{"id":65,"date":"2026-04-11T14:06:05","date_gmt":"2026-04-11T18:06:05","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/cphansavanh.com\/webdev\/project-three\/commerce\/?p=65"},"modified":"2026-04-11T14:41:01","modified_gmt":"2026-04-11T18:41:01","slug":"history-of-lucky-cats","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/cphansavanh.com\/webdev\/project-three\/commerce\/history-of-lucky-cats\/","title":{"rendered":"History of Lucky Cats"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

By: Rebecca Saunders<\/em><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The \u201cChinese waving cat\u201d is well-known\u2014visually, at least. This kitsch, often gold ornament is ubiquitous in Chinatowns<\/a> and Asian stores around the world, but these cute little statues aren\u2019t Chinese at all: They\u2019re Japanese.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Named\u00a0maneki-neko<\/em>\u00a0in Japanese (literally \u201cbeckoning cat\u201d), the figurine\u2014true to its name and contrary to popular belief\u2014is not actually waving. In\u00a0Japan, unlike in Western cultures, the way to beckon someone over to you is palm forward, fingers pointing down.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

With a raised paw, pointy red ears, and coins and other accessories, maneki-neko have been bringing in luck and prosperity for centuries\u2014and while the iconic statutes have varied origin stories, they all begin in Japan.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A visitor snaps a shot of the numerous maneki-neko statues decorating G\u014dtoku-ji Temple, the birthplace of the lucky figurine.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Photograph by Carl Court, Getty Images<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Favored felines<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

One legend starts with a cat born at the G\u014dtoku-ji temple<\/a> in Setagaya Ward, Tokyo<\/a> during the Edo period (1603\u20131868). According to temple historians, while hunting with falcons, the daimyo<\/em> (regional ruler) Ii Naotaka was saved from a lightning bolt when the abbot\u2019s pet cat Tama beckoned him into G\u014dtoku-ji.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Today the tranquil grounds of G\u014dtoku-ji are dotted with thousands of beckoning cat statues of varying sizes. Visitors come to see the array of white cats\u2014commonly shaped as a Japanese bobtail, a breed that makes frequent appearances in local folklore\u2014and pray for luck. The statues can be purchased at the temple and are usually left behind as an offering, although many take them home as a souvenir. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Near Asakusa, Tokyo, lore speaks of Imado Shrine<\/a>\u2019s maru-shime no neko <\/em>(roughly \u201cgood fortune cat\u201d), a variation of the beckoning feline that sits sideways with its head facing forward. In 1852, an old woman living in Imado was so poor she could no longer feed her pet cat and was forced to let it go. That night the cat appeared to the lady in a dream and said, \u201cIf you make dolls in my image, I will bring you good fortune.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Following the feline\u2019s instructions, the old woman made figurines from Imado-yaki ware and went to the shrine to sell them at the gates. The cat kept his promise, and the ceramic figurines quickly became very popular, saving the old woman from poverty. In the same year, pre-eminent printmaker Hiroshige Utagawa<\/a> illustrated the cats being sold at a market in his acclaimed woodblock print (the oldest known image of the fortune cat). <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Utagawa Hiroshige\u2018s 1852 ukiyo-e style woodblock from the series \u201cFlourishing Business in Balladtown,\u201d depicts the maru-shime no neko, a variation of maneki-neko, being sold at a market.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Woodblock Print by Utagawa Hiroshige I, William Sturgis Bigelow Collection\/Museum of Fine Arts Boston<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Whatever the precise location of the statue\u2019s 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\u2019 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\u2019s prosperity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

(Cities embrace feral cats to control the growing rodent population<\/em><\/a>.)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It\u2019s more than simple pest control though\u2014it\u2019s taking care of the cat that reaps the rewards. \u201cThe importance of maneki-neko lies in its mythologized power to bring good fortune to the caretaker,\u201d says Yoshiko Okuyama, professor of Japanese at the University of Hawaii at Hilo.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cA Japanese proverb, neko wo koroseba nanadai tataru<\/em> (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,\u201d Okuyama continues. There is a deep-rooted belief in the power of cats: Look after them, and they\u2019ll look after you.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The prevalence of the cat statues in Japan didn\u2019t go unnoticed. In her 1927 book Animal Motifs in Asian Art<\/em><\/a><\/em>, Katherine M. Ball describes maneki-neko\u2014usually clay, sometimes papier-m\u00e2ch\u00e9\u2014as \u201ca simple and popular form of magic.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThis 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,\u201d Ball continues.<\/a><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Here\u2019s how your cat experiences the world<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Nearly a century later, there\u2019s now a rainbow of figurines for different types of luck. If you\u2019re worried about traffic safety, opt for a blue statue to keep you safe; pink is for those looking for luck in love; the famous golden iteration attracts prosperity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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 ry\u014d<\/em> (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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201c[These figurines] are not just protective amulets,\u201d says Okuyama. \u201cThey are intermediaries or envoys that connect our lives with the realm of deities and have the power to convey our \u2018S.O.S\u2019 to the spiritual world at a time of despair and distress.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Prosperous expansion<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

According to an undergraduate research project<\/a> led by Bill Maurer, professor of anthropology at the University of California, Irvine, the figurines date back to the Meiji Period (1868\u20131912). In an attempt to appear more polished to conservative Westerners, the Meiji government enacted the Public Morals Ordinance<\/a> in 1872. The law banned phallic charms that were often on display in places of prostitution. Maneki-neko were used as replacement ornaments, and the adoption of the maneki-neko as an amulet for prosperity soon spread to other Asian countries and communities.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A woman walks past a mankei-neko mural in Hanoi, Vietnam.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Photograph by Manan Vatsyayana, AFP\/Getty Images<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The boom in Japanese pop culture during the \u201cCool Japan\u201d era<\/a> of the 1980s and 90s\u2014coinciding with the second wave of Chinese immigration to the U.S.\u2014further embedded the maneki-neko into mainstream culture. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

(Learn how Tokyo became a megacity by reinventing itself<\/em><\/a>.)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The icons soon found themselves manifesting as multimedia characters in art, fashion, and even video games. \u201cThis cat mythology has been extended to today\u2019s popular culture,\u201d says Okuyama, citing Hayao Miyazaki\u2019s anime, The Cat Returns<\/em><\/a>, in which the main character is rewarded for saving a cat. Another example is Meowth<\/a>, the Pok\u00e9mon lookalike with a coin on its head, and whose special move in English is \u201cpay day\u201d wherein the player can collect extra cash after a battle.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Where to find them<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

In shops and businesses across Japan, maneki-neko in their original form can still be seen beckoning customers. From a more historic perspective, the Manekineko Museum of Art<\/a> in Okayama showcases a collection of more than 700 lucky cat statues from across the ages. The cats are also celebrated annually in September when the Manekineko Festival is held in various cities across the country.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

About this map<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

There\u2019s even a Manekineko-dori Street<\/a> (\u201cBeckoning Cat Street\u201d) in Tokoname City, Aichi Prefecture, where dozens of ceramic cat statues decorate the street. And in Tokyo, you can head straight to the source at cat-filled G\u014dtoku-ji, or visit the Imado Shrine, which also sells its own take on the maneki-neko.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In the U.S., those down on their luck can venture to Ohio\u2019s Lucky Cat Museum<\/a> in Cincinnati<\/a>, which features over 2,000 iterations of the feline icon.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But perhaps the best place to see a maneki-neko is in its natural habitat: Sitting on a cash register, waving you in from the entrance of a restaurant.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

By: Rebecca Saunders The \u201cChinese waving cat\u201d is well-known\u2014visually, at least. This kitsch, often gold ornament is ubiquitous in Chinatowns and Asian stores around the world, but these cute little statues aren\u2019t Chinese at all: They\u2019re Japanese. Named\u00a0maneki-neko\u00a0in Japanese (literally \u201cbeckoning cat\u201d), the figurine\u2014true to its name and contrary to popular belief\u2014is not actually waving. In\u00a0Japan, unlike […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-65","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/cphansavanh.com\/webdev\/project-three\/commerce\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/65","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/cphansavanh.com\/webdev\/project-three\/commerce\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/cphansavanh.com\/webdev\/project-three\/commerce\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cphansavanh.com\/webdev\/project-three\/commerce\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cphansavanh.com\/webdev\/project-three\/commerce\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=65"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/cphansavanh.com\/webdev\/project-three\/commerce\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/65\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":86,"href":"https:\/\/cphansavanh.com\/webdev\/project-three\/commerce\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/65\/revisions\/86"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/cphansavanh.com\/webdev\/project-three\/commerce\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=65"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cphansavanh.com\/webdev\/project-three\/commerce\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=65"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cphansavanh.com\/webdev\/project-three\/commerce\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=65"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}