The "Chinese waving cat" is well known - at least everyone is familiar with this image. This secular, often golden decoration can be found in Chinatowns and Asian stores around the world, but these cute little statues aren't Chinese at all: they come from Japan.
This small statue is named "maneki-neko" (literally "waving cat") in Japanese. Contrary to popular belief, as its name suggests, it does not actually "wave." Unlike Western culture, in Japanese culture, the way to greet someone over is with the palm facing forward and the fingers pointing down.
The Lucky Cat, with its raised paw, pointed red ears and holding gold coins and other accessories, has been bringing luck and prosperity to people for centuries. While this iconic statue has various origin stories, they all begin in Japan.
The favored catOne legend attributes its origin to a cat born in Gotokuji Temple in Setagaya Ward during the Edo period (1603-1868). According to temple historians, daimyo (regional ruler) Naotaka Ii was hunting with a falcon when he saw the pet cat "Tama" (たま) kept by the abbot of Gotokuji Temple waving its claws into the temple and thus escaped a bolt of lightning.
Ii Naotaka was grateful to the cat for saving his life, so he named it the patron saint of Gotokuji Temple. Since then, it has been enshrined in his own shrine (Shoumaoden).
Today, the peaceful grounds of Gotokuji Temple are dotted with thousands of lucky cat statues of various sizes. Visitors come here to see the large group of white cats - which often resemble Japanese bobtails, which appear in local folktales - and to pray for good luck. These statues can be purchased at the temple and are usually left as offerings, although many people also take them home as souvenirs.
In the Asakusa neighborhood of Tokyo, there is a folk legend related to the "Maru Neko" (まるしめの猫, roughly translated as "Good Luck Cat") of Imado Shrine, which is a variation of the Lucky Cat that sits sideways with its head facing forward. In 1852, an old woman living in Imado was very poor and could no longer feed her beloved cat, so she had to let it go. That night, the cat appeared in the old woman's dream and said, "If you make an idol like me, I will bring you good luck."
The old woman followed the cat's instructions and made many small statues using the Imado-yaki method, and then went to the entrance of the shrine to sell them. The cat kept its promise, and the ceramic cat figurine soon became popular, helping the old woman escape poverty. In the same year, the famous printmaker Utagawa Hiroshige painted a scene of "maru cats" being sold at a market in his acclaimed woodblock print, which is the oldest known pictorial record of a lucky cat.
Whatever the exact origins of the lucky cat statues, one thing is certain: these cats were believed to bring good luck. The reason for their popularity seems to have something to do with real cats in real life. In 1602, an official decree required the free-ranging of cats throughout Japan, with the intention of harnessing the feline's natural ability to kill pests, especially in sericulture communities. After the decline of the silk trade, cats remained a talisman of commercial prosperity.
It’s not just about pest control, though—it’s when you take care of your cats that you get the rewards. Yoshiko Okuyama, professor of Japanese at the University of Hawaii at Hilo Okuyama said: "The importance of the lucky cat lies in its deified power to bring good luck to its caregivers."
"There is a Japanese proverb called 'Killing a cat will lead to retribution, and disaster will last seven generations' (cat をkill せば七代祟る), which is based on the folk belief that cats are extremely vengeful and have a lifespan that exceeds that of humans." Okuyama added. There is a deep-rooted belief in the power of cats: take care of your cats and they will take care of you.
The popularity of cat statues in Japan attracted the attention of others. In her 1927 book Animal Motifs In Asian Art, Katherine M. Ball described the lucky cat—usually a clay doll, sometimes a papier-mâché—as “a simple and popular technique.”
"The image was used as a talisman, intended to attract business and promote prosperity. It can be found at the entrances of restaurants and stores, where it may invite and lure customers into the store, with its feline-like qualities and raised paws," added Ball.
Nearly a century later, today’s Lucky Cat statues cover various colors of the rainbow, representing different types of luck. If you are worried about traffic safety, buy a blue lucky cat to protect you; the pink one is for those seeking luck in love; and the famous golden lucky cat will help you make money.
Its meaning also changes with the paw it raises: the right paw invites money and good luck; the left paw invites friendship and customers. Other additions include oval-shaped ryo coins that represent wealth, as well as historical accessories such as bibs or bells, which show how pet cats are viewed and cared for in Japanese society.
"[These statues] are more than protective talismans," Okuyama said. "They are intermediaries or messengers, linking our lives to the realm of the gods, and in our moments of despair and pain, they are powerful enough to carry our distress signals to the heavenly world."
It is unclear how these iconic statues spread beyond the Japanese archipelago and became so famous in Asia and other parts of the world..
The figurines date to the Meiji period (1868-1912), according to an undergraduate research project led by Bill Maurer, professor of anthropology at the University of California, Irvine. In order to appear more refined in front of conservative Westerners, the Meiji government promulgated the "Illegal Notes and Infringement Ordinance" in 1872. The law prohibits the hanging of male idols (Translator's Note: referring to the "golden spirit" statues) commonly found in prostitution establishments. Instead, they were decorated with lucky cats, which were used as amulets for prosperity, a practice that quickly spread to other Asian countries and groups.
The prosperity of Japanese popular culture during the "Cool Japan" period in the 1980s and 1990s (Translator's Note: Cool Japan, a publicity plan and policy formulated by the Japanese government to promote the internationally recognized soft power of Japanese culture overseas) coincided with the second wave of Chinese immigrants to the United States, further integrating the "Lucky Cat" into mainstream culture.
The Lucky Cat image quickly appeared as a multimedia character in art, fashion, and even video games. “This cat myth has extended into today’s pop culture.” Okuyama cited Hayao Miyazaki’s animation “The Cat’s Return of a Kind” (猫の恩回し), in which the main character is rewarded for saving a cat. Another example is Meowth (ニャース) in the Pokémon series. It carries a small gold coin on its head. The English term for its skill is "Pay Day" (Translator's Note: Pay Day, Chinese translation "Bao Gathering Skill"). Players can collect additional gold coins after battles.
Where to find them
Lucky cats in their original form can still be seen soliciting customers in shops and businesses across Japan. From a more historical perspective, the Lucky Cat Art Museum in Okayama City displays more than 700 lucky cat statues from different eras. Every September, cities across the country hold Lucky Cat Festivals (来る福肖き猫まつり) to celebrate these cats.
In Tokoname City, Aichi Prefecture, there is even a lucky cat street (beckoning cat street), with dozens of ceramic cat statues decorating the streets. In Tokyo, you can head straight to Gotokuji Temple, which is filled with lucky cats, or visit Imado Shrine, which also sells their own style of lucky cats.
In the United States, those less fortunate can head to Ohio’s Lucky Cat Museum in Cincinnati, which has more than 2,000 cat idols.