Friday, November 4, 2011

Maneki Neko, the “Lucky Cat” of Japan

By Julia Williams

As good luck charms go, the Maneki Neko is perhaps the cutest one of all. Of course, as a cat lover I am probably biased, but still – the friendly feline known around the globe as Maneki Neko is pretty darn adorable, don’t you think? Chances are, you’ve seen one of these little cat statues sitting at the entrance of your favorite Japanese or Chinese restaurant, or some other place of business. You might even have one displayed in your home. But while that sweet, smiling cat beckoning you with an upright paw might look modern, the Maneki Neko is actually an age-old custom that dates back several centuries, to Japan's Edo Period (1603 to 1868).

What is the Maneki Neko?

The Maneki Neko is a popular Japanese sculpture that’s believed to bring good luck. Maneki Neko means “Beckoning Cat,” and it’s often called that and other names including Welcoming Cat, Lucky Cat of Japan, Money Cat, Fortune Cat and Prosperity Cat. The cat figurine, typically made of ceramic, is often placed by the front door of businesses and homes to welcome guests and attract wealth. Though the Maneki Neko originated in Japan, it's now found worldwide and is a popular collector's item.

Although I’ve seen many different interpretations of the Maneki Neko – including one that bears a striking resemblance to another Japanese icon, Hello Kitty! – they usually always have a red collar and red ears. Some have a bell on their collar, while others have a koban (a gold coin from the Edo Period.) Many also carry a scroll bearing the message “Please come in. You are welcome!”

Maneki Neko Symbolism

There are two versions of Maneki Neko, each with a different meaning. With its left paw raised, Maneki Neko welcomes customers and guests; with its right paw raised, Maneki Neko invites good luck and money. Of course, there’s nothing wrong with displaying both versions to cover all the bases!

Opinions differ on whether the Maneki Neko is a male or female, but most agree that the cat is a Japanese Bobtail. This ancient breed comes in many different colors, but the original Maneki Neko statues were calico, or mi-ke which means “three fur.”

Maneki Neko Legends

The thing about most urban legends is that no one alive today knows for certain what, if anything, happened all those years ago. The origin of the Maneki Neko is no different. There are many fascinating Maneki Neko legends, and though each tale is different, they all center around a heroic cat who brings good luck or saves a stranger from peril.

One legend tells of a feudal lord who was riding through the countryside. He stopped for lunch near a temple and sat beneath a tree. He noticed that one of the temple cats had its paw raised and seemed to be beckoning him to come inside. Curious, the lord went inside the temple. Not long after, the tree he’d been sitting underneath was struck by lightning. The Maneki Neko figure was created as a way for the feudal lord to pay tribute to the cat for saving his life.

A similar legend involves the Gotokuji temple in Tokyo. It was 1615 and the dilapidated temple was suffering badly due to a lack of funds. A group of samurai passed by the temple, led by Naotaka Li, heir to the Hikone Castle in Shiga. Naotaka sought shelter from a storm under a tree but was beckoned into the temple by the monk's cat, Tama. When Naotaka got inside, the ground where he'd stood was struck by lightning. Grateful to the cat for saving his life, Naotaka vowed to help the poor temple regain prosperity. Upon Tama's death some years later, the cat was buried at Gotokuji's cat cemetery with due respect, and the Maneki Neko tradition was born.

A third Maneki Neko legend tells of a nobleman passing by a cat which seemed to wave to him. Taking the cat’s beckoning motion as a sign, the nobleman went to it. Diverted from his journey, the nobleman soon realized he had luckily avoided a trap that had been laid for him just ahead.

Maneki Neko Trivia

The Pokémon Meowth is designed to look like a Maneki Neko.

In the Animal Crossing video game series, figures based on the Maneki Neko are placed in a player's house to increase their overall “luck” in the game.

The Maneki Neko is sometimes thought to be of Chinese origin rather than Japanese, and is mistakenly referred to as a Chinese Lucky Cat. This is due to its popularity and presence within Chinese communities.

It’s commonly believed the higher the raised paw of the Maneki Neko, the greater the luck. Consequently, over the years the cat’s paw has tended to appear ever higher.

Read more articles by Julia Williams

17 comments:

  1. We love the Maneki Neko! We had one in our house growing up. :)

    I also saw them all over the place when I visited my relatives in Japan.

    Thank you for such an interesting post, Julia!

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  2. What a cute good luck cat. I want one of those. What a great story too. Thanks for the info.

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  3. We have one in our garden, he overlooks the catnip patch!

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  4. That's great! Momma's headed to Japan next year and will keep her eye out now that she knows the meaning!

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  5. Me & Myself wazza always wondering bout dat waving meowster! Great article Signorina Julia - very infurmative

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  6. It IS really cute and thanks so much for the great story behind. I love it! I've gotta have one of them for good fortune (to keep feeding all the cats - yes, they just keep coming since the cold has set in). I smiled at the "the higher the raised paw the greater the luck" because our little Ellie (the littlest at the moment) keeps standing up on her little back legs with her paws raised high in the air - so unbelieably cute!
    P.S. Hope you read my comment from the post last Friday.
    Wishing you a lovely weekend,
    from your many Greek kitty friends

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  7. Uh, oh...now Mom wants to get one of these little critters. I'm trying to convince her to get a Foo Dog instead! (You do know that I'm all bluster when it comes to cats, right? Squirrels are the real enemy, tee-hee). Thanks for another enlightening blog post!

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  8. That sure is cute, and everyone could use a little luck!

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  9. Yes I agree with Brian, we all could use a lot of good luck!!
    I loved your post and Maneki Neko !!!! Thanks for tell us about the cute little cat!!
    xx, Happy & Fern

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  10. That Name Naneki Neko reminded me.. I wanted to ask you about Neem and Neem Oil... One of our furends had a post about that stuffs and I wondered what YOU might know of it.. and how it works and or Doesn't work and any dangers and all stuffs like that.

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  11. Interesting article. We practice feng shui and have several in our home and office.

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  12. We didn't know the story of the good luck kitty before but we enjoyed it!

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  13. I always love that cute cat! It's so popular here and most of the Asian restaurants have it at the door.

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  14. I am in love with the "Lucky Cat" ever since I reviewed "Tama The Lucky Cat" (possibly not the exact title) a few months ago. I had never known this cat existed til I read that book.

    Thank you for telling us about the different meanings that the two different paws stand for.

    Also, if you are interested, the blog, Goma is doing a Japanese souvenir give-away which features this cat!

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  15. The Human has one of these in her office at school! I think a little statue of ME would be nicer, but whatever.

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  16. I would love to have one to overlook myself..maybe mom too.

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  17. Fascinating info! I may have to get one now. We all need a little bit of luck these days, and it doesn't hurt that it's cute too!

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