What is the story of maneki-neko, the Japanese beckoning cat?
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Monday, July 3, 2023
But how did the cat come to be, and what does it mean in Japan?
Key Points:
- But how did the cat come to be, and what does it mean in Japan?
- As in the rest of the world, cats were useful in catching rats and mice.
- Because they were precious, some cats were kept on leashes to keep them close, rather than letting them run wild.
A symbol of good fortune
- They probably first appeared in the Buddhist temples Gotokuji, Saihoji, or Jishoin, all located in Edo, today’s Tokyo.
- At the Gotokuji temple, the legend is based on the story of Ii Naotaka (1590-1659), the lord samurai of the Hikone domain.
- The cat became the temple’s symbol and brought them continuous good fortune.
Economic prosperity
- Clear evidence of this is found in Utagawa Hiroshige’s ukiyo-e print from 1852, which depicts a stall selling numerous doll cats.
- But these cats look slightly different from many cats we see in the 21st century; they hold no koban gold coins.
- These cats, as seen in today’s Gotokuji cats, wore a bell around their necks, and were said to bring good luck to the owner.
- By then, bells around cats’ necks were typically replaced with coins – perhaps linked to Japan’s increasing economic prosperity.
‘Cool Japan’
- In addition to the Tokyo temples mentioned above, there are many places where you can meet the cat.
- Seto City in Aichi Prefecture, an area where ceramic cats have been produced over 100 years, is home to the Maneki-Neko Museum.
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