What's The Significance of Maneki Neko?

If you’ve ever visited a Chinese or Japanese restaurant, a Korean mart or any Asian shop for that matter, then you’ve most probably seen a little cat figurine perched quietly by the cash register. This Fortune Cat, traditionally known as Maneki Neko is a lucky cat charm that has long been adapted in Chinese and Japanese cultures. Besides its adorable appearance, the Maneki Neko has more to it other than simply being a sign of luck.

The Japanese ‘Maneki Neko’ literally translates to ‘beckoning cat’. This is associated with one of the most popular legends of how this cat came to be. A wealthy and weary traveler was making his way past a temple as he decided to stop for a quick break under a large tree. He then noticed a cat sitting right next to the tree and beckoned the man to follow him into the temple. Curious, the man followed the cat into the temple and began to look around. Shortly after, a large and sudden thunderstorm struck the tree the man was resting under. The man was ever so grateful to the cat for bringing him to shelter from the storm. He then decided to become a benefactor of the temple, bringing it much prosperity. This temple was later named Gotokuji Temple and till this day, it is filled to the brim with Maneki Neko figurines of all sizes, becoming an offering of gratitude to all visitors.

The Maneki Neko is often seen with one paw up, beckoning at onlookers. What you probably don’t realize is that they often have different sides of their paws up. Figurines with their left paw beckoning welcomes people into the building, whether it be a restaurant, supermarket or clothing shop. Figurines with the right paw beckoning are said to bring money and good fortune, usually in a business sense. And as you might have guessed, a Maneki Neko with both paws beckoning is a combination of the two. This figurine welcomes onlookers in therefore promoting togetherness and great fortune.

Meanwhile, the colours of the Maneki Neko play quite a big role in their beckoning as well. While you’d most likely come across a white cat with orange and black spots (aka a calico), there are quite a few other color variations of the Maneki Neko and they each have a special and symbolic meaning. Calico figurines are considered to be the luckiest as they’ve been around the longest while white figurines symbolize happiness, purity and positive things to come. Gold figurines symbolize wealth and prosperity to no surprise while black figurines ward off evil spirits and negative energy. Red figurines symbolize being successful with love and relationships while green figurines symbolize good health and wellbeing.

As you can see, cats of all breeds, sizes, colours forms (or in this case, state of living) are always bringing us nothing but happiness. We’re so proud and could not find a better representation of us, strong-willed females other than our feline friends.