GOOD LUCK CATS

The Japanese are a superstitious people. They have many good luck charms, but Maneki Neko is the most popular of them all.

Maneki Neko is a cat figurine which sits with its front paw raised as though beckoning  to those passing by. It has a little round face and big eyes, and is said to bring good luck, fortune, and customers into your store. It also brings happiness into your home.

Maneki Neko came into existence some time in the late 1800’s but, since no one knows for sure, the details concerning his origin, many stories have grown up about him.

One of these stories is called the legend of GoutokujiTemple. It seems that, in the 1700’s  a run down temple was kept by a priest who had a cat named Tama. The priest constantly complained to Tama about his poverty and asked him to do something for the temple.

One day, Naotaka li, lord of the district, was caught in a rainstorm near the temple. Seeking shelter under a big tree, he noticed a cat who seemed to be inviting him into the temple with a beckoning gesture. Just as he started toward the temple to see what was going on, the tree was struck by lightning.

Naotak believed the cat has saved his life and made the temple his family temple and supported it from that day on. Tama was buried  near the temple, and the modern Maneki Neko. supposedly,  was modeled after this cat.

Another popular story about the origin of the lucky Maneki Neko is one concerning the old woman of Imado. It seems that an old woman of Imado had a pet cat, but was so poor that she was forced to tell the  cat she could not keep it any longer. That night her cat came to her in a dream and told her to make its image in clay and it would bring good luck to her.

She followed the cat’s instructions, and, the very next day, a guest wanted to buy it. She sold it and made another, and another, for guests continued to buy as many as she could make. This, it is said, was the origin of Maneki Neko.

There are many other stories about Maneki Neko’s beginnings, all different, but all about a cat who brings good luck.

There are two popular kinds of Maneki Nekos.

The one with the left paw raised invites customers or people. A cat with an upraised right paw invites good fortune. In Japan, Maneki Neko shows the palm of his hand when beckoning. In America, most Maneki Nekos show the back of their hands.

Maneki Nekos come in many colors. The most popular design is a tricolored cat. It is considered the lucky charm cat, and is often purchased by sailors to bring good luck while they are at sea.
The white Maneki Neko stands for purity and is the second most popular color.

Black Maneki Nekos are supposed to ward off evil, while a red ones get rid of evil spirits and chase away illness.

Gold colored figurines invite money; pink ones attract love.

Most Maneki Nekos have red collars with a bell. Some have aprons on top of the red collar, and a few wear a Koban, a gold coin dating from the Edo era.

Cats often wash themselves to ease anxiety. This has led to the idea that cats can predict the weather, or tell when a visitor is approaching, when actually, a change in the weather or the approach of a stranger makes the cat anxious. Hence, it begins the face washing ritual.

It is possible that the gesture of a Maneki Neko, rather than a beckoning movement, is actually that of a cat starting to wash its face. and that it merely looks like an inviting gesture.

Although the Maneki Neko has been around for a long time, he has not become set in his ways. His design has changed many times over the years in order to make him fit into modern society. Not long ago,  in Japan, an Angel Maneki Neko came out, with wings on his back and a ring that looks like a halo above his head.

At the same time, in the United States, Socks Maneki Neko, modeled after President Clinton’s cat, was gaining in popularity.

If you are creative, you can design and make your own Maneki Neko, using paper mache’. Or, if you are impatient, and a non-creative klutz like me,  you may want to purchase one ready-made.
Whatever you decide,  do  keep your eyes open when you happen to pass a small business, especially if the proprietor is Japanese. There may be a Maneki Neko in the window beckoning  to you.

***CLICK BELOW FOR A PAGE WHERE YOU CAN MAKE AND COLOR YOUR OWN MANEKI NEKO CATS

CATS TO COLOR