- Joined
- Feb 27, 2019
Here's some cute weeb stuff for you all.
The Maneki-Neko, or "Lucky Cat" statues commonly found in Chinese restaurants and shops are actually of Japanese origin (like many Chinese-associated items). Maneki-Neko translates to "beckoning cat."
Maneki-Nekos are usually found in restaurants, shops, salons, etc. They are good luck charms thought to bring in customers. Maneki-Nekos can also be kept in bedrooms and other areas, and are said to bring life success to the owner.
The earliest "sighting" of Maneki-Nekos was in an Edo chronology publication published in 1852; it was also found in a painting that same year. Whether the Maneki-Neko was "born" in Tokyo or Kyoto is up for debate. The exact origin of the statue is unknown, although there are several folktales and legends attatched to it. The most popular is as follows:
The statue could hold some connection to the Chinese; an old Chinese proverb claims that a cat washing its face with its paws is a sign of rain. Similarly, a pet cat washing its face is thought to be a sign that visitors will come to the Japanese. There have been statues of cats bathing themselves in this way found much earlier than the 1850s, usually in architecture, although they are probably unrelated.
The Gotoku Temple still exists today, although it is now called the Gotokuji Temple. It is home to hundreds of lil' Nekos.
The Maneki-Neko, or "Lucky Cat" statues commonly found in Chinese restaurants and shops are actually of Japanese origin (like many Chinese-associated items). Maneki-Neko translates to "beckoning cat."
Maneki-Nekos are usually found in restaurants, shops, salons, etc. They are good luck charms thought to bring in customers. Maneki-Nekos can also be kept in bedrooms and other areas, and are said to bring life success to the owner.
The Maneki-Nekos come in several colors, and they each have their own meaning attached. The traditional white is meant to bring general fortune and good luck, black is to ward off evil, gold (or yellow) is for wealth, red is for good health, and pink is for romance. Some white statues are painted with calico spots, matching the calico Japanese bobtail, a symbolic cat breed for Japan.
Less common colors are blue, which is said to bring peace, safety, and academic fortune, green, which brings safety to your spouse while you are away, and leopard-spotted, which is said to bring good political fortune (strengthen leadership, voting, etc).
Less common colors are blue, which is said to bring peace, safety, and academic fortune, green, which brings safety to your spouse while you are away, and leopard-spotted, which is said to bring good political fortune (strengthen leadership, voting, etc).
The earliest "sighting" of Maneki-Nekos was in an Edo chronology publication published in 1852; it was also found in a painting that same year. Whether the Maneki-Neko was "born" in Tokyo or Kyoto is up for debate. The exact origin of the statue is unknown, although there are several folktales and legends attatched to it. The most popular is as follows:
In the 17th century, a poor monk lived in a small, run-down Temple in Tokyo. Although poor, he shares his food and drink with his companion cat, Tama. One day, Lord Nakaota Ii of Hikone came through the area on his way to hunt, and took shelter under a tree near the temple as it began to rain. The Lord saw the cat in the doorway of the temple, and it appeared to beckon him forward. Curious, he followed the cat inside the temple. As he entered, the tree which he had taken shelter under was struck by lightning. The Lord was so grateful he became a patron of the temple; he aided in its repair and renamed it the Gotoku Temple in 1697. When Tama died, a statue was created for the temple to honor his memory.
The statue could hold some connection to the Chinese; an old Chinese proverb claims that a cat washing its face with its paws is a sign of rain. Similarly, a pet cat washing its face is thought to be a sign that visitors will come to the Japanese. There have been statues of cats bathing themselves in this way found much earlier than the 1850s, usually in architecture, although they are probably unrelated.
The Gotoku Temple still exists today, although it is now called the Gotokuji Temple. It is home to hundreds of lil' Nekos.
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