Wikiepdia: Maneki-neko Translation Notes a. "Matatabi" (マタタビ) is actinidia polygama (also known as Silver Vine and Cat Powder) which is a non-toxic plant in the Actinidiaceae family. It grows in the mountainous areas of Japan at elevations between 500–1900 meters. Wikipedia: Cat Powder b. "Maru" means "valuable" and was formerly a popular suffix for samurai boys' childhood names. "Maru" was used in the days of the samurai (Sengoku and Edo periods) to names of young boys before they reach adulthood. Children of high-ranking saumurai (such as feudal lords) were given different names for different stages of their lives (infancy, childhood, adolescence and adulthood). c. Nekojarashi (猫じゃらし) is a pun and means literally to tease or play with cats. It is also a type of plant which we call foxtail in English, but is called nekojarashi meaning "cat tease" in Japanese. Wikipedia: Nekojarashi d. In Asian grocery stores, the mushroom is known by its Japanese name maitake (舞茸), which means "dancing mushroom". The fungus is native to the northeastern part of Japan, and is prized in traditional Japanese herbology as a medicinal mushroom, an aid to balance out altered body systems to a normal level. Due to the taste and texture of the mushroom, it is widely eaten in Japan, although the mushroom has been alleged to cause allergic reactions in rare cases. Wikipedia: Dancing Mushroom e. Kikurage is sold dry in most Asian stores. It expands a lot when soaked in water. It has a faint earthy flavour and gently crunchy, agaric texture for which it is mostly prized. It is popular in Japanese cuisine. Wikipedia: Kikurage f. Matsutake (松茸, pine mushroom) is a highly sought after mycorrhizal mushroom that grows in Asia, Europe, and North America. It is prized by the Japanese for its distinct spicy-aromatic odor. Wikipedia: Matsutake g. Nameko (ナメコ), is a small, amber-brown mushroom with a slightly gelatinous coating that is used as an ingredient in miso soup and nabemono. It is one of Japan's most popular cultivated mushrooms, tasting slightly nutty and is often used in stir-fries. Wikipedia: Nameko h. Shinachiku (シナチク or 支那竹）meaning "Chinese bamboo" is also called menma (メンマ or 麺麻 or 麺碼) and is a Japanese condiment made from lactate-fermented bamboo shoots. The bamboo shots are dried in the sun or through other means before the fermentation process. Menma is a common topping for noodle soups, notably ramen. Wikipedia: Shinachiku i. Han most likely refers to the popular Han name in China. The Han Dynasty (汉朝) (206 BCE – 220 CE) was an imperial dynasty of China. To this day, China's majority ethnic group refers to itself as the "Han people" and Chinese characters are referred to as "Han characters". Wikipedia: Han Dynasty j. Karakuri ningyou (からくり人形) are mechanized puppets or automata from Japan from the 17th century to 19th century. The word karakuri means "mechanisms" or "trick". Wikipedia: Karakuri ningyou