All around the world, you have probably seen one of these gold-colored ornaments, especially in Chinatowns and Asian stores. You might have also seen them sitting near cash registers, waving "hello" to you from the entrances of restaurants.
You might not realize that these cat toys are actually Japanese, not Chinese as most people think due to its presence in Chinatowns.
This is known as the maneki-neko, or literally the "beckoning cat." In English, they are known as Lucky Cats. And, contrary to popular belief, these cats are actually not waving.
According to legend, it all started with a bobtail cat born during the Edo period (1603-1868) at Setagaya Ward in Tokyo. Ii Naotaka, the regional ruler, was saved from a lightning bolt while hunting with falcons, all thanks to a beckoning gesture by the abbot's pet cat. Naotaka ended up taking shelter inside the Gōtoku-ji temple.
Feeling grateful for the cat saving his life, Naotaka made it a patron of the temple, with a very own shrine dedicated to the cat. Currently, the grounds are filled with thousands of white beckoning cat statues of different sizes. Visitors from all around the world come to see the array of cats and to pray for good luck.
The raised arm can be positioned left or right, and each position has different intentions. When positioned to the left, that means the cat is inviting customers. When the paw is raised to the right, that represents wealth, especially money.
There are also different colors, each containing a unique representation depending on what the owner is attempting to obtain.
White* represents happiness and purity
Black represents safety and wards off evil spirits
Red represents protection from illness
Gold* represents wealth and prosperity
Pink represents love and romance
Blue represents success in education
Green represents family safety
* denotes the most common Lucky Cat colors
If you want a more historic perspective on the maneki-neko cat, you can visit the Manekineko Museum of Art in Okayama, where it showcases over 700 Lucky Cats from thousands of years ago.
In various cities across Japan, the annual Manekineko Festival is held in September as a dedication to the maneki-neko. Dozens of ceramic cats decorate the Manekineko-dori Street, or the "Beckoning Cat street," in Tokoname City, Aichi Prefecture.
In Tokyo, you can head to the lucky-cat filled Gōtoku-ji (where the legend of the Lucky Cat began) or the Imado Shrine nearby that also sells its own rendition of the maneki-neko.
In Cincinnati, there is the Lucky Cat Museum where there are over 2,000 iterations of the iconic feline for those who cannot make it to Japan.
Of course, the best place where you might find a Lucky Cat is in its natural "habitat": sitting near a cash register waving you in from the entrance of a restaurant or café.
Comments