Maneki Neko facts for kids
Maneki Neko (招き猫, literally "beckoning cat"), also known as "welcoming cat", "lucky cat", "money cat" or "fortune cat", is a common Japanese figurine. It is a lucky charm. This small statue is found in many Japanese shops, and it is also seen in some places outside Japan.
Maneki neko is usually painted as a Calico cat (Japanese Bobtail), but new colors has appeared recently (for example, white, red, black, pink, blue and gold). It usually has the right paw raised. Some of these statues have the left paw raised.
The statue commonly has a gold coin called a koban around the cat's neck.
Tokoname in Aichi Prefecture is Japan's top producer of Maneki neko.
Contents
Color
Color's meaning
-
- red, black; avoid getting ill
- pink; help his or her love
- gold; be lucky with money
- calico; traditional color
Gesture
Maneki-neko can be found with either the right or left paw raised (and sometimes both). Generally, a right paw raised brings good luck and wealth, while the left paw raised brings in customers.
History
Maneki neko was a mascot of the silk industry, but now it is considered to be a mascot of business prosperity. Different theories say that the Maneki neko came from Imado temples or that it came from Gotoku temples. Maneki neko is made with wood mainly, but in recent years it is made of the plastic.
Related pages
Images for kids
-
Maneki-neko with motorized arm beckons customers to buy lottery tickets in Tokyo, Japan
-
A happy orange maneki-neko with a collar and bib ringing a bell
-
"Joruri-machi Hanka no zu" by Utagawa Hiroshige, 1852
-
A wooden mold for a maneki-neko and Okiagari-Koboshi Daruma doll from the Edo Period, 18th century. Brooklyn Museum.
-
Maneki-neko dedicated to Buddha at Gōtoku-ji Temple in Tokyo, Japan
-
Fushimi clay doll by Tanka
.jpg)
See also
In Spanish: Maneki-neko para niños
