Surely you’ve seen it before: the figurine of a cute white cat donning a golden jingle attached to a red collar, sitting on its hind legs and waving back and forth with its front left paw. Why the heck am I mesmerized and willing to enter the store housing the cat to spend a lot of money, you might ask. Well, that’s just the magic of the lucky beckoning cat, the magnificent Maneki-Neko.
The Beckoning Cat
Like most legends, Maneki-Neko (招き猫) has folklore galore. The most notorious of them, places the story circa 1622 in Edo (now Tokyo, Japan). Li Naotaka was walking by the Gōtoku-Ji Buddhist temple, trying to make his way home. He saw a cat at the temple, waving its paw at him, in a Japanese beckoning gesture. Curious, as anyone would be if they saw a cat waiving at them, Naotaka started to walk his way towards the cat. Suddenly, thunder struck right where he was standing before… Wait a minute, did the cat save Naotaka from getting struck by lightning? Well, yes, if you’re reading this article, you very likely know that cats have magic powers!
“Joruri-machi Hanka no zu”, by Utagawa Hiroshige, depicting the Maneki-Neko. Images via Wikimedia Commons
In all seriousness though, surely Naotaka was thankful to be struck with luck instead of massive amounts of static electricity (also, read about Mačak, another magic cat!). The Gōtoku-Ji became the Li Clan’s family temple, thus bringing prosperity under their patronage. The Maneki-Neko figurine was created in later generations, in honor of the magic cat who brought good fortune to all involved.
Maneki-Neko figurines at the Gōtoku-Ji Buddhist Temple
Different Strokes For Different Folks
There are all kinds and variations of the Beckoning Cat figurine. Left paw up, right Paw up, both paws up. Palm up, palm down. Static, or animated. They also can come in a variety of shapes, sizes, materials, colors, and accessories. Left paw up is generally seen in businesses, to attract customers. Right paw up is usually kept at home, for money and good fortune. Westerners are more familiar with the palm facing up as a beckoning gesture, which accounts for the existence of that figurine variation.
Feng-Shui color meanings are as follows:
- White = good luck and overall good fortune
- Black = wards off evil
- Red = good health
- Gold = wealth
- Pink = romance
From top-left, clockwise: Original, golden, customized, Fushimi-Tonpuppe.
From top-left, clockwise:
Yellow Maneki-Neko, Koboshi Daruma from the Edo period, assortment of bejeweled Maneki-Neko.
I don’t know about you, but I personally am not a superstitious person, and I certainly don’t think I can judge anyone who is. However, I think I am getting a multi-colored, both paws up Maneki-Neko keychain to carry with me everywhere I go, just in case! Besides, it’s cute as heck (and it may ward off bad luck)… why wouldn’t I want one?
