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. 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. It’s even an option for maneki neko figurines to have both paws raised and waving, acting as a protective totem. Some believe the higher the paws are raised, the more powerful the fortune-bringing gestures are. Maneki Neko Features

One well-known story involves the pet bobtail cat of a 17th-century penniless monk, thought to be the inspiration for the original maneki neko. 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. 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. 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 The placement of a maneki neko doll is an important detail in Japanese culture. When placing maneki neko at home, it’s recommended to situate it in what’s known as the area of wealth – in the southeastern corner. When maneki neko are placed in the southeast corner, they’re believed to generate financial good fortune.

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Sometimes maneki neko has the right arm raised to protect and attract wealth. The right arm is associated with money and good fortune. The left paw can be raised to invite happiness and entry, such as customers for a business or friends to a home. 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. Maneki-neko also come in different colors, depending on the type of good fortune the owner is trying to obtain. If the home has an office, this wealth-generating workspace and the fortune-bringing cat should be in or near this corner, with the cat facing southeast if possible. Where to See and Learn More 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

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. It’s more than simple pest control though—it’s taking care of the cat that reaps the rewards. “The importance of maneki-neko lies in its mythologized power to bring good fortune to the caretaker,” says Yoshiko Okuyama, professor of Japanese at the University of Hawaii at Hilo. Maneki-neko are typically depicted seated and holding a koban coin, an oval gold coin from Japan’s Edo period. It features the phrase, sen man ryou (千万両), meaning 10 million gold pieces. 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.

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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. The traditional maneki neko is seated, holding an oval-shaped gold coin called a koban. Maneki neko figurines tend to have red, pointed ears and carry various accessories. They often wear scarves, bells, or decorative bibs. Carp fishare sometimes used to depict vigor and strength and can also be used to represent a fruitful bounty.

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 maneki neko statue is often white, but it can come in various colors, each with a special meaning. Types of Maneki-Neko Bibsare often red and worn for protection; this aligns with jizo statues seen in shrines and temples. 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 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

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. According to Japanese folklore, cats carry protective qualities and represent good fortune. It’s not uncommon to see maneki neko displayed in other Asian cultures and regions, leading some to believe the fortuitous cat has Chinese origins mistakenly. 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.”