We have been seeing them for years in Japanese restaurants, Chinese restaurants, and also in bazaars and, generally speaking, in Asian establishments found in Spain (not to mention what we would see in their place of origin, of course). That colorful cat that waves endlessly, without pause, mechanically, but also with a certain tenderness. Over time, it has become such a familiar object that many people have bought one to keep at home, at their workplace… And so “Maneki Neko,” the Japanese good-luck charm, has spread throughout the world. But what do we know about it?
There are many legends about its origin. One of the most popular tells the story of Tama, a tricolor Japanese bobtail cat that invited a wealthy feudal lord to take shelter in a dilapidated Buddhist temple. It was pouring rain, and the cat attracted him, naturally, by waving its paw. The lord approached the temple and met the only priest who remained. They became friends. From then on, neither he nor the cat ever went without something to eat.
To begin with, it is worth highlighting its name: “Maneki Neko.” It is also known as the lucky cat or the waving cat. “Maneki” comes from the Japanese verb “maneku,” translated as “invite in” or “greet”; but it is also a cat that beckons, because greetings in Japan are not made with arm movements, but by leaning the body forward in a bow. “Neko,” as you can imagine, means cat.
Maneki Neko is characterized by the fact that it usually appears seated and also tends to have one paw raised. If it is the left paw, the cat’s greeting is meant to attract customers. If it is the right, its intention is to attract prosperity and money, or, as we generally say, good luck. In some cases, the less common ones, we may find the friendly cat with both paws raised, adding a “protective” element for the space where it is placed, in addition to the qualities mentioned above. It is said that the higher its paw, the greater its ability to attract luck, customer traffic, and ultimately prosperity for the business.
A small bell hangs from the Maneki Neko’s neck and is supposedly meant to ward off evil spirits, while its other paw traditionally holds an oval gold coin from the Edo period called a koban, a symbol of fortune and prosperity.
As with any charm, color is very important. Each color has its own connotations. If it is a tricolor cat (black, white, and orange), the aim is to achieve the greatest possible luck. It will attract health; if it is blue, it will help make its owner’s dreams come true; if it is red, it wards off danger and attracts romantic success; if it is black, it prevents bad luck and increases happiness. Finally, if it is pink, it allows you to choose the person you marry, something that may not seem very useful in Spain, but in countries where family-arranged marriages are still practiced, it can be almost vital.
Today, in addition to the traditional figure, Maneki Neko appears on all kinds of merchandise, from T-shirts and mugs to phone cases, plush toys… and, of course, tattoos and art as well.
Without a doubt, the figure of Maneki Neko and its millennia-old tradition demonstrate the importance that aristocats have in our culture, worldwide, in our society, and in our lives for many, many years. And for many more to come! If you want to learn a little more about lucky cats, keep reading here.