Two kitties, Ryo-oh-ki and Mew, have been a part of our family for the last several years. Technically, they are my sister's boyfriend Dan's cats, but everyone has been living under the same roof in Columbus for quite some time. I have been slow to introduce these kitties here because they are usually busy studying Japanese and practicing it on me whenever I visit – even though I don't know the language. It took all this time for us to understand each other.
Today, I'll tell you about Ryo-oh-ki, our old, wise Maine Coon. While public records say that Ryo-oh-ki was born in 1999 behind Dan's bed in Cleveland, legend has it that he's lived various lives for hundreds of years. Some say that his mythological lore rivals The Mother Kitty's. (While The Mother Kitty considers him a peer, she shrugs off any comparison.)
 |
| Ryo-oh-ki sees you... |
Ryo-oh-ki is named after the Japanese anime character, Ryo-ohki – a shape-shifter that's a cross between a cat and rabbit. (Someone added the extra hyphen to Ryo-oh-ki's name to help with pronunciation after hearing him sound it out slowly to everyone he met.) Like his namesake, Ryo-oh-ki spent years studying shape-shifting techniques (mainly by trying different Edward Scissorhands inspired haircuts) and developing his own taste for carrots and talent for hopping.
While he is inexplicably worldly and knowledgeable beyond his years, Ryo-oh-ki spends his days modestly, studying the stars, meditating, and amusing his kitty-pupil, Mew. Together, they love everything Japanese and practice Taikiken (martial arts) and Ikebana (Japanese flower arrangements) daily. He's an avid fan of anime (of course) and Akira Kurosawa films.
Ryo-oh-ki loves making new friends and having deep, lengthy conversations with them. Among his role models are Mark Twain, Michelle Obama, Obi-Wan Kenobi, and Clarence from It's a Wonderful Life. (He's friends with them too, but he doesn't like to drop names.)
 |
| Hello, Ryo-oh-ki! |
No comments:
Post a Comment