The Beckoning Cat of Good Fortune – The Japanese Heart Reflected in Maneki-neko

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A small cat quietly raises one paw and gazes in your direction.
You can spot this figure in many places in Japan: at the entrance of shops, in the entryway of private homes, and in all sorts of everyday spaces.

 

In front of a shop it invites customers in; at home it beckons good fortune.

Sitting modestly in a corner of people’s lives, it is taken almost for granted, yet somehow gives off a gentle warmth and sense of reassurance.

 

The maneki-neko, the “beckoning cat,” has long been part of the Japanese landscape as a figure believed to invite luck and prosperity.

 

A Tale of Good Fortune Born in Edo

 

Several legends have been handed down about the origin of maneki-neko.

 

One of the best-known stories is connected to Gotoku-ji, a Sōtō Zen temple in Setagaya, Tokyo.

One day, a samurai is said to have been beckoned by a white cat and stepped into the temple grounds at its invitation.

Moments later, a sudden thunderstorm struck, and the samurai was able to avoid being caught in the rain.

 

Later, this samurai was identified as a member of the Ii family, lords of the Hikone domain.

He became a devoted supporter of Gotoku-ji, and the cat came to be revered as a bringer of good fortune. Figurines modeled on its appearance spread, and these eventually came to be known as maneki-neko.

 

Today, rows upon rows of white maneki-neko offered to the temple stand on display at Gotoku-ji, a striking reminder that the old legend continues to live on in the form of a “lucky charm.”

 

 

Another well-known origin story centers on the Imado area of Asakusa in Tokyo.

 

According to late-Edo-period records, there once lived an elderly woman in the Hanakawado district of Asakusa.
Driven by poverty, she had no choice but to part with her beloved cat. That night, the cat appeared to her in a dream and said, “If you make a figurine in my likeness, you will receive good fortune.”

When she awoke, the woman did exactly as the cat had told her: she created a cat-shaped doll and fired it as Imado ware.

 

Before long, these cat figurines were sold around Asakusa Shrine (Sansha-sama) and quickly gained popularity.

The cat’s distinctive form—a plump body, round face, and the “maru-shime” crest on its chest—became known as the Imado ware maru-shime cat.

 

 

Which of these tales is the “true beginning” is impossible to say.

What they share, however, is the idea of the maneki-neko as a presence that receives people’s chance good fortune and quiet wishes, and finds a place within everyday life.

 

The Meaning in a Raised Paw

 

The gently lifted front paw of the maneki-neko may look like nothing more than a charming gesture, but it is widely believed to have a specific meaning.

 

A cat raising its right paw is said to invite money and prosperity;
a cat raising its left paw is said to invite people and relationships—customers, in other words.

 

In places of business, people often choose a cat with its left paw raised, while at home they are more likely to choose one with its right paw raised. The form of “good fortune” people seek is slightly different depending on whether it is for shop or household.

 

There are also cats with both paws raised.

Some interpret them as wishing for both kinds of good fortune at once; others, with a touch of humor, see them as “throwing both hands up” in an almost comical gesture of being a bit too greedy.

 

Within these many variations, you can sense both the range of people’s wishes and the playful spirit of the makers.

 

 

Colors that Carry Wishes

 

When people hear “maneki-neko,” many picture a white cat with red ears, a golden bell, and a red collar.
White is associated with purity and sacredness, while red is seen as a color that wards off evil. Together they express a wish for blessing and protection.

 

In recent years, however, the palette has expanded.
Different colors have become established as a way to express more specific hopes and intentions.

 

White – General Good Fortune and Blessing

 

White is considered the most basic color and is recognized as the “standard” maneki-neko.

It is said to “invite good fortune broadly,” and because it fits many situations, it is the easiest choice when you are unsure which to pick.

 

Black – Protection and Warding Off Misfortune

 

Black is often used as a color that keeps misfortune and harmful influences at bay.

In shops it may be placed for protection from bad luck; in homes it can be chosen as a charm for safety and security.

It is a classic color for those who want to emphasize “protection” above all.

 

Red – Health and Well-being

 

Red has long been treated as a color that wards off illness.

As seen in shrine torii gates and ritual garments, it is also used to drive away impurity.

 

For that reason, red maneki-neko are often chosen less for money or business success, and more in places where people wish for “good health and safe days for the whole family.”

 

Gold – Wealth and Financial Luck

 

Gold is a direct symbol of financial and material fortune, and is especially popular in commercial settings.

Its brightness and visibility make it well suited to store entrances.

It is often chosen when people want to express a clear wish for “results,” “growth,” or “upturns” in business.

  

Blue – Studies and Achievement

 

Blue maneki-neko are frequently placed in connection with exams and tests—school entrance exams, qualification tests, promotion exams, and other situations with clear outcomes.

They are often set on desks, in studies, or in children’s learning spaces, serving as a quiet marker to keep up steady effort day by day.

 

Pink – Love and Relationships

 

Pink maneki-neko have become a familiar symbol of romantic luck and good relationships.

They are often placed with wishes related to meeting a partner, starting a relationship, or marriage, and are also commonly chosen as gifts.

 

Beyond romance, some people place them to hope for smoother personal relationships in a broader sense.

 

Green – Health and Harmony at Home

 

Green is a color chosen to represent family health and harmony in the household.

Rather than symbolizing visible gains like increased income, it reflects the hope that no one in the family will suffer serious illness, that the home will remain peaceful, and that everyday life will continue to run smoothly.

 

It is a color entrusted with the modest but important wish that “ordinary days” will simply go on.

 

 

The diversification of these colors directly reflects the variety of values and lifestyles in contemporary society.

Because people’s wishes are no longer uniform, the cats appear in many colors, each one standing there quietly bearing a different kind of hope.

 

Local Traditions and Materials: How Place Shapes Maneki-neko

 

If color expresses the “type of wish,” then place of origin and material reflect local climate and culture.

 

Even among maneki-neko, a glossy porcelain figure, a rustic clay doll, and a carved wooden cat each feel very different once they are placed in a room.

There, you can sense not only differences in technique but also the aesthetics and habits that each region has cultivated over time.

 

Seto (Aichi Prefecture, Seto City) – Shine, Craft, and Everyday Use

※Read about Aichi Prefecture：A Center of Manufacturing Heritage and Urban Culture in Central Japan

 

Seto is one of Japan’s best-known pottery centers and the home of Seto ware.

Seto ware covers a wide range, from everyday items to artistic pieces, and offers many variations in color and texture through its use of glazes.

  

Built on this foundation, maneki-neko from Seto are notable for their glossy white surfaces and well-balanced forms. They stand out clearly even in a shop window.
They are auspicious objects, yet durable and easy to handle in daily life—another characteristic of Seto-made maneki-neko.

 

 

Imado (Asakusa Area, Tokyo) – Down-to-Earth Charm in a Downtown Clay Doll

※Read about Tokyo：A Global Metropolis Where Tradition Meets Innovation

 

Imado’s maneki-neko emphasize the simple, earthy feel of clay rather than the pristine gloss of porcelain.

Their rounded shapes and slightly relaxed expressions have been accepted as part of their approachable charm, precisely because they are not excessively “perfect.”

 

Given their roots in downtown Asakusa, Imado cats are more often placed as familiar good-luck charms for everyday life than as “high-end art pieces.”

The sense that you keep one close by and quietly entrust your wishes to it is reflected in their overall presence.

 

 

Kutani (Ishikawa Prefecture) – Rich Color and Ornament

※Read about Ishikawa Prefecture：A Land of Tradition and Beauty Inherited from the Kaga Domain

 

Kutani is known as the home of Kutani ware, one of Japan’s most celebrated styles of colored porcelain.

Its vivid overglaze painting has been highly valued both in Japan and abroad, and Kutani ware has long enjoyed international popularity.

 

That strength carries over into Kutani maneki-neko.
Bold outlines and layered colors give them a striking, almost art-object-like opulence, even as they remain auspicious figures.

 

From the Meiji period onward, Kutani maneki-neko are said to have been popular export items as well, and as lucky charms they were refined in a direction that strongly emphasizes “being seen.”

The sophisticated overglaze techniques that developed in the region appear directly in the expressions and luxurious surfaces of these cats.

 

※For more on Kutani ware, see the separate article：The Beauty of Traditional Japanese Craftsmanship – The Allure of Kutani Ware

 

Seen this way, the many cats gathered under the single name “maneki-neko” each wear the skills, sensibilities, and wishes of their home region. They have changed form with the times, revealing a remarkable range of expressions.

 

What they share is this: within each small body, there lives a quiet desire for someone’s happiness.

 

The Cat That Invites Happiness

 

Even today, craftspeople across Japan continue to make maneki-neko one by one, by hand.

 

They turn the wheel, knead the clay, lay down brushstrokes, and adjust each expression.
In the final touches, they also place something of their own wish:

“When this cat arrives in someone’s home, may it sit nearby as a gentle presence.”

That quiet prayer is embedded in every single figure.

 

Placed in an ordinary corner of a room, that small form remains unchanged even as the times move on, quietly breathing as a token of how people care for one another.

 

And somewhere, on some shelf at this very moment, a little cat is raising its paw once more—silently beckoning happiness toward someone it has yet to meet.