If
you’ve eaten in Japanese restaurants or have entered typical Japanese
homes, you have probably seen a tricolor bobtail Japanese cat at least
once in your life. In businesses, they are often found near cash
registers. And in homes, they are often near and facing the front door
as if it is welcoming its guests.
What’s
significant and most noticeable about this cat is its paw. It is raised
as if to wave to people. In Japanese and Chinese origins, the paw
signifies the cat’s act of welcoming the fortune that awaits them. To
us, we are simply familiar that the cat, or Maneki-Neko
as the Japanese call it, is a fortune cat placed in homes and
businesses for luck. But what else should we know about the Maneki-Neko,
and why of all animals, the cat, or this cat in particular, is said to
bring luck?
Origin of maneki-neko
There
is actually no clear cut origin of the Maneki-Neko. All that historians
know is that in sixth century Japan, the emperor had a cat as his pet.
Cats symbolized nobility and aristocracy, as only the aristocrats had
them as pets then.
Over
the years, legends grew popular and up to now, no one can quite agree
which is the most accurate. Here are some of the most popular legends
associated with the Maneki-Neko:
1. The Geisha/Courtesan
Usugumo
was a courtesan living in Yoshiwara, in eastern Tokyo. She had a pet
cat that she loved so much. In the brothel where she lived, she got up
in the middle of the night to enter the bathroom, but her cat tried to
prevent her from leaving the room. The cat tugged on her robe as hard as
it could until the house owner saw the cat. The house owner drew his
sword, and cut the cat’s head on the belief that the cat was attacking
Usugumo. The cat’s head flew in the air and landed on the toilet where a
snake had been waiting to attack. Feeling upset after the death of the
cat that saved Usugumo, the house owner gifted her with a carved wooden
image of the cat in its honor. Some believe that that was how the
Maneki-Neko began.
2. The Temple Cat
There
was once a wealthy feudal lord who sought shelter under a tree during a
storm in Western Tokyo. The tree was next to the Gotoku-ji temple. Near
the temple, he saw that a cat was trying to capture his attention,
beckoning him to follow it. He soon followed the cat and a moment later,
the tree where he once stood was struck by lightning. Feeling blessed
by the cat that saved him, the man became friends with the priests in
the temple. The temple became prosperous and when the cat died, the
first Maneki-Neko was presumed to have been created in its honor.
3. The Old Woman
During the 19th
Century, in Imado, eastern Tokyo, an old woman experienced extreme
poverty. To survive, she sold her cat. The cat then came to her in a
dream and ordered her to make its image out of clay. As soon as the
woman woke up, she created a statue and sold it. She made and sold more
statues until it became so popular that she was taken out of poverty,
and lived a prosperous and wealthy life.
These
are just three legends that we’ve heard about the Maneki-Neko and may
not be real life stories. While we may never know its true origin, it is
no denying that the Maneki-Neko is a cultural artifact – a symbol of
luck that has been around for generations and generations to come.
