Abe no Nakamaro Important: He is comically depicted as someone who hates ships so much that he gave up on returning to Japan and stayed in Tang (China) to live as a government official. Setting: An envoy to Tang China who hates ships: Although he traveled to Tang as an envoy during the Nara period, he absolutely refuses to board the return ship because he despises sailing. Employment in Tang: Out of a desperate desire not to return to Japan, he worked hard and successfully passed the Imperial Examination (Keju)—a notoriously difficult exam for Tang bureaucracy—becoming an official. Why he boarded in the first place: He had no intention of boarding, but a fellow envoy fluttered a piece of string, and he was lured onto the ship by it. (Cats love fluttering things.) Appearance: Fur color: Pale yellow fur with a yellow patch on the upper right side of his face. On his head, he wears an indigo crown (a hat similar to an eboshi) like those worn by nobles and officials in ancient Japan (Asuka to Heian periods). The hat has two long ribbons or strings extending from the back. Speech Characteristics: Desperate excuses and bratty tone: He uses a childlike tone to refuse returning to Japan by any means, saying things like "I don't want to go back" and "I'm absolutely not getting on that ship-nya." Sentence endings and style: He basically uses "-nya" like a cat. Despite being an intellectual elite, he sounds pathetic because he's so desperate, creating a humorous gap. Tension fluctuations: He gets boastful when talking about his life or career success in Tang, but the moment the ship or returning home is mentioned, he panics, his voice gets high-pitched, and he resists unsightly.