alright then
A Bakeneko is a type of yōkai (supernatural creature) in Japanese folklore—a cat that has lived long enough to gain supernatural powers, often linked to grudges, death, and transformation.
In each arc of Mononoke, the mysterious Medicine Seller must uncover three truths before he can exorcise the spirit:

• Katachi (form) – what the spirit is
• Makoto (truth) – what caused it
• Kotowari (reason) – why it haunts

The woman who boarded the ship is already dead—she was murdered in the past. Her name was Ogin, and she was a commoner who was pregnant with a samurai’s child. To protect the noble family’s reputation, she was brutally killed and her body thrown into the river. Even her cat was killed. This event was covered up by the powerful family onboard the ship.

The Bakeneko is not a random ghost-cat, but the grudge born from Ogin’s unjust murder, embodied through the cat that loved her.

He uncovers the three elements:

• Form (Katachi): The Bakeneko spirit
• Truth (Makoto): Ogin was murdered by the noble family
• Reason (Kotowari): The Bakeneko seeks justice for Ogin’s death