culture corner: Maneki Neko —The Fortunate Feline

Looking to improve your luck? Get yourself a maneki neko. That’s the Japanese name of those waving cat figurines that seem to be everywhere in Japan, from businesses to homes to dashboards. "Maneki neko” translates into “beckoning cat," an apt name for these animated statuettes that wave you (or good luck) in off the street. Although said to bring luck to individuals, the maneki neko is primarily a charm for the Japanese business owner (traditionally a very superstitious being) seeking more customers and more profits. The beckoning cat encourages people who pass the business to enter and spend money.

There are many theories about how the maneki neko came to be the most popular good-luck charm in Japan. The legend of the Goutokuji Temple is probably the most widely known. It is said that during the Edo period in western Tokyo, a feudal lord was standing by the Goutokuji Temple when he noticed a cat beckoning him inside. As he began to follow the cat, lightening struck the exact place where he had been standing. The cat had saved his life. To this day the Goutokuji Temple honors the clairvoyant cat with numerous maneki neko statues. Owners with sick or lost cats visit the temple to hang ema, small wooden plaques with maneki neko images, and pray for their cats’ well-being.

Others point to the motion a cat makes when washing its face as the origin of the kitty with the raised paw. Cats have a keen sense of atmospheric conditions and frequently wash their faces when weather patterns change. A common proverb is that if a cat is washing its face, you can expect rain. In addition to climate changes, cats can also sense approaching visitors, which may have the same effect on them. So, if a cat washes its face, maybe a visitor will come. From this theory, it’s easy to see why business people would want a figure of a cat with a paw washing its face, which incidentally looks just like a beckoning cat.

If you’d like your very own maneki neko, you should know that not all look alike. Their color, clothes, and pose correspond to different kinds of luck one might seek. Most figurines are made with the left paw raised. This is considered a talisman for business. If the right paw is raised, the kitty will bring money. Incidentally, the height of the raised paw indicates from how far the cat is beckoning the fortune; so to hedge your bets, you might want to buy the one with the highest paw. Most maneki neko are dressed in red collars with bells, reminiscent of pet cats of the Edo period kept by court ladies, who attached bells to collars in order to keep an eye on their prized pets. Some maneki nekos sport a gold coin or koban. Also from the Edo era, the coin represents 10 million ryou. As far as color goes, tri-colored kitties—long known for their good luck—are the most popular. White cats encourage purity; black keep away evil spirits; red exorcize evil spirits and illness; and gold ones bring money. And if you purchase a pink maneki neko, watch out. You just might find yourself lucky in love.

—Karla Lowery