Freak Scene Lucky cat - Maneki Neko - Waving cat - solar - oval socket - 14 cm - gold

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A Japanese proverb, neko wo koroseba nanadai tataru (If you kill a cat, it will haunt your family for seven generations) is based on a folk belief that cats are revengeful and have longevity beyond human lives,” Okuyama continues. There is a deep-rooted belief in the power of cats: Look after them, and they’ll look after you. In Western culture, domestic cats make great pets. But in Japanese folklore, feline friends have protective powers and symbolize good fortune. Knowing this, it should come as no surprise that the maneki-neko is believed to represent one particularly legendary cat. This image is used as an amulet designed to attract business and promote prosperity. It is to be found at the entrance of restaurants and shops, where, with its ingratiating feline qualities and uplifted paw, it may invite customers and bid them enter,” Ball continues.

The boom in Japanese pop culture during the “Cool Japan” era of the 1980s and 90s—coinciding with the second wave of Chinese immigration to the U.S.—further embedded the maneki-neko into mainstream culture. Cats have long been regarded highly in Japanese culture, and beloved pets are sometimes said to have mystical associations. It’s said that in caring for pets, we receive their care, too. Thus, it’s believed that good fortune comes to the caretaker. Where to Place Maneki Neko It’s not unusual to have numerous maneki neko on display. The figurines tend to be placed near the entrance of a business to entice new customers with their gestures. Each doll has details with specific symbolic meanings. Waving Maneki Neko Maneki-neko also come in different colors, depending on the type of good fortune the owner is trying to obtain. The meaning also changes depending on which paw is raised: the right paw attracts money and good fortune; the left invites friendship and customers. Other additions include a ryō (an oval-shaped Japanese coin) to represent wealth, as well as historically true-to-life accessories, such as a bib or bell, that point to how pet cats were regarded and cared for in Japanese society.

Whatever the precise location of the statue’s origin, one thing is for sure: The cats bring in good fortune. The reason for their prevalence seems to be linked to their real-life analogs. In 1602, an imperial decree set free all cats in Japan, intending to capitalize on the felines’ natural ability for pest control, especially in the sericulture community. After the decline of the silk trade, cats by extension remained as talismans for a business’s prosperity. More recently, maneki neko can be seen with blue eyes holding US currency. This is evidence of the trend’s widespread popularity and is clearly intended to appeal to foreign visitors. It remains unclear how these iconic statues spread outside the islands of Japan to become so well-known throughout Asia and the rest of the world.

Grateful to the cat for saving his life, the ruler made it a patron of the temple where it has been venerated in its very own shrine ever since. Shop owners decorate their front spaces with the traditional cat in hopes of prosperity and good fortune and as a warm invitation for customers to enter.The prevalence of the cat statues in Japan didn’t go unnoticed. In her 1927 book Animal Motifs in Asian Art, Katherine M. Ball describes maneki-neko—usually clay, sometimes papier-mâché—as “a simple and popular form of magic.” These figurines] are not just protective amulets,” says Okuyama. “They are intermediaries or envoys that connect our lives with the realm of deities and have the power to convey our ‘S.O.S’ to the spiritual world at a time of despair and distress.” Prosperous expansion This coin was an early Japanese currency during its feudal Edo period and would still be valuable today. It’s yet another representation of welcoming wealth. Items Maneki Neko Carry